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This multi-year collaboration between the Multilingualism & Literacy Lab (MLL) and the Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, focuses on understanding the role of phonological awareness in word reading proficiency among early primary school children in both English-stream and French immersion (FI) programs. Phonological awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of a language; it is crucial for developing skill in mapping letters onto the sounds they represent, leading to word reading accuracy and quick word recognition (i.e., word reading fluency). The MLL-LRSD collaboration began when we were approached by the leadership team from a single FI school in the LRSD to assist in evaluating their early literacy screening program to identify children in need of support to develop phonological awareness skills. The success of the initial small-scale project prompted the expansion of an early screening program across the entire school division.

The Classroom-based Literacy Screening project will use early literacy screening measures to identify children in English-stream and French immersion programs who are at-risk for developing future reading difficulties. Early identification is critical to effective and timely reading interventions. The project also addresses a series of research questions using phonological awareness and reading fluency data. These questions explore the growth in phonological awareness and word reading skills across grades, and differences in student performance on these skills as a function of program (English-stream, French immersion) and demographic factors (e.g., SES, English language status, Indigenous status). Data were collected by classroom teachers within the context of the division-wide early literacy screening initiative. The findings will inform policy and practice at the divisional level to promote equity in education.

Within the context of the LRSD initiative, we developed and piloted a French early literacy screening battery for use in French immersion classrooms. The Test des habiletés fondamentales en littératie (THaFoL) is an evidence-based assessment tool that is easily administered and interpreted by classroom teachers. It provides educators with meaningful data to identify children at-risk for reading difficulties and to guide instructional and intervention practices for all students. It assesses skill in letter naming (beginning in kindergarten), and in word, pseudo-word, and oral passage reading (in grades 1 and 2). A phonemic awareness subtest is currently under development for inclusion in the battery. The THaFoL has been implemented across the LRSD over a period of two years, generating data on approximately 1500 FI children. In the fall of 2023, we began the process of assessing the external validity of our screening measure in a collaboration with Dr. Richard Kruk at the University of Manitoba. When finalized, the THaFol will fill the current gap in screening measures specifically designed for use among FI children. The battery is accessible online at no cost via the links below.