Commentary
Reading skills are on the decline among students in British Columbia.
For example, according to data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), from 2012 to 2022 (the latest year of available data), reading scores among B.C. students declined by 24 points. The OECD considers 20 points to be the approximate equivalent of one grade level. In other words, the reading skills of B.C. students have gone down by more than a full grade level over the last decade. Clearly this is unacceptable.
To address this problem, the B.C. government recently announced it will start mandatory literacy screening for all early-years students, beginning this school year with students in kindergarten. The intent of this screening is to identify early signs of reading difficulties so students can receive remedial support….