Summary
Alberta has emerged as a national leader in aligning curriculum, screening, and instructional practices with the science of reading. The province has made significant progress by removing curriculum references to three-cueing, setting clear expectations for foundational skills, and committing to universal early screening. While strong curriculum reform and consistent screening are in place, gaps remain in intervention policies, teacher training requirements, and system-wide accountability.
1. Curriculum and instruction
Have references to three-cueing been removed from the curriculum and instructional guidance documents?
Alberta has removed references to three-cueing from its updated curriculum and instructional guidance. The new Language Arts and Literature curriculum is grounded in evidence-based practices and reflects a clear shift toward structured literacy. Alberta’s K-6 new curriculum can be found here.
Does the province have specific and measurable expectations for foundational skills for kindergarten to grade 3?
Alberta has developed clear, specific, and measurable expectations for foundational reading skills in the early grades. The curriculum outlines what students should know and be able to do at each stage, helping ensure consistency in instruction and assessment.
Is instructional guidance aligned with structured literacy?
Alberta is a national leader in this area. The province has worked closely with Dr. George Georgiou of the University of Alberta to update its curriculum and instructional guidance. The result is a comprehensive, structured approach that supports consistency and better student outcomes.
2. Screening
Has the province publicly committed to implementing universal early screening?
Alberta has made a clear public commitment to universal early screening as part of its broader effort to improve literacy outcomes. The province has taken a leadership role in Canada by ensuring that all students are screened early and consistently.
Does the province require schools to use screening tools that are evidence-based, valid and reliable?
Alberta requires the use of screening tools that meet rigorous standards for validity and reliability. The tools currently in use were developed or selected in collaboration with Dr. George Georgiou of the University of Alberta. More information about Alberta’s screening tools can be found here.
Is there a policy or regulation requiring schools to screen all kindergarten to grade 2 students at least twice yearly?
Alberta has implemented a province-wide policy requiring all students in kindergarten to grade 3 to be screened, though Kindergarten students are only screened once per year.
3. Intervention
Is there a policy or guidance document that specifies how schools will use screening data to guide intervention decisions?
While we were unable to find a formal policy, Alberta has developed guidance documents and videos to support teachers in using screening data to inform instruction and intervention.
Is there a requirement that schools use evidence-based interventions?
The province has made a free, evidence-based intervention program (developed by Dr. George Georgiou and colleagues at the University of Alberta) available to school boards, but there does not appear to be any requirement to use this program or for schools to only use evidence-based interventions. In fact, several school board websites indicate that they continue to invest in programs such as Levelled Literacy Intervention, which are not aligned with the new curriculum or the science of reading. More explicit government direction in this area would support greater alignment and better outcomes.
Is there a policy that requires schools to track intervention delivery?
We were unable to find any formal requirement for schools to document or track the delivery of interventions. A province-wide tracking system could help ensure accountability and enable more effective support planning for students.
Is progress monitoring mandatory?
While teachers may be collecting progress data informally, we were unable to locate any provincial policy requiring the use of validated progress monitoring tools or specifying how often progress should be tracked. Establishing clear expectations in this area would strengthen intervention efforts.
Is there a policy requiring schools to share intervention implementation and progress monitoring data with parents?
Alberta has developed a parent information sheet about screening and intervention which has been shared with schools. However, the document states that “at the school level, results are shared with parents at the discretion of school authorities.” While this is a helpful resource, we believe it is important that parents are consistently informed about their child’s reading development and any supports their child is receiving. A clear, province-wide expectation would help ensure transparency and strengthen collaboration between families and schools.
Is the province collecting pre- and post-intervention data to continuously evaluate programs and drive system improvement?
Although the province collects provincial screening data to guide overall system improvement, we could not find any requirements for tracking and centrally reporting intervention delivery. Adding this information to the provincial data system would provide additional valuable insights.
4. Teacher Training
Do teacher licensing standards require teachers to learn about reading science?
While Alberta has updated its curriculum and introduced universal screening, we could not find a licensing requirement mandating that teacher candidates learn about reading science in their preparation program. With these reforms now several years old, we would expect that this content had been fully integrated into preservice teacher training across the province. However, implementation appears to be mixed.
Do teacher licensing standards require teachers to learn about dyslexia?
There is currently no formal requirement for preservice teachers to learn about dyslexia or how to support students with reading disabilities.
Do teacher licensure standards require teachers to have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide structured literacy instruction?
Even though Alberta’s curriculum clearly reflects these essential components, we could not find licensing standards that explicitly require teacher candidates to demonstrate proficiency in them.
Is the province investing in professional development for existing teachers to support their shift to a structured literacy approach?
Many school divisions are investing in professional learning (PD), and the Ministry has developed a large number of videos and resources, which are available on the Learn Alberta website. However, we’ve heard from many teachers that what’s missing is job-embedded training and day-to-day support.
While some districts are providing excellent, ongoing PD with in-school coaching, others offer little beyond one-off sessions or links to online materials. The result is uneven implementation and a growing gap between districts with strong instructional leadership and those without.
This page was last updated on August 20, 2025 and reflects the best information we found at the time. If you know of any recent developments or have suggestions for useful links or updates to include, please contact us at info@dyslexiacanada.org.
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