NATCHEZ — Everyday at McLaurin Elementary School, teachers are focused on setting a foundation for learning by Reading First.

Third-grade students in the school participate in a two-hour block of intensive reading and English activities outlined by a grant-funded reading program called Reading First.

This is the fifth year the school has utilized the program. It is also used at West Primary School and Frazier Primary School.

“Reading First is a process,” said Margery Bennett, reading coach at McLaurin. “It isn’t a program. It is strategies that we use to improve the students’ achievement in reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and phonics.”

The students use reading based activities to further cement vocabulary words, plot understanding, pronunciation, spelling and reading comprehension.

The program allows for the use of board games, matching games and word games as well as writing activities, oral presentations and computer based learning.

“There is flexibility built into the program because not all students learn the same way and not all teachers teach the same way,” Bennett said.

Students have a specific folder for their reading work that teachers review on an almost daily basis to identify early students who might be having trouble grasping a certain skill.

Bennett said the skills being focused on during Reading First are in-line with the Mississippi education framework.

Students are tested three times a year to track progress. Their work is also assessed on a regular basis so students who are at risk of falling behind are identified and given extra attention to bring them up to speed.

Through the use of interventionist, tutors and a reading coach, students who are having trouble mastering a reading skill are given one-on-one attention for at least 30 minutes during the two-hour reading block, Bennett said.

The goal of the program is to have students at or above grade level before the end of the school year. At McLaurin that means third-grade students should be able to read at that level before entering the fourth grade.

Students take a test called Dibbles to test for fluency and accuracy in reading. Bennet said third grade students should be able to read 110 words a minute “with the correct expression, pace and understanding.”

Reading comprehension and vocabulary is tested through Woodcock-Johnson and Peabody. Students must score a 96 on that test to be considered at grade-level.

“We’ve seen a major growth, especially last year,” Bennett said. “Last year, we started seeing students who had been exposed to the program since they started school. There is great improvement in those students. We don’t have nearly as many that are at risk.

“We aren’t having to back up and teach as much phonics because when they get to us they are able to read and comprehend.”

Having students who are reading and understanding what they should for their particular grade sets them up for success in all areas of learning, Bennett said.

“Reading is the foundation for everything,” she said. “If we have students who aren’t reading on the level they should be that hurts us in all subject areas. If a student can’t read and understand a math word-problem, they can’t do that problem.”