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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 9, 2006 Howard Elementary School first-graders Kaitelyn Hugescq, left, and Kenzie Bruce share a book about looking through a microscope. Young students are becoming better readers through the Oregon Reading First program. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell When ABCs spell F-U-N Federally funded program helps younger children get a grasp on reading skills By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune When Sydney Lacey began the first grade at Howard Elementary School in the fall, reading was a struggle. Now the 7-year-old reads flawlessly and enjoys reading independently at home. "I read very, very fast," Sydney declared. "It’s really, really fun to read." Sydney’s teachers credit her progress to a federally funded reading program the Medford School District adopted three years ago for kindergarten through second grade at four of its 14 elementary schools — Howard, Jackson, Jefferson and Oak Grove. Sydney’s improvement is mirrored districtwide, school officials said. Advertisement Under the Oregon Reading First program, the percentage of incoming second-grade students reading below grade level declined from 42 percent to 20 percent in the past two and a half years. Poor readers in first grade declined from 25 percent to 15 percent in the last year and a half. The percentage of kindergartners reading below grade level decreased from 34 percent to 7 percent between fall 2005 and January. "If we don’t make a difference in kindergarten through first grade, it’s much more difficult to overcome the deficit later in the educational system," said Julie York, student services director. The district’s progress surpasses the state and national averages among schools in the program, York said. Medford also is the only Oregon school district in a national ongoing study of the program’s effectiveness, she said. Funded by a five-year grant, the program involves testing students in kindergarten through second grade at least three times a year. Teachers test each student individually on letter-naming, sounds, applying phonics to words and oral-reading fluency. The tests, called DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) are oral and timed at one minute per category. "We have always tested kids on letters but never on fluency (before the program)," York said. "If you read a sentence so slowly that it doesn’t make sense, you aren’t going to comprehend the sentence." The tests allow teachers to closely monitor each student’s progress and adapt instruction to their needs. Students who score below grade level are tested about every two weeks to monitor their progress. Teachers receive extensive training for the program, new reading curriculum and a reading coach who advises them on a regular basis. Schools had to have a third-grade population of at least 100 and a poverty rate of at least 50 percent to be eligible for the program. At least 21 percent of students had to perform below grade level in reading. The latter criterium excluded Medford’s other high-poverty elementary schools — Roosevelt, Washington and Wilson — where the majority of students read at or above grade-level. "We’ve taken what we’ve gleaned from Reading First, and it is spilling into other schools," York said. "The problem is leveraging funding." Teachers said they are delighted with the program’s success. "I have first-graders who come in with reading skills I used to see in the second grade," said Alice Ingraham, a first-grade teacher at Howard Elementary School who has also taught kindergarten, second, fifth and sixth grades during her 14-year career. "They read, and I can’t believe their level of reading. It’s phenomenal to me." Debbie Connelly, reading coach at Howard, said the gains spawned by the program are significant for schools such as Howard with a high poverty rate. "This program is giving them a fighting chance," Connelly said. For students who have benefited from the program, reading has become a source of pleasure instead of labor. "It helps when you can read, and then, you can read funny stories and laugh and all that," said first-grader Kenzie Bruce. Learn more For details on Reading First, visit oregonreadingfirst.uoregon.edu. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4459 or e-mail When ABCs spell F-U-N ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s Advertisement