Summary
Ontario has made strong progress in early literacy reform, guided by the recommendations of the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry. The province has removed cueing strategies from the curriculum, introduced clear expectations for foundational skills, and updated instructional guidance to reflect structured literacy. A universal screening policy is in place, and the government has used funding to encourage school boards to adopt evidence-based intervention programs. It has also invested in educator support through the creation of ONlit, a provincial platform providing resources and professional learning.
However, key gaps remain. There are still no formal policies for intervention, progress monitoring, or reporting, and teacher preparation standards remain vague and insufficient to ensure future educators are equipped to teach all children to read and support those with dyslexia. To secure lasting change, Ontario must now build upon the great work it has begun and fully implement all of the Right to Read recommendations.
1. Curriculum and instruction
Have references to three-cueing been removed from the curriculum and instructional guidance documents?
Ontario has removed references to cueing strategies from both the Language Curriculum and instructional guidance documents, reflecting a clear shift away from outdated approaches to reading instruction.
Does the province have specific and measurable expectations for foundational skills for kindergarten to grade 3?
The 2023 Language Curriculum and the Language Foundations Continuum represent major progress. They clearly outline grade-by-grade expectations for foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, and handwriting, and offer practical guidance to support structured literacy instruction from grade 1 onward.
However, the kindergarten program has not yet been updated. While the Language Foundations Continuum includes a K/1 column, its use is not mandatory in kindergarten. A new kindergarten program aligning with these expectations was initially scheduled for implementation in September 2025, but that rollout was delayed by a year to September 2026.
As a result, another 260,000 children—the average number of students entering kindergarten each year in Ontario—will begin school this fall without the assurance that they will be taught foundational skills. Their access depends entirely on whether their teacher chooses to follow the updated guidance, which creates unacceptable variability in opportunity and outcomes.
Is instructional guidance aligned with structured literacy?
Ontario has released updated instructional guidance aligned with structured literacy, recommending explicit, systematic instruction in the foundational skills for reading, writing, and spelling. The province has also invested in resources and professional learning to support educators through its partnership with Dyslexia Canada via ONlit.org.
2. Screening
Has the province publicly committed to implementing universal early screening?
Implementing universal early reading screening was a key recommendation of the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Right to Read inquiry, and the province publicly committed to this reform in 2022. This marked a significant turning point in literacy policy and laid the foundation for earlier identification and support for students at risk of reading difficulties.
Does the province require schools to use screening tools that are evidence-based, valid and reliable?
The province engaged the Ontario Education Collaborative Marketplace (OECM), an arm’s length procurement organization, to lead the selection process for screening tools. OECM collaborated with external experts to establish rigorous criteria focused on high-quality evidence. Following a public call for proposals and an evaluation process, the province approved a list of three English tools and one French tool. All school boards are required to use a tool from this approved list, ensuring consistency and quality across Ontario.
Is there a policy or regulation requiring schools to screen all kindergarten to grade 2 students at least twice yearly?
Ontario formalized screening expectations through Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 168, which was a major step forward. By embedding screening into policy, the province has ensured it will remain a long-term practice. However, the current policy requires only one universal screening at the beginning of the year. A second screening is only required for students flagged as at risk.
This creates a significant gap. If fall screening indicates that a student is on track, it means they are starting the year with the foundational skills needed to engage in grade-level learning and are statistically likely to stay on track with reading development if they receive effective instruction throughout the year. A second, mid-year screening for all students would allow schools and boards to verify that instruction is effective and intervene immediately if it isn’t. Under the current policy, students receiving inadequate instruction may not be identified until the following fall, resulting in many months of lost learning. A universal mid-year check is essential to ensure instructional quality and protect students from falling behind.
3. Intervention
Is there a policy or guidance document that specifies how schools will use screening data to guide intervention decisions?
Creating objective, data-based criteria for determining which students receive intervention was a key recommendation of the OHRC’s Right to Read inquiry. The Human Rights Commission raised serious concerns about selection bias in how students were chosen for support and emphasized that the absence of clear, consistent criteria undermines equity. To address this, they recommended that the province develop standardized intervention decision-making protocols based on screening results. This has not yet been done. While some boards have developed local processes, there is no provincial policy to ensure consistent, fair, and timely access to intervention across Ontario.
Is there a requirement that schools use evidence-based interventions?
The Ministry has created a list of evidence-based interventions eligible for funding, and boards are expected to select from this list when making new purchases. However, there is no formal policy requiring the use of these interventions, and boards may continue using older, less effective programs if they already own them. While most school boards have worked to update programs post-Right to Read, consistency remains lacking.
Is there a policy that requires schools to track intervention delivery?
Ontario does not currently require schools to document how often or how consistently interventions are delivered. This lack of tracking presents a serious problem. Without this information, it is impossible to determine whether a student’s lack of progress is due to the intervention not being aligned with their current instructional needs, the possibility of more severe reading difficulties or dyslexia, or the fact that the intervention simply has not been delivered as intended.
Through our parent support program, we regularly hear from families who have been told their child is receiving a specific intervention program, often one that is designed to be delivered daily for a set number of weeks. However, when families dig deeper, they discover the child is only receiving the intervention once or twice a week. In these cases, the child has not actually been given access to the program as designed, making it unfair and inappropriate to judge the program or the child based on the lack of progress. Without clear implementation tracking, students fall through the cracks, and meaningful program evaluation is impossible.
Is progress monitoring mandatory?
All boards now have access to screening tools with built-in progress monitoring features, removing any logistical barrier. However, the province has not mandated the use of these tools to regularly assess student response to intervention. Formalizing progress monitoring would help teachers adjust instruction and ensure timely support.
Is there a policy requiring schools to share intervention implementation and progress monitoring data with parents?
Schools are not required to report on the type, frequency, or intensity of intervention support provided to students. Transparency is essential for building trust and helping families advocate effectively.
Is the province collecting pre- and post-intervention data to continuously evaluate programs and drive system improvement?
While some boards may track this locally, there is no provincial system for collecting or analyzing outcome data from interventions. This is a missed opportunity to identify effective practices and guide future planning.
4. Teacher Training
Do teacher licensing standards require teachers to learn about reading science?
The Right to Read Inquiry found that teacher preparation programs in Ontario were severely lacking in instruction on the science of reading. The OHRC made strong recommendations for the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) to update its standards to ensure all teacher candidates learn evidence-based practices for reading instruction. In 2023, a year after the release of the inquiry, the OCT published new standards for university teacher preparation programs, but the document did not reference Right to Read or fulfill the Commission’s recommendations.
Do teacher licensing standards require teachers to learn about dyslexia?
Dyslexia is not explicitly addressed in Ontario’s teacher certification requirements. As a result, many new educators graduate without the knowledge or training needed to identify and support students with dyslexia and other reading disabilities.
Do teacher licensure standards require teachers to have the knowledge and skills necessary to provide structured literacy instruction?
The essential components of structured literacy are not identified in teacher licensure standards, and there is no requirement for teacher candidates to demonstrate knowledge or proficiency in these areas. Some faculties of education have begun to update their coursework, but progress is uneven. School boards across the province have expressed frustration that new teachers are not entering the profession with the knowledge and skills required to implement the Language Curriculum or screening policies effectively.
Is the province investing in professional development for existing teachers to support their shift to a structured literacy approach?
Ontario has provided funding to school boards and invested in creating ONlit.org, a provincial platform developed in partnership with Dyslexia Canada and IDA Ontario. ONlit provides classroom-ready resources and ongoing professional development opportunities aligned with structured literacy. Many school boards have used these materials to support job-embedded professional learning, and some leading boards have implemented strong coaching models to support teachers in shifting practice. This is a promising development, but with 72 school boards across the province, there is still significant inconsistency in how professional development is being delivered. A more coordinated provincial strategy would help ensure all educators are supported equally.
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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