ABSTRACT
First grade is a time for vast growth. Prior to first grade, students have been building skills in letter identification, letter sound acquisition, phonological skills, and sight words. One joy of first grade is to witness students being able to tap into their knowledge of reading in order to decode print and comprehend new books they are discovering. The second semester denotes a continuing change for first grade students. Students in Column 2 fall just below benchmark goals, scoring at the 25th–39th percentiles in oral reading fluency. Fluency is again the universal screening score used as the initial consideration for finding students that fall into Column 3. Column 3 is the opposite of Column 2. Students in this Column are able to master phonics skills, so they are considered at grade level at least. Column 2 begins much the same as Column 1 in that students master phonological skills.
