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60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 6, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 21, 2004 Jackson Elementary School kindergarten student Amber Damon, right, writes in her workbook as Ira Ponder, left, works with teacher Alisha Clark during reading instruction Friday. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Reading First program shows success in schools Federal money helps young students gain the skills they need to move ahead By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune For kindergartner Amber Damon, a little knowledge is an exciting thing. "I know how to read now," exclaimed the Jackson Elementary School student Friday. Amber is one of many children at four Medford elementary schools who have boosted their reading skills in the past five months under the new Reading First program funded by a $1 million federal grant. Advertisement The schools qualified for the grant because 50 percent or more of their students are in the free and reduced lunch program, and a large number of their students are having difficulty reading. According to the U.S. Department of Education, almost 70 percent of low-income fourth-graders nationally cannot read at a basic level. This is a trend that educators hope to reverse through the program, which for five years will fund reading materials, reading coaches and other services. Already, the program has paid off at Howard, Jackson, Jefferson and Oak Grove elementary schools. The number of kindergarten students who were in danger of not meeting state reading benchmarks by the time they reached third grade has dropped by 50 percent or more since fall. Students in other grades have also improved during the same period. Jackson Principal Tom Ettel said the program, part of the No Child Left Behind Act, has enabled his school to set goals and improve the curriculum to help students learn to read. "If you don’t get a focus, you won’t get there," he said. Kindergarten teacher Alisha Clark describes the program as "teacher friendly." "There are a lot more visuals, and a lot more things for kids to use," she said. Clark on Friday used pictures to help small groups of students understand what a specific word or letter meant. The Reading First program helps students understand reading by associating sounds with words. A student then learns to read text while building vocabulary and comprehension. Ettel said there has been extensive scientific research into the teaching of reading in recent years. "It has gone from being more of a craft to a science," he said. At the beginning of the year, each student’s reading level is assessed, and for those who are behind, the school devotes more time to bring them up to speed. Schools also check on the progress of at-risk students every two weeks. Kindergarten students spend 90 minutes each day learning to read, but in first through third grades, the time allotted goes up to 120 minutes. In general, teachers have embraced the new program, said Ettel, although there has been some debate about not letting Spanish-speaking students spend more time reading in their native language. Under the new program, Hispanic kindergartners spend 71 percent of their reading time in Spanish; students in first through third grades spend 30 percent. But Ettel said the school has noticed that even the Spanish-speaking students have benefited. The students have posted a 30-word-a-minute gain in reading ability since the Reading First program began. Trisha Evens, principal at Howard, credited teachers for some of the results. "The teachers have worked hard and put in the effort," she said. Schools welcome the extra money from the federal grant, but they worry about the requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act that all students, including special education and those who primarily speak Spanish, must meet state benchmarks by 2014. "That goal of 100 percent of kids meeting the benchmark by grade 3 is an awesome goal," said Evens. But it is a difficult goal, particularly at schools like hers where some of the students have changed schools as often as eight times by the third grade. For students who stay at her school, Evens said, "We could end up meeting that goal." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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