ManitobaA group of parents say Manitoba’s plans to introduce universal reading assessments don’t go far enough.Province working to introduce reading skill screenings in kindergarten to Grade 4Arturo Chang · CBC News · Posted: Oct 25, 2025 11:01 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesA group of Manitoba parents gathered at the provincial legislature Friday in support of a private member’s bill that would establish mandatory screenings for learning disabilities. (Ben Nelms/CBC)A group of parents say Manitoba’s plans to introduce universal reading assessments don’t go far enough.The parents and their children gathered at the provincial legislature Friday in support of a private member’s bill that would establish mandatory screenings for learning disabilities. They were all wearing red, in commemoration of Dyslexia Awareness Month.Brianna Neufeld’s nine-year-old daughter, Blake, was diagnosed with dyslexia last year. Neufeld said her child used to love going to school, but her mood suddenly worsened once she started Grade 3.”She was crying every night,” the mom said. “I wasn’t sure what to do anymore, and so I mentioned it to the school counsellor, and that’s kind of what led to her getting an assessment.”Neufeld said her daughter’s reading skills had been tested, but it wasn’t until the psychological assessment that her disability was detected.She said she supports a bill by Liberal MLA Cindy Lamoureux that would establish universal screenings twice every school year in kindergarten to Grade 3.Brianna Neufeld says reading assessments are vital for students in early grades. (CBC)”They need to be assessments that are scientific, the ones that the doctors are recommending,” said Neufeld. “Assessments are so important.… Their mental health is going down before they’re able to be assessed. And by that time, it feels a little bit too late.”But Lamoureux said the bill would be at risk of dying if the government doesn’t call for a vote on it before the fall session of the legislature ends.”We just need to make sure that what is being practised here in Manitoba is universal,” she said. “In other provinces where we’re seeing literacy rates go up because of universal screening, it is a standard tool that is used across all school divisions. Currently here in Manitoba, there is no standard tool.”Pilot underwayA ministerial spokesperson said the province has already taken steps aligned with the goals of the bill.The government is currently piloting early reading screening tools at some schools. The province said in April it aimed to expand the screening to all K-4 students by next fall.The screening would be done early in the school year, with an optional second screening during the spring.The government recognizes that “early identification and intervention are key to ensuring all children have the opportunity to become confident, capable readers,” the spokesperson said.WATCH | Group calls for universal learning assesments:Group wants Manitoba to legislate universal learning assessmentsA group of parents, educators and students are calling on the Manitoba government to legislate universal reading assessments. The education minister has announced changes requiring schools to implement screening, but the group feels it doesn’t go far enough.With files from Josh Crabb
Manitoba parents call for universal screening for learning disabilities in schools
