"Training is beginning for elementary school teachers in Banning Unified School District to help them ensure that all third-graders across the district are able to read at grade level. Schools in Banning were awarded more than $1 million in federal grants to improve the reading scores of elementary students.

"The grants come at a good time because, although the district met federal reading mandates for students overall, those in the English Language Learners program have fallen behind, said John Schrom, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction and assessment."

"‘The new approach will allow a longer time period to work on language arts and focus just on the textbook series,’ he said. ‘Before, teachers would use a lot of different things besides the core text, a wide variety of material.’"

"Roughly $900,000 of the grant, awarded in September, will fund the three-year Reading First program. … The grant will provide training for 75 teachers at Hoffer, Hemmerling, Central and Cabazon elementary schools, an on-site curriculum coach and a program coordinator.

"Hoffer Elementary applied for and won an additional $133,000 federal grant earlier this year for schools that did not meet their yearly progress goals. The grant will be used to improve reading scores."