Skip to main content

Our Literacy Programs - Are they making a difference?

What targeted actions did we take to address our school’s learning focus?To address Whiteside's primary struggling readers (in English and in French Immersion), we implemented a daily Primary Reading Intervention Program (2025-2026) that met readers where they were at.
What gap or problem were these actions intended to address? Why was this particular strategy/action chosen?

After examining the Spring and Fall data (2025) gathered from our primary students and reflecting on the experiences and observations of our classrooms, we found there was a need for:

  • Explicit phonological awareness instruction
  • Continued oral language development
  • Building reading confidence and stamina

Starting October, our French Immersion primary teachers adopted the "son au graphes" program and English primary classes started to use the UFLI program.

Students who were able to read fluently already focused on Reading Comprehension strategies (e.g. making connections & inferences)

What does the evidence tell us so far?

To what extent are the actions making a difference?

In primary French Immersion classrooms:

  • SPARK data showed challenges with:
    • Letter naming
    • Sound-symbol correspondence
  • The “middle” range of learners showed the greatest gaps.

After implementing sons au graphes, students showed significant improvement (anecdotally) mid year.

In primary English classrooms, teachers observed that students are showing growth in:

  • Blending
  • Segmenting
  • Decoding skills

Many students, who previously struggled with segmenting beyond 4–5 sounds, are gradually improving.  We look forward to seeing if this improvement will be reflected in our Spring 2026 data.

How will we move forward accordingly? With each term, each teacher will continually assess their groups.  Groups are fluid.  Students are able to move between groups based on observations, participation and assessment.  
  
Updated: Sunday, May 24, 2026