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Early Reading Screeners
Issued by the Ontario Ministry of Education in July 2023, Policy/Program Memorandum 168 (PPM 168) defines early reading screening as “a process of assessing a student’s foundational reading in the early years of school. It involves administering a series of measures to identify students who may be at risk for reading difficulties.”
Starting September 2024, classroom teachers have a professional responsibility to administer the first early reading screener. Between the start of the school year and mid-November, students in year two of Kindergarten, in Grade 1, and in Grade 2 will be screened annually.
For support from ETFO regarding the implementation of Early Reading Screeners please reference the Professional Judgement Matters series and the Pedagogy and Professional Judgement Series.
All ETFO members are invited to register at members.etfo.ca, which provides member-only content including member alerts, classroom resources, bargaining updates, and more. Register today at this link. You will need your ETFO ID to register. Stay in touch with your union. Register at members.etfo.ca.
Diagnostic Assessment
Diagnostic assessments allow teachers to determine student readiness level prior to a unit of study. These diagnostic assessments can be formal board approved assessments or can be teacher created such as the following examples from our website:
| TOOL | ABOUT | VIDEO | WORD | DIVISION | TOOL SECTION | |
| Diagnostic Assessment on Prior Knowledge | Download | Download | Download | Primary | Formative & Diagnostic Tasks | |
| Diagnostic Task Checklist | Download | Download | Download | Junior | Formative & Diagnostic Tasks | |
| Baseline Assessment 7 Minute Quick Write | Download | Intermediate | Formative & Diagnostic Tasks |
It is our professional responsibility to utilise diagnostic assessments to inform instruction during the school year. As Per Policy/Program Memorandum 155 (PPM 155), teachers use their professional judgement to determine:
- Which assessments and/or evaluation tool(s) from the board’s list of pre-approved assessment tools is applicable;
- For which student(s); and
- The frequency and timeline of the use of the tool.
The following graphic helps illustrate how professional judgement regarding the learning needs of students influences the diagnostic assessment choices.
