By BENJAMIN LEUNG @goskagit 

MOUNT VERNON — The Mount Vernon School District has introduced a new literacy curriculum to emphasize the development of literacy skills in kindergarten through fifth-grade students. 

The new curriculum, called American Reading Company, will take a structured approach to teaching foundational literacy skills. It is based on research and studies on the science of reading. 

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania of 71 kindergarten classrooms in 21 schools found that after one year students in American Reading Company classrooms performed “significantly higher” than those in a control group. 

The Mount Vernon district will take a multi-tiered approach to addressing literacy — from the classroom to students’ homes. 

It will restructure its approach to reading instruction, provide professional development on teaching literacy to all teaching and learning staff, and involve bus drivers, principals, and parents. 

The new approach will utilize a sequential process, starting with the individual sounds of letters, then moving on to syllables, then words and meanings, and so forth. 

The curriculum provides readings to best fit a student’s level of experience, thereby providing a more personalized learning experience for students. 

Teachers and principals will serve at the forefront of outreach efforts to families, said Kate O’Brien, assistant superintendent of teaching, learning, and leadership. 

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