NOTE: This course starts June 1, 2022 and closes on Sept 1, 2022.

Overview

The Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta (LDAA) is proud to present the online version of the Right to Read course. Right to Read is a program developed by a volunteer committee of psychologists and reading specialists to help identify and support children with reading difficulties in their early school years as well as children whose first language is not English. The program is based on evidence gathered from many disciplines over several decades that have provided insights into how children learn to read. This research is considered the "Science of Reading".

This course will teach you how to screen for deficits in fundamental reading skills: oral language, phonological skills, and print-based skills involved in early reading. You will then learn relevant intervention strategies utilizing principles of structured literacy intervention.

The LDAA has partnered with Foothills Academy Society to offer the online version of this course, created to be flexible for professionals who have busy lifestyles, with a learning platform that is open 24/7 and can be accessed in the comfort of your own home. You work on the course at your own pace within the 4-month window that the course is open (i.e., there are no scheduled classes, due dates, etc.). 

NOTE: Unless you have been given a code directly from a staff member at Foothills Academy or LDAA, this course does not qualify for Promotion Code discounts.   

Course Objectives, Outcomes, and Work

The course includes the following content: 

• The Reading Readiness Screening Tool: You will learn about reading research, phonemic and phonological awareness, and the Reading Readiness Screening Tool (RRST). The goal is to provide you with a multi-faceted understanding of the RRST. You will be required to complete the RRST with a student (or an adult, depending on your access to students) and submit your results to the course facilitator. 
• Assessment Informs Instruction: You will learn how to interpret the results of the RRST and implement reading intervention strategies to support your students based on these results. The goal here is to learn how to use the results of the RRST to inform your instruction. You will also be immersed in the foundational skills of the science of reading to increase your competencies in helping children learn to read, including exploration of word skills, text skills, syllable skills, graphemes, phonemes, and phonics. You do not need to have access to students in order to learn or apply these interventions immediately.

Participants will complete activities and practice assessments to apply their learning. Due to facilitator timelines, we cannot grant extensions to the course closure date (i.e., you must complete the course within the 3-month window).

A note regarding Covid-19: due to the current pandemic, we recognize that it may be difficult for participants to access early learners in order to conduct a sample assessment. As such, we are expanding this option to allow you to assess a child of any age who you are able to access. If you do not have access to a child, you can practice with an adult or with a fellow classmate via Zoom. While this is not ideal, we recognize that the priority of this task to learn and practice the tool. 

Group Discounts and Private Classrooms

Are available as an alternative for groups of 5 or more, we can create a private "classroom" (i.e., cohort) with flexible start and end dates. If you would like to discuss group discounts or private classrooms, please email the Right to Read administrator at info@righttoread.ca.

The course is updated as new, evidence-based information is discovered. LDAA is aware of the longitudinal research that has been conducted about the effectiveness of reading readiness programs for students with learning and reading disabilities. The program is based on evidence gathered from many disciplines over several decades that has provided in-depth insight into how children learn to read.