Letters sent home with students of First Nations School Board schools show that the nationwide issue of low literacy rates is being seen in the Yukon as well. However, according to the FNSB literacy department, they are continuing to help students improve that literacy.
The notices were sent home in November with each primary student (grades one to three) attending a FNSB school. The notices review how that student scored in three standardized screening tests, looking at fluency, decoding and word recognition. The student’s score is compared with average scores for that grade across the board. It also compared those scores with the range of scores achieved by children across North America.
The tests were first administered in 2022, when the FNSB began, for the purpose of data collection, said Megan Norris, one of the school board’s literacy coaches whose job it is to help teachers across the board with student literacy.
She said there was no baseline data around literacy in FNSB schools when they were taken over by the FNSB in 2022. One of their first priorities, she said, would be to get that information.
Norris said it was also important to ensure that information about students’ literacy was being communicated to families.
“Part of that is because we want to provide parents with knowledge, equip them with the knowledge about how their child is doing in specific areas, so that they can be strong advocates for their child in their education journey,” she said.
The tests are done twice in a school year: once in the fall and then once in the spring, said literacy coach Kayla Abrams.
Norris said these tests and their scores are not used to grade the student but rather to inform teachers of students who need extra support.
A student who scores below average is flagged, said Norris. The student may do another assessment to tease out the specific challenges they’re experiencing with reading, said Norris.
Another literacy coach, Sofie Maurice, said solutions may involve grouping students together to work on the challenges they share.
“This isn't just a statement that, ‘yeah, our kids can't read.’ This is telling us information that can guide our actions, and so long as we're taking those actions based in that information, we're seeing results," said Roxanne Stasyszyn, the director of communications for the school board.
Primary students across the board are receiving an hour and a half of literacy-focused instructions per day, said literacy coach Ruth Stubbings.
The instruction also transitioned to reflect evidence and research on how human brains learn to read, said Norris.
The previous system – known as balanced literacy or “reading recovery” - teaches students learning to read to use cues to help them understand texts.
Structured literacy, which is the system the school board implemented at its onset, focuses on having children look at the word and sound it out, said Norris.
The switch is behind the “tremendous growth” Norris said the school board has experienced.
In June 2024, the school board boasted improvements in literacy rates: students in four schools increased between 10 to 14 standard scores, whereas another three increased by four to 10.
There are now three FNSB schools reading within an average range, as defined by North American standards, compared to one school reading within the average range when FNSB took over in 2022.
According to the FNSB’s website, there are currently five schools whose reading score is below average, one whose reading score is poor, and one whose reading score is very poor. The remaining three schools are within average range.
Still, Norris said the school board has seen improvement over the past two years.
“We had people from across Canada reach out when they saw our social media posts, say that ‘the growth that you saw is unheard of,’” Norris said. “It's that good.”
The team is now incorporating grades four to seven into their support approach. Norris said they’re helping students who are still learning to read, as well as students who are able to read.
Stasyszyn said FNSB’s students are predominantly Indigenous, and for a long time, students and their families were seen as being at fault for low literacy rates.
“People were throwing up their hands, going, ‘I don't know. I don't know why these kids can't learn to read.’”
Ross River’s school’s difficulties with literacy where the focus of extra investigation, said Stasyszyn.
“At the end of the day, there was never a reflection on, ‘well, have we tried changing the way we're teaching the kids?’”
Now that that change has happened, Ross River has shown the most improvement, showing “shining” rates of literacy, she said.
She said leadership in Ross River Dena Council and Liard First Nation said Kaska kids are used to being told again and again that they are the ones who need to work harder.
“And then for us to show in one year, no, if we change the way we're teaching, those kids can read, everybody can read,” said Stasyszyn. “That's part of the beauty, like the work that this group has done.”
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
