EQUITABLE EDUCATION

The scope of the systemic initiative includes the review of the parent submissions, conducting stakeholder interviews and meetings, the preparation of a legal summary, and capturing the comment, feedback, and input of individuals with reading disabilities, their families, and advocates, as well as educators and other professionals. [...] It includes the ability to access, receive, analyze, and communicate information in a variety of formats, and to interact with di昀昀erent forms of communication and technologies.4 The ability to read is a critical skill necessary to navigate life in school and beyond. [...] The documents say the motivation to create Saskatchewan Reads came from the need to improve student reading in the province.36 Structured Literacy A structured literacy approach involves systematic, cumulative, and explicit instruction in the relationship between sounds in speech and the written word, phonics, the use of decodable texts, and varied age and skill-level appropriate literature. [...] The Commission’s own research and consultation from a vast array of sources has shown the science and research behind the structured literacy approach to be superior to the balanced literacy approach and has been proven to serve a wider audience of learners, including those with dyslexia. [...] The Commission recommends a strong focus on collaboration with Indigenous communities, Indigenous experts in the area of reading and teaching, and Indigenous families in order to address these concerns and align with the Truth and Reconciliation’s Calls to Action number 10, in particular.