About Right to Read

Promoting Response to Intervention

Catching Children Before They Fail... the Right to Read is a program of the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (LDAA).

  • Right to Read is a program developed by volunteer committee of psychologists and reading specialists to help identify and support children with reading difficulties in their early school years, as well as children who first language is not English.
  • LDAA is aware of the longitudinal research that has been conducted about the effectiveness of reading readiness programs for students with learning and reading disabilities. It is estimated that one-quarter of the students in North American classrooms are at risk for literacy difficulties.
  • The program is based on evidence gathered from many disciplines over several decades that has provided many insights into how children learn to read. This research is considered the "Science of Reading".
  • LDAA’s vision for the program is to identify young children at risk of reading difficulties so they will receive intervention at the earliest possible stage in their educational development
  • LDAA’s objective for the program was to provide teachers, schools and divisions with an accessible, affordable measure to screen all their students for reading readiness skills; recognizing that poor phonemic awareness is a significant risk factor for future reading disabilities.
  • The LDAA works with teachers to promote the use of relevant intervention strategies utilizing principles of structured literacy intervention to maximize the overall literacy level of those with weak reading readiness skills

The Reading Readiness Screening Tool

The Reading Readiness Screening Tool was designed to support early identification of reading difficulties encountered by young children in kindergarten and grade 1 for English and grades 1 and 2 in French.

Interventions

The Right to Read Program provides relevant intervention strategies which are tied to the assessment tool to assist with remediation.

The program provides intervention resources for teachers to use in the classroom as well as complimentary activities parents can use to support the work of the teacher.

What Teachers are Saying About the English Program

I mentioned to my principal that the Reading Readiness Screening Tool is a complete and organized resource that is age appropriate for my class and that I will be using it as a key assessment tool for the upcoming school year and years to come! What I love about the screening tool the most is it doesn’t just end after the testing. With the score sheet I am able to determine how the student is developing at a certain point in the school year. I can then use the results and suggestions I learned from the sessions as well as share with parents about how to build on the skills that are needed to become a better reader in a focused area of reading.

Lyndsi Downie, Westbrook School

Accessing the Right to Read Program

The program is offered through:

  • LDAA organized two-day workshops
  • District organized two-day workshops
  • Online as a self-paced course offered through Foothills Academy Outreach.

Professional Development

Experienced professionals are available through the Right to Read program to provide information related to the efficacy of screening and successful responses to intervention programs for students with learning difficulties. A specialized workshop can be designed to meet the needs of your cohort, whether that is through a private gathering, a conference or a webinar.