By ADAM ARMOUR

Staff Writer

Piano music crackles from the loudspeakers, echoing through the first grade hallway, as students quietly move from classroom to classroom and settle into their seats.

"Good morning dynamic first grade readers." The genuine enthusiasm in Mantachie Elementary School Principal Jamie Dill's voice is discernable, even through the muffled hiss of the speaker.

"Good morning Mr. Dill," the students respond in unison, most grinning widely.

"Have a great day," the principal responds and the students break off into small groups, each headed by a teacher or student volunteer and each teaching a specific aspect of reading, from phonics to discussion on entire books.

This unique style of learning, which nurtures each individual child's reading abilities based on skill level, is called Reading Skills Recovery, and it's being adopted by schools across the county, including Mantachie Elementary and Dorsey and Itawamba attendance centers.

According to Dill, who helped introduce the program into MES first grade classrooms this semester, the program is meant to help budding readers of all skill levels develop at the right pace.

"Not every child learns at the same pace," Dill commented, adding that certain students fall behind while learning to read, while others excel. It's important to cater to both groups so that neither becomes bored with reading.

"If they can read, they can do almost anything, yet it remains one of the core subjects with which kids have the most trouble," Dill said. "If we can catch it early, we can fix it."

The program works by dividing students into four classrooms, each designated for a certain skill level, one through four, for two hours each day. The "level one" classroom is designed for weaker readers, helping develop reading skills primarily through the use of phonics. Each incremental level implements different reading skills, up to "level four" which features reading full books and advanced vocabulary studies.

"Some of these students could be reading on a third grade reading level by the end of the first grade," said Gayra Nichols, the primary instructor for the "level four" class. "It's an amazing program. The kids are so excited ... Their little eyes just light up ... The first day they saw those 20 vocabulary words, they were [shocked]. But now, they love it. We go over the words every day. We've seen them progress by leaps and bounds."

The change can be seen in all students, she added, not just the more advanced readers.

"I can tell such a big difference when my students come back from their level classes. They're so much more attentive ... They're getting to do something that's interesting to them, and no one is being held back. I think it's the best program we've ever had."

Jodie Boyd, who works with the "level one" readers, agreed the program has been extremely beneficial for the young students, especially during the critical early stages of learning.

"First grade has a wide range of students. You have some who are age 5 and others who are just about to turn 7," Boyd said. "The first grade is truly a year of firsts, and some students simply aren't ready for all of those new skills at once. One year can make a big difference.

"This gives them all the basics. If you get the basics, you can build off of that, but if you miss those basics then they struggle. This program eliminates that."

Although the program is still in its infancy in Itawamba County, it will likely be adapted by more and more classrooms. According to Superintendent Teresa McNeece, the program is certainly proving its merits and could possibly be adapted to other core subjects, such as math, in the future.

As for the immediate future of the program, Dill plans to implement a continuation of the program in next year's second grade class and foresees the program having a permanent home in the Mantachie's classrooms.

"These kids aren't afraid of each other anymore," Dill said. "Now, each of them is with other students of the same skill level, which helps cut down on intimidation. You're not going to learn if you're intimidated.

"The earlier we can start helping these kids, the better the chance to identify any problems," Dill added.

Adam Armour can be reached at 862-3141, by e-mailing adam.armour@itawamba360.com or by visiting his blog at itawamba360.com.