The Right to Read in French Immersion: What FI Teachers Need to Know

In 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada determined that learning to read is a basic and critically important human right. Ten years later, the Ontario Human Rights Commission published the Right to Read Inquiry Report, in which Ontario was given a failing grade for reading instruction. Over one million children in Canada are estimated to be “below grade level” in reading.

Despite decades of research outlining best practices in early literacy instruction, the Ontario curriculum—and, as a result, school boards across the province—did not direct, support, or encourage teachers to use these evidence-based practices. The report also highlights the ways in which students with reading difficulties have not received the appropriate support and intervention needed to reach their reading potential.

Following the release of the Right to Read report, the Ontario Ministry of Education overhauled its language curriculum, making several key changes related to reading. However, while the curriculum for first-language English teachers has been updated and now reflects the research, the French Immersion (FI) curriculum has been left untouched. Officially, FI teachers must continue following the 2013 FSL curriculum. This leaves FI educators in a curricular “no man’s land”: they know instructional and assessment practices must change, but they have received little to no guidance and are still required to report based on outdated expectations.

This raises two crucial questions: How can FI teachers adapt their reading assessment and instruction to reflect current research on early literacy development? And how can they ensure that all learners in their classrooms experience success?

The Context of French Immersion

French Immersion (FI) began over 50 years ago in response to increasing parent demand. It has grown into one of Canada’s most popular programs, with enrolment expanding at an exponential rate. Currently, approximately 12% of all Canadian students are enrolled in FI, with some provinces (such as Ontario) reaching closer to 30%.

Despite its popularity, FI has an attrition rate of roughly 30%. Why do students leave French Immersion?

Research consistently shows that reading difficulty is one of the most significant reasons parents choose to move their children into the English stream.

While reading difficulty has many causes, dyslexia is one of them. Current best estimates suggest that dyslexia affects 5–17% of all students. In a class of 20, this means teachers may have anywhere from 1 to 4 students each year with this reading disorder.

Reading is a complex cognitive process that requires the synchronized activation of multiple brain regions, connecting symbols with sounds and eventually recognizing whole words. When children struggle to learn to read, it is typically due to some form of disconnect or under-activation in the brain that requires targeted stimulation.

Brain imaging studies show that systematic, evidence-based reading instruction can normalize brain activity and significantly improve reading outcomes. This underscores the tremendous potential impact of teachers. If we understand and implement systematic reading instruction effectively, we can change the brains of our students—and influence their lives long-term.

The Role of Teachers

Teachers play a critical role in developing students’ reading skills, guiding them through the journey of understanding, and fostering exploration of ideas.

Evidence shows substantial variability in student outcomes based on instructional practices. For example, in one high-poverty district, first-grade teachers varied dramatically: some achieved grade-level reading comprehension for 80% of their students, while others reached only 20%. Clearly, teaching practices matter.

As teachers, we know that of course there are many, many factors aside from our teaching that influence outcomes! Internal factors in children, along with other things like the home literacy environments and parental support and practice at home. But here's the good new: Even though we can't change ALL of these factors, we can certainly help! Studies have shown that strong instruction can mitigate disadvantages, such as those stemming from home literacy environments. Students with poor home literacy experiences can still make adequate progress with two consecutive years of high-quality reading instruction.

In contrast:

• With only one year of high-quality instruction, just 25% of these students made adequate progress.

• With two years of weak instruction, none made adequate progress.

The message is clear: Teachers are pivotal in developing complex cognitive skills like reading, and there is so much we can do to help our students reach their potential.

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Sources

Adel Safty, "French Immersion in Canada: Theory and Practice," International Review of Education 37, no. 4 (1991): 473–488, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00597622.

American Psychological Association, “See Brain. See Brain Read,” July 1, 2014, https://www.apa.org/topics/learning-memory/reading-instruction-brain.

Deloitte, An Economic Overview of Children’s Literacy in Canada, prepared for the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation (2020), https://childrensliteracy.ca/cclf/media/PDFs/Deloitte-Report-An-Economic-Overview-of-Children-s-Literacy-in-Canada.pdf.

Elizabeth MacKay, Xi Chen, and S. Hélène Deacon, “Longitudinal Predictors of French Word Reading Difficulties Among French Immersion Children,” Annals of Dyslexia 73, no. 1 (2023): 73–89, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-022-00275-z. 

 Karen E. Waldie, Charlotte E. Haigh, Gjurgjica Badzakova-Trajkov, Jude Buckley, and Ian J. Kirk, “Reading the Wrong Way with the Right Hemisphere,” Brain Sciences, July 17, 2013, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061874/.

Louisa Moats, “It’s Dyslexia: What’s a Teacher to Do?” Voyager Sopris Learning, 2023, https://www.voyagersopris.com/blog/edview360/its-dyslexia.

Nancy Wise and Xi Chen, “At-Risk Readers in French Immersion: Early Identification and Early Intervention,” Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics 13, no. 2 (2010): 128–149.

Ontario Human Rights Commission, Right to Read: Public Inquiry into Human Rights Issues Affecting Students with Reading Disabilities (2022), https://www3.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/FINAL%20R2R%20REPORT%20DESIGNED%20April%2012.pdf.

Ontario Ministry of Education, Key Changes – Language, Grades 1 to 8: Curriculum and Resources (2023), https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/key-changes-language.

 Terrence Tivnan and Lowry Hemphill, “Comparing Four Literacy Reform Models in High-Poverty Schools: Patterns of First-Grade Achievement,” The Elementary School Journal 105, no. 5 (2005): 419–441, https://doi.org/10.1086/431885.