BC Introduces Mandatory Literacy Screening in Kindergarten
Photo by Monica Sedra
As of the current school year, the BC Government has introduced mandatory early literacy screening for students, in order to identify and get help more quickly to those students with reading challenges, including dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
In a September 2025 release, Lisa Beare, Minister of Education and Child Care, said, “Early literacy screening helps spot those challenges quickly so students can get the help they need at a younger age, before small struggles become big barriers. Every child should have the opportunity to thrive in school and that starts with recognizing their needs early and responding with care.” Students in Kindergarten will be screened to determine where they are in their development of reading skills. The brief screening is designed to identify early signs of reading difficulties and “help ensure timely, targeted support is provided to students who may benefit from additional assistance.
The release notes, “School districts will use screening tools that align with the criteria set by the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The ministry will be working with school districts, literacy experts, researchers and education partners to plan a standardized approach to screening for students from kindergarten to third grade in the coming years. This will include a single, made-in-B.C. screening tool for all schools to use.”
This initiative forms part of the $30 million commitment over three years by the BC Government to improve literacy for all children in BC, including children with learning differences, such as dyslexia. The program is planned to expand to include all students in Grades 1 to 3 in 2026-2027.
Translations of the government release are available as pdf downloads in Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), French, Punjabi, and Tagalog.
The early literacy screening component criteria at Kindergarten level include:
Upper-case and lower-case letter naming (accuracy and fluency)
Letter-sound correspondence (optional)
Phoneme isolation and segmentation
New Westminster School District has implemented the program for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students this year. The school district issued a useful online FAQ sheet for parents at https://newwestschools.ca/programs-services/early-learning/early-literacy-screening/ to assist in understanding the implementation of the screening process.
The BC Ministry of Education and Child Care provide a downloadable Information for Parents and Caregivers brochure, All about early literacy, to provide a guide to:
Helpful tips to build your child’s early literacy skills at home
An explanation of how teachers will support your child’s early literacy in school
Steps you can take if you think your child needs extra support