This study tested a hypothesized model examining reading proficiency across first grade. It addressed how alphabetics at the beginning of the year were mediated by applied and automated skills at the middle of the year to explain actualized reading at the end of the year. The alphabetic skills of 102 first graders were measured in October and the applied and automated skills measured in January. In May, actualized reading was measured. Using structural equation modeling, the model produced acceptable levels of model-fit across all indices. Reading fluency is an important developmental step in first grade that mediates foundational alphabetic skills.