Universal literacy screening widespread – even where it is not mandatory
In cross-Canada consultations to support the development of the new Canadian School Survey, principals highlighted changes in literacy practice as an area of positive change.Among participants in the 2025-26 survey, 82% of principals reported that they were using early literacy screening in their school, most commonly in grades 1 and 2.
Alberta and Ontario mandated universal screening in 2023, and over the past year (spanning the survey period) BC, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have introduced similar policies, with NWT committing to ‘advance’ literacy screening.
Our results showed, however, that many principals aren’t waiting for policy to catch up: The majority (61%) of principals in provinces without mandates have implemented universal screening.
Ideally, universal screening can provide timely information for teachers and families, reduce bias and make sure struggling students don’t get missed, and allow resources to be targeted where there is greatest need. For those reasons, we were curious to see whether screening was associated with additional resources.
Majority of schools report struggling readers getting specialized supports
The large majority of schools in our study (91%) reported that students identified with early literacy difficulties were receiving some sort of specialized support beyond extra attention in the classroom. Most reported that struggling students were receiving support from a specialized teacher, on either a push-in or pull-out basis (84%). 75% of principals reported they had students who would benefit from literacy interventions who were not receiving them because of a lack of resources.
Schools that conducted early literacy screening were more likely to report that students struggling with literacy were receiving support beyond extra attention in the classroom (92%) compared to those which did not screen (83%), which suggests that screening is part of a larger bundle of literacy resources in those schools.
In future years, we would like to know more about frequency and duration of these supports and whether they are aligned with evidence-based practices associated with major gains.
What about numeracy?
Over the past decade, Canada’s performance on national and international mathematics tests has declined fairly dramatically – part of a larger international trend. With the exception of Quebec, where math and literacy are both reported on provincial assessments, math performance tends to be worse than literacy, a trend mirrored in international assessments.
Yet there does not appear to be the same sort of organized support for students struggling with numeracy in the early years as there is for literacy.
Only 23% of schools in our sample reported universal numeracy screening, which is mandated only in Alberta. 67% of principals reported that students struggling with numeracy received specialized support beyond extra attention in the classroom. 79% of principals reported they had students who would benefit from numeracy interventions who were not receiving them because of a lack of resources.
During the pilot year, 456 principals from across Canada participated in the survey, 328 in elementary schools. For more from the Canadian School survey, see our report on Critical Resources in Canadian Schools. Next issue: the relationship between principals’ stress and staffing shortages.
In 2025-2026, the Canadian Association of Principals collaborated with a team of researchers from Laurier’s Centre for Leading Research in Education and People for Education to pilot a new pan-Canadian School Survey. As part of the partnership, the Canadian School Survey will be contributing a series of articles for the CAP Journal to be shared with principals’ organizations across the country.
