“A plan is not the intervention”

New Brunswick’s literacy results have rightly drawn attention, but what do those measures tell us and what might they leave out?

In a recent opinion piece, Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick President Andrea Garner examines the connection between New Brunswick literacy and learning disabilities, particularly as the province prepares to review Policy 322 on inclusive education.

Literacy assessments provide important information, but they cannot tell the whole story. For students with learning disabilities, assessment results may not show whether accommodations were provided consistently, whether appropriate intervention was offered when barriers emerged, or whether those supports actually improved learning.

As Garner writes, “A plan is not the intervention.”

A Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) can identify important accommodations, but documentation alone does not ensure that students are receiving the instruction and support they need. A stronger approach requires accessible teaching, timely intervention, progress monitoring and meaningful attention to whether strategies are actually working.

As New Brunswick considers the future of inclusive education, we need to look beyond targets and paperwork and ask a fundamental question: Are students able to access, engage in and meaningfully participate in their learning—and are we responding when they can’t?

Read the full opinion piece to learn more about what New Brunswick’s literacy measures may not capture.

Link to the online news article : “Who is in focus? What N.B.’s literacy measures don’t capture”

PDF : “Who is in focus? What N.B.’s Literacy measures don’t capture”