Results of Reading Survey Concerning Student Participation in Indiana Middle Grades Reading Classes and the

Need for Licensed Reading Teachers

by Jack Humphrey

        In 1991 Robert M. Malinka and Pamela L. Millikan reported that 31 percent of Indiana middle schools required a course in reading.  The national average was 71 percent (Alexander and McEwin, 1989).  Roger Farr, Leo Fay, Jamie Myers, and Michael Ginsberg of Indiana University in 1987 found a decline of Indiana’s tenth grade reading scores from 1944 to 1986.  During this time most K-8 schools were eliminated.  K-8 schools required students in Grades 6-8 to participate in reading classes.  The restructuring resulted in additional content being added to the curriculum at the middle/junior high level.  Extra time was needed to incorporate the new curriculum.  This had a negative effect on reading classes, which were scaled back or eliminated.

      According to the most recent statistics from the United States Department of Education, Indiana ranks 29th in the number of students who enter high school but do not grad- uate in four years.  A total of 70.6 percent of Indiana students complete their high school education.  While there are many reasons that 29.4 percent of Indiana students do not graduate, the inability to read and understand high school material remains a major factor.

      Reading classes are not restricted to students with low reading ability.  Regardless of reading ability, all students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 benefit from the skills and habits acquired in reading classes.  The time spent in reading classes provides opportunities to ensure that all students have direct instruction in comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, study skills, and literature.  Support can be given as students practice their reading while being engaged with books, magazines, and newspapers.  Content for Middle Level Reading for Grades 6, 7, and 8 can be found in the Indiana Department of Education’s Course and Program Descriptions for Indiana Schools, August 1999, and is available on the index page at this web site..

      One of the goals of the Southern Regional Education Board is for middle school students to read 25 or more books each year.  Indiana middle school libraries circulate an average of 18.2 books per student, a considerable drop from Indiana K-5 schools that average 48 books per student and Indiana K-6 schools that average 49 books per student.  Reading teachers have time to connect students with school libraries and to motivate students to read both during and after classes.  Working closely with their school librarians, they can significantly increase circulation of books and other print materials.

      The Indiana Professional Standards Board recently approved new reading licenses, of which one is for Early Adolescence (Middle/Junior High).  Indiana colleges and universities will receive standards for the various reading licenses and will decide if they will offer classes that will enable teachers and prospective teachers to obtain the licenses. 

Survey Results

      In order to determine current reading class student participation and future needs for licensed reading teachers, Indiana middle grades schools were sent a reading survey in the fall of 2001.  A total of 136 schools responded.  The following information was obtained from the survey. 

      Enrollment in Reading Classes.  The 136 schools enrolled 65,216 students in Grades 6-8, and 34,407, or 52.8 percent, were enrolled in reading classes.  A total of 89.9 percent of sixth graders, 42.8 percent of seventh graders, and 35.2 percent of eighth graders were enrolled in reading classes. 

      Special Reading Classes.  The number of students who should be in special reading classes because of unsatisfactory reading skills was 10,128.  Of these, 3,047, or 30.1 percent, were enrolled in special reading classes.  Title I provided classes for 406 students, and schools offered special reading classes for 2,641 without Title I support.  This left 7,081, or 69.9 percent, of the students with low reading performance not receiving appropriate instruction.

      Reading Teachers.  The 136 schools employ 1,248 reading teachers.  They estimate that they will need an additional 217 reading teachers within three years.

      Comments From Schools.  The following are typical of the many comments provided by schools: 

While above the average, our reading scores are lower than other categories on ISTEP.

Teachers are certified in secondary language arts and elementary education, but only two are certified in reading.

Finding enough time to develop skills that should have been learned in the primary grades with an already jam-packed curriculum.

Need for remediation for those not qualifying for special education.

Many of our students are 2-3 grades below grade level.

At 6-7-8th grade levels we have subject-matter teachers, but we do not have reading teachers.

Students who reach the 7th grade and can’t read are in serious trouble in our building.

We use an integrated language arts approach.

A reading class would not fit into our schedule, nor do we have funds for staffing.

Performance declines as formal instruction decreases.

Reading levels are very low; and low reading levels affect other academic areas.

We feel very strongly about formal reading instruction for all middle school students.

We use novels as the basis for our program.

Our data indicates reading levels are getting lower.

Our top students are not performing as expected.

Students struggle with basic comprehension and inference.

We have several students reading below grade level but who are already in denial about their abilities. 

We need teachers who are licensed in reading for grades 7 and 8.

Reading achievement test scores drop off dramatically in the middle grades.

We use language arts teachers to teach a block that includes literature.

We have only been able to find one licensed reading teacher.

We do not have the financial means to employ reading teachers.

The curriculum is going more towards integrating language arts and reading than reading classes.

There seem to be no licensed reading teachers for grades 7 and 8.

We have one trained reading teacher and we paid for the training.

We advertised for one and had no applications.

Teachers licensed in English don’t have reading background to teach new standards.

Teachers are not trained with reading skills; they tend to be literature-based.

We do not search for licensed reading teachers at the middle level, because there is no need for them.  A secondary language teacher fulfills the needs: writing, reading, language, and mechanics.

As much as a reading class is needed, there is no room within corporation requirements for it.

We must stop assuming that reading is a skill that is acquired around third or fourth grade.

The biggest difficulty with the hiring of reading teachers is money.  As long as our state legislature continues to underfund education, reading teachers will probably not be employed.

Reading classes would be helpful, but the only way we will probably have separate reading classes is if the state says we must do so.

The students are expected to read texts that are too difficult for them.  They are also assumed to have adequate reading skills and expected to work on literature skills at this level.

We are just beginning to explore our reading needs among students who previously were enrolled in literature classes along with English/language arts.

It is more difficult to find the time in the school day than to find the teacher.

How are we to pay for additional staff?  What do we take out of the school day?

Conclusions and Recommendations

      Many Indiana middle grades schools are adding more time and staff for reading classes.  Others recognize that their students would benefit from reading classes, but they find it difficult to alter their curriculum.

      A concern expressed in the survey was that reading teachers are needed, but state funding must be increased for middle grades schools.  Rather than changing their curriculum, some respondents envision reading teachers as specialists who would pull students from other classes for special reading instruction.  Fortunately, increased state funding has nothing to do with adding reading classes. 

      Offering reading classes costs no more than offering mathematics classes.  The problem schools have is changing curriculum and student schedules to reflect the needs of their students as evidenced by high school graduation rates and SAT and ISTEP results.  All students who increase their reading skills will perform better on the verbal section of the SAT, on the reading section of ISTEP, and on any other areas of the tests that require reading.  Middle grades schools concerned about these measures of reading performance should consider the benefits of altering their curriculum to include reading classes for all students.

      Increased staff is not needed for middle grades schools to provide reading instruction for students.  Rather, teachers are needed as warranted by student schedules.  A typical school of 500 students who are all enrolled in reading classes would have approximately the following academic subject teachers: 3 English (language arts), 3 mathematics, 3 science, 3 social studies, and 3 reading.  While middle grades schools do not need to increase the number of teachers on their staff, providing that class size for reading classes is the same as for other classes, they do need licensed reading teachers, reading tests for classroom use, and appropriate reading materials.

      Two-thirds of middle grades students who need special reading help are not enrolled in classes designed to provide basic reading instruction.  Schools with licensed reading teachers can provide special reading help at no additional cost, if the class size is similar to other classes.  Title I could provide reading classes for those students whose reading ability is significantly below their grade placement.

      Middle grades schools that are adding reading classes have difficulty in finding licensed reading teachers.  This problem may soon be solved, because the Indiana Professional Standards Board approved new reading licenses, including a license for Early Adolescence (Middle/Junior High).  In these circumstances, it is essential that Indiana colleges and universities offer courses for these licenses that prepare reading teachers.

Enrollment in Indiana Grades 6-8 Reading Classes  

 Number of Present Reading Teachers and Estimated Number Needed  

Note: Statistics based on 136 schools responding to fall 2001 reading survey.

References

 Alexander, William, and C. Kenneth McEwin.  Schools in the Middle: Status and Progress.  Macon, GA: Panaprint, Inc., 1989.

 Farr, Roger, Leo Fay, Jamie Myers, and Michael Ginsberg.  Then and Now: Reading Achievement in Indiana (1944-45, 1976, and 1986).  Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 1987.

 Malinka, Robert M., and Pamela L. Millikan.  “A Study of Contemporary Middle Level Schools in Indiana.”  In Focus, October 1991.