Reading teachers have responsibilities similar to those of other teachers.  Just as instrumental music teachers help students learn to play their instruments, reading teachers provide instruction in comprehension and vocabulary.  Instrumental music students must practice outside of class to become proficient musicians, and reading is similar because students need to read in and out of school to become proficient readers.

      Indiana middle grades reading teachers have a Reading Endorsement, Reading Specialist License, or the new Early Adolescent Reading License.  This training provides them with a back- ground in reading, and as reading professionals they work with other reading educators to build on the background gained in college reading classes.  sp; sp; sp;

      Six universities in the state provide programs that lead to the reading specialist license.  These universities are Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana State University, Indiana University—Bloomington, Indiana University—South Bend, and Purdue University.  As licensed middle grades reading teachers work on their Master’s Degrees, they can obtain the reading specialist license at the same time. 

      Students arrive in the middle grades with reading levels from primary through high school.  Reading teachers determine the reading levels of their students and provide instruction appropriate for each student.  Schools provide the teachers with a wide variety of supplementary reading materials that help students improve their reading ability. 

      The practice that students need involves encouragement to read independently and access to books, magazines, and newspapers in schools, public libraries, and homes. Thus reading teachers work closely with school library media specialists to promote use of the school library, work closely with newspapers to provide Newspaper In Education activities, provide booktalks and wall charts to promote the Young Hoosier Book Award Program, work closely with the principal to provide schoolwide reading incentive programs, promote summer reading, assist in providing reading information for the school web site, and promote the concept that teachers, parents, and older students are important reading role models.     

      As Indiana middle grades schools assess their reading programs using the Middle Grades Reading Assessment, Second Edition, it will be obvious to them that reading teachers play an important role in creating a community of readers where each young adolescent is able to fulfill his or her potential as a reader.