|
Middle Grades Reading Teacher Forum |
What tests would be useful for middle grades reading teachers to administer and score at the beginning of the school year? In addition to informal and other individual reading tests, standardized tests can be administered to entire classes. Commercial tests are expensive, but they need not be consumed. Students can use answer sheets, and testing companies have stencils for hand-scoring. All reading teachers in the school can use the same classroom set of tests, but answer sheets are needed for all students. Tests that meet these criteria include the California Diagnostic Reading Tests from CTB McGraw-Hill, Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests from Riverside Publishing Company, the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills from Riverside Publishing Company, and the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test from Psychological Corporation.
How will the new reading licenses affect my Indiana reading endorsement? The Indiana Professional Standards Board has approved a new reading license for Early Adolescence (Middle/Junior High). Existing reading endorsements remain in effect, and teachers with reading endorsements are approved to teach middle grades reading courses 0480-06, 0480-07, and 0480-08
Our faculty reads. How can we promote that fact to students? Teachers interact with students in many ways, and books they are reading become part of the conversation. Take pictures of various teachers holding current books they are reading, and have the pictures converted to 20- by 30-inch posters. Display the posters throughout the school .
Who selects Young Hoosier Book Award books? The Young Hoosier Book Award is sponsored by the Association for Indiana Media Educators (AIME), one of five library associations that are a part of the Indiana Library Federation. Members of AIME review hundreds of new books each year and select titles in time for schools to order and receive the books. A total of 1,041 elementary and middle grades schools participate in the program. For further information, see <http://www.ilfonline.org> and click on Young Hoosier Book Awards under Programs.
What reading professional development opportunities exist outside of our school and school corporation? The Indiana State Reading Association (ISRA) has an annual conference where middle grades reading is included in various sessions. Publishers have copies of materials on display, and representatives are available to answer questions about their products. The next conference is scheduled for March 2-4, 2003, in Indianapolis. The ISRA also has local reading councils around the state. Middle grades reading teachers can join their local council and work to include middle grades reading topics during meetings. Ball State University will have a reading conference on November 8, where reading ideas will be shared and publishers will have displays.
What is the Reading Bill of Rights for Indiana’s
Young Adolescents? Reading stakeholders
worked over a year to develop the Reading Bill of Rights.
The eight areas are access to books; an environment where reading is
valued, promoted, and encouraged; time for reading; professional
development; connections with public
Return to list of Articles or Return to Reading Network Home Page