As new teachers are prepared for Indiana middle grades schools, there should be training for all academic areas, including English, mathematics, science, social studies, and reading. Courses needed for middle grades reading teachers include an initial survey course in reading; corrective, diagnostic, and remedial reading; analysis of reading ability; reading in content areas; and young adult literature. Field and clinical experiences should involve reading in middle/junior high schools.  

    A total of 800 out of 1820 Indiana public schools have students in Grades 6, 7, or 8. This is 44 percent of all Indiana schools. Those schools that decide to provide reading classes for their students should have access to trained reading teachers. Indiana State Reading Association (ISRA) has requested that a certificate for reading specialists and a license for middle/ junior high reading teachers be made avail­able.  Letters of support were obtained from key persons and organizations from through­out the state, including local and state ISRA leaders, college deans and professors, teach­ers, principals, superintendents, parents, the Hoosier State Press Association, the Associa­tion for Indiana Media Educators, the Indiana PTA, public library directors, reading supervi­sors, Title I teachers, Reading Recovery teachers, school and public librarians, a state representative, a television station learning services manager, a community foundation program officer, and the executive director of the International Reading Association.