Mandatory Early Reading and Math Checks

Summary#

This bill changes Alberta’s Education Act to require early checks of reading and math skills. It focuses on children in kindergarten through grade 3. The goal is to spot learning needs early, share results with families, and track progress across the province.

• The Minister of Education can set literacy and numeracy screening tools and how often they are used.
• All school boards must give these screenings in kindergarten to grade 3. This also applies to accredited independent schools and early childhood services programs.
• Boards can exempt a child from screening in some cases and may collect personal information to decide on exemptions.
• Schools must share each child’s results with their parent and also report individual results to the Minister.
• The government will publish an annual public report on screening results.
• The law takes effect on a date set by the government (by Proclamation). Many details will be set later in regulations.

What it means for you#

• Parents and guardians

  • Your child in K–3 will be screened for reading and math using tools set by the province.
  • You will get your child’s results from the school.
  • If your child needs help, the school may use the results to plan extra support.
  • In some cases, your child may be exempted from screening. The school may ask for information to decide this.
  • Your child’s individual results will also be sent to the provincial government. You can ask the school how your child’s data is protected.

• Students (Kindergarten to Grade 3)

  • You will do short checks of reading and math skills, possibly more than once a year.
  • If the screening shows you need help, you may get targeted support.

• Teachers and school leaders

  • You will need to administer province-set screenings, keep records, report to parents, and send individual results to the Minister.
  • You may need to handle exemption requests and collect information for those decisions.
  • You could receive requests from the Minister for extra information related to the screenings.

• School boards, early childhood service providers, and accredited independent schools

  • You must ensure screenings are done as required and reported to parents and the Minister.
  • You must provide individualized results and, if asked, additional personal information to the Minister for oversight.
  • You will need systems and staff time for data handling, privacy, and annual reporting.

• General public

  • You will be able to see an annual public report on early literacy and numeracy screening results for Alberta.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

• Early screening helps catch reading and math struggles sooner, so children get help when it matters most.
• Using common tools across Alberta creates consistent expectations and fairer comparisons.
• Requiring schools to share results with parents improves communication and lets families support learning at home.
• A public annual report promotes transparency and accountability for early learning.
• Including independent schools and early childhood programs ensures most young learners are covered, not just those in public schools.
• Collecting individual results helps the province target resources and training where needs are greatest.

Opponents' View#

• More testing may take time away from teaching and add stress for very young children.
• A one-size-fits-all approach may not fit local needs or diverse learners; boards lose flexibility.
• Reporting individual results to the government and allowing extra data requests raise privacy concerns.
• The added administrative work could burden teachers and small schools.
• Public reporting might lead to ranking schools or labeling children, which could have unintended harms.
• Key details and funding are left to regulations, creating worries about an unfunded mandate.