A School-Based Professional Learning Community Improving Equity and Inclusion for At-Risk Readers in French Immersion - Early Phonological Awareness Screening and Intervention Study

Oct 15, 2026

This longitudinal, mixed-methods study evaluates the development and implementation of an early phonological awareness screening and intervention program for struggling emergent readers in a French immersion school in Manitoba. Created by a school-based professional learning community involving administrators, teachers, and clinical support staff, the program was delivered in English during kindergarten and lasted 10 weeks. Forty-two children participated, showing significant gains in phonological awareness, and English skills predicted French reading levels in Grade 1. Qualitative interview analyses clarify PLC members’ roles, offering a transferable equity and accessibility model for FI teams.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Program development and implementation

Participants and intervention outcomes

Predictive relationship between English phonology and French reading

Roles of PLC members through qualitative interviews

A School-Based Professional Learning Community Improving Equity and Inclusion for At-Risk Readers in French Immersion Krystina Raymond The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Robert George The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Ron Cadez Louis Riel School Division Michelle Follows Louis Riel School Division Nicole Neveux Louis Riel School Division Kathleen Hipfner-Boucher The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Fred Genesee McGill University Xi Chen The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Abstract This longitudinal, mixed-methods study reports on the development and implementation of an early phonological awareness screening and intervention program for struggling emergent readers in a French immersion school in Manitoba. The program was created by a professional learning community made up of the school administrator, teachers, and clinical support staff. This paper describes the process of developing the phonological awareness program and the intervention itself. Forty-two children participated in the phonological awareness intervention that lasted 10 weeks. The intervention was given in English in kindergarten. Significant gains were found in the phonological awareness skills of the children who participated in the intervention. Results also indicated that children’s phonological awareness skills in English predicted their French reading levels in Grade 1. In addition, we provide insight into the roles played by key members of the school’s PLC through qualitative analysis of a series of semi-structured interviews. The work of the school’s professional learning community offers a model that may be implemented by other school teams to promote equity and accessibility for all learners in FI programs. Résumé Cette étude longitudinale s’appuyant sur une méthodologie mixte présente l'élaboration d'un programme de dépistage et d’intervention précoce en matière de conscience phonologique auprès d’élèves à risque de développer des difficultés d’apprentissage de la lecture dans une école d'immersion en français au Manitoba. Le programme a été créé par une communauté d'apprentissage professionnelle composée du directeur de l'école, d’enseignants et du personnel de soutien clinique . Cet article décrit le processus du développement du programme ainsi que l'intervention. Quarante-deux enfants ont suivi les interventions en conscience phonologique pendant 10 semaines. L'intervention a été donnée en anglais pendant la maternelle. Des gains significatifs ont été trouvés dans les compétences de conscience phonologique des enfants qui ont participé à l'intervention. Les résultats ont également indiqué que les compétences en conscience phonologique en anglais prédisent leniveau de lecture en français en 1ère année. De plus, nous donnons un aperçu des rôles jouéspar les membres clés de la communauté d’apprentissage professionnelle de l'école grâce à l'analyse qualitative d'une série d'entretiens semi-structurés. Le travail de la communauté d'apprentissage professionnelle de l'école offre un modèle qui peut être mis en place pard'autres écoles pour promouvoir l'équité et l'accessibilité pour tous les apprenants des programmes d'immersion en français. A School-Based Professional Learning Community Improving Equity and Inclusion for At-Risk Readers in French Immersion Introduction In 1965, French immersion (FI) programs were introduced for Anglophone children in Québec to promote English-French bilingualism (Lambert & Tucker, 1972) . Since then, FI programs have been implemented widely across Canada. Despite the popularity of these programs, retention rates are relatively low, particularly among children who experience reading-related difficulties (Canadian Parents for French, 2019) . Struggling readers are often counselled out ofFI and into English-medium p

FAQs

What intervention did the study develop and implement?

It developed and implemented an early phonological awareness screening and intervention program for at-risk emergent readers in a French immersion school.

How long did the intervention last and who participated?

The intervention ran for 10 weeks, and 42 children participated in the phonological awareness intervention given in English during kindergarten.

What were the key results regarding reading and phonological awareness?

Children showed significant gains in phonological awareness skills, and their English phonological awareness skills predicted their French reading levels in Grade 1.

Oct 15, 2026

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