Mobile County Public Schools is hosting summer math camps for the first time at its elementary schools to help kids who are falling behind. It's a requirement of the Numeracy Act, which demands schools improve student math performance or face repercussions. At Gilliard Elementary School, Krissy Parsons is teaching a small group of soon to be fifth graders the foundation for multi-digit multiplication, something they had trouble mastering this past school year.

"In fourth grade, you do multiply two digit by two digit numbers. And that's definitely a struggle," said Parsons.

Camp started this week and runs through June 29th.

"I'm able to provide them with intensive intervention daily, four days a week," said Parsons.

The Numeracy Act requires schools offer math camps to 4th and 5th graders. Summer reading camps are already offered. This is the fourth year that's been required by the state. The 2019 Literacy Act requires third graders to read on grade level or be held back. Gilliard Elementary School Principal Faith Lucy says preliminary results show 72% of her 3rd graders hit the testing benchmark for reading. She says it's a major improvement from under 40% the previous year and due in part to the work at these camps.

"We're able to address all of these standards, where we're seeing that students are deficient in simple foundational skills. So we're able to address those through the camps in hopes that we will see an increased number of proficient students when we get ready to take our state assessment each year," said Lucy.

This upcoming school year the first class of third graders will face the retention provision of the 2019 Literacy Act, which means they could be held back.