Manitoba’s poor literacy rate has prompted MLAs of all political stripes to unanimously endorse a private member’s bill to increase teacher monitoring and support for struggling readers.
Bill 225 requires elementary schools to systematically screen elementary students for early signs of struggle, immediately act on warning signs and document findings in report cards.
Tyndall Park MLA Cindy Lamoureux first tabled the legislation — now named the Public Schools Amendment Act (Early Reading Screening) — on March 26.
Lamoureux, the lone elected official representing the Manitoba Liberals, drafted it with parents and dyslexia advocates.
On Tuesday, following repeated pleas for the government to collaborate on adjustments, an updated version of it passed third reading.
“Unfortunately, here in Manitoba, literacy rates are very low,” Lamoureux told the house shortly before colleagues in all corners of the legislature supported her bill. “Forty per cent of children are meeting literacy standards right now. That’s exceptionally low — and these numbers are even lower for Indigenous children.”
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The Alberta government has unveiled Bill 6, a proposed amendment to the Education Act that the province says aims to strengthen foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics for young learners across the province.
If passed, the legislation would make literacy and numeracy screenings mandatory for all students from kindergarten to Grade 3. null
The goal is to identify learning challenges early and provide targeted support to ensure no child falls behind, according to Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
“Classrooms today have many different students—some learn fast, some need more time, and some have other challenges,” he said. “If a student is struggling with reading or math, the screener will show it and identify it early.”