New middle grades reading materials have arrived at seven Indiana universities. Some of the new materials are from Brookes Publishing Company, Hameray Publishing Group, Saddleback Educational Publishing, and Townsend Press. For the names of the universities, location of the materials, times to visit and telephone numbers see http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm.

The Indiana Department of Education 2008 Summer Reading List at www.doe.in.gov/summerreading features 100 books.

Does your school Web site promote summer reading? Compare your summer reading program to that of the Palo Alto middle schools. See http://staff.pausd.org/~middlelibrary/summerreading.html.

Congratulations to Leslie Preddy of Perry Meridian Middle School on the publication of her book, SSR with Interventions published by Libraries Unlimited www.lu.com . It was named as one of the Best Professional Books of 2007 by Teacher Librarian magazine editors, David Loertscher and Esther Rosenfeld. In describing the book, the editors write that her book is "a wonderful example of an effective action research project that shows that the intervention of a teacher-librarian really does have a positive impact on student achievement."

See http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA153050.html concerning school staffing for all states. Since the time of the survey, more Indiana library media specialist positions have been eliminated. This, coupled with the decline of access to current books in school libraries, has a negative effect on independent reading, a vital part of reading achievement.

Philadelphia has the Reading Olympics that encourages reading throughout the city. See http://libraries.phila.k12.pa.us/readingolympics/index.html.

The Connecticut governor’s Summer Reading Challenge was started in 1996. Since its inception, more than seven million books have been read. See http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/pressroom/summerreadingrecognize19schools.pdf.

Virginia promotes summer reading in libraries. See http://www.vacationreading.org/. Also see New York at http://summerreadingnys.org/.

Public libraries throughout Indiana are promoting summer reading. For examples see http://www.evpl.org/srp/, http://www.imcpl.org/events/detail/?event_id=1331, and http://summer.acpl.lib.in.us/ . Connecting students to their public library summer reading programs will result in higher reading skills and better reading habits for the 2008-2009 school year.

This year, 72,233 participated in the Young Hoosier Book Award Program. The Young Hoosier Book Award middle grades book voted as the best book for 2007-2008 is So B. It by Sarah Weeks. As this book was the favorite book for Indiana middle grades students fortunate enough to be in schools that participate in the Young Hoosier Book Award Program, it should be read by all middle grades reading teachers, school library media specialists, and students who have not read it. Incoming students should be encouraged to read the book this summer.

Middle grades classroom charts for the Young Hoosier Book Award Program are available for $2.00 from the Indiana Library Federation. See http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBApromotional.htm. Titles need to be filled in the charts. For a copy of the middle grades titles that can be pasted on the charts, see http://mgrn.evansville.edu/yhba2008.htm. Paper should be 8½ x 14 inches.

Principals, library media specialists, and teachers are reading role models. See http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/whatsnu_morrie.html concerning the importance of being a good reading role model.

Dollar General offers Back-to-School Grants to help schools purchase equipment, materials, and software for the school library. The school must be located within twenty miles of a Dollar General store. See http://www.dollargeneral.com/Community/Pages/GrantPrograms.aspx.

For ideas in starting a book group, see http://www.readinggroupguides.com/roundtable/start.asp.

To find the graduate rate for the Indiana high school where your middle grades students attend, see http://www.doe.state.in.us/htmls/gradrate.html and click on Public High School.

For enrollment in Indiana middle grades schools for 0480 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade reading courses in 2007-2008, see http://mgrn.evansville.edu/enrollment.htm.

June book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone. See http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_F/four_queens1.asp for book discussion questions.

If you see a billboard featuring Got Books? Got Readers!!, send an email to jh25@evansville.edu indicating where you saw the billboard and you will be eligible to win a set of 2008-2009 middle grades Young Hoosier Book Award books. The drawing will take place on January 2 and the winner’s name will be included on the January 2008 Update. Some have called their local billboard companies to find out where the billboards are located. You can call Clear Channel Outdoor (Indianapolis), Burkhart Advertising Inc. (Alexandria, Fort Wayne, Lafayette, South Bend), Lamar Advertising Company (Evansville, Gary, Terre Haute), or Porter Advertising Company (Richmond) to find this information.

Independent silent reading is one of the most important activities for the reading development of students of all ages. Students who do a lot of reading on their own become better readers because independent reading enhances reading comprehension, provides a wide range of background knowledge, accounts for one-third or more of vocabulary growth, and promotes reading as a life long activity. Celebrity READ posters help promote independent reading. See http://www.alastore.ala.org/.

See how the Department of Reading faculty is featured at the School of Education, New York University at Albany at http://www.albany.edu/reading/faculty.htm.

State tests provide little information to help guide remedial instruction when students obtain low scores on such tests. For an article by Joseph Torgesen of Florida State University and Lynda Haynes of the University of Florida entitled Diagnosis of Reading Difficulties Following Inadequate Performance on State Level Reading Outcome Measures, go to http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/pdf/articles/Diagnosis%20OutcomeMeasures.pdf.

Reading Is Fundamental is concerned about older students. For questions and answers about reading for older students, see http://www.rif.org/educators/rifexchange/programdescriptions/QA_show305.mspx.

New Jersey ranked fourth in the 2007 NAEP eighth grade reading results, and they are working to improve that high rank. See a report concerning Improving the Quality of Literacy Education in New Jersey’s Middle Grades at http://www.state.nj.us/education/genfo/midliteracy.pdf.

All Florida schools are involved in the 2007-2008 K-12 Comprehensive Research-Based Reading Plan. See what they are expected to do at http://www.justreadflorida.com/Reading_Plans/Examples/rbrpg_memo.pdf.

The University of Utah Reading Clinic offers assessment and intervention to struggling readers. See http://www.uurc.utah.edu/. Ohio State University also has a reading clinic. See http://ehe.osu.edu/edtl/outreach/rclinic.htm.

If middle and high schools do not react decisively with diagnostic assessments and intensive, explicit instruction when they discover a student who is still reading well below grade level, then there is little hope for that student. See http://www.balancedreading.com/olderreaders.html.

The graduation rate for Indiana high school students is 70.9 percent. The total lifetime additional income for the estimated 24,742 dropouts for the class of 2007 should they have graduated from high school would be $6,432,991,500. See http://www.all4ed.org/files/HighCost.pdf for dropout rates for all states. The dropout rate for Illinois is 75.7 percent and for Ohio is 74.7 percent. The national average is 69.9 percent. Most students that drop out of school are struggling readers. Most were not enrolled in reading classes with licensed reading teachers after the fifth grade.

It is easier for Indiana sixth graders in K-6 schools to have a licensed reading teacher than for sixth graders in 6-8 schools. Sixth grade reading teachers in K-6 schools can obtain a Middle Childhood Reading License while sixth grade reading teachers in 6-8 schools must obtain an Early Adolescence Reading License.

A book club for sixth grade boys was started by their mothers. See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/04/AR2007110401431.html. This would be a good article to share with mothers interested in increasing the voluntary reading of their boys.

No matter what happens to No Child Left Behind legislation, the emphasis will continue on improving reading and math achievement. See http://email.evansville.edu/exchange/jh25/Inbox/Attachment:%20Wall%20Street%20Journal%20article%20on%20NCLB.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_Wall%20Street%20on%20NCLB.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/Wall%20Street%20on%20NCLB.pdf?attach=1.

Most of the 11 big-city school districts that voluntarily took part in the National Assessment of Educational Progress have made continued progress in mathematics but not in reading. See http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/. All middle grades students are enrolled in mathematics classes with licensed mathematics teachers. Most middle grades students are not enrolled in reading classes with licensed reading teachers. Time in the schedule for reading classes with skilled reading teachers was the normal pattern in K-8 schools prior to the formation of middle schools. As shown by mathematics results, providing reading classes similar to mathematics classes would make a difference.

Reading test scores are declining because of time spent in reading. See http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/19/arts/19nea.html?ex=1196139600&en=301216aa614eac01&ei=5070&emc=eta1. The loss of the funds from the School Library Printed Materials grant has resulted in over 7 million fewer books being circulated in Indiana school libraries. We wish that all middle grades students used their public libraries and that homes were filled with new materials such as newspapers, books, and magazines so that students could spend an appropriate amount of time reading. We can promote this need, but the one place we should be able to count on to make books and other print materials accessible to students is their schools, since most young adolescents are in schools. Reading practice is important for those schools that want to increase reading scores.

December book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. See http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_B/bridge_of_sighs1.asp for book club questions.

Each day the Middle Grades Reading Network Web site has about 700 hits. To visit the Web site, go to http://mgrn.evansville.edu/. Notice that there are over 200 articles from previous issues of NetWords, a Directory of Indiana College and University Reading Professors, a list of high interest/low readability books for young adolescents, current and previous monthly Updates, information about reading licenses, and locations of middle grades curriculum centers with middle grades reading materials.

The fall issue of NetWords was mailed on October 1. Articles include Enormous Increase in Number of Reading Licenses During Past Year; Author! Author! by Owen Valley Middle School Library Media Specialist Myrna Fields; How to Get Boys to Read? Does J. K. Rowling Have the Solution?; Promote Reading on Your School’s Web Site; Boxes of Books for Me? Yes! by Renae Baird of Franklin College; The Young Hoosier Book Award: The Missing Hype; Ending the Reading Drought! by Cynthia Frost, Central Middle School, Columbus; Part of the Solution; Face the Facts: Spend the Money on Books; and Indiana’s Continued Commitment to Middle Grades Reading.

There is a sidebar on page 6 of the fall issue of NetWords next to the article, How to Get Boys to Read? Does J. K. Rowling Have the Solution? It requests that successful ideas for motivating boys to read be shared with others.

Indiana ranks 24^th on 2007 average NAEP eighth grade reading scores. Indiana’s score is higher than Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Indiana’s score is the same as New York and Wisconsin. States that scored higher than Indiana are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. For the full Mathematics and Reading Report Card, see http://nationsreportcard.gov/.

The American Library Association has many posters that encourage middle grades students to read. See http://www.alastore.ala.org/. A free printed catalog of posters can be requested at this site.

To read about Ten Myths of Reading Instruction from the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, see http://www.sedl.org/reading/topics/myths.pdf.

October 15-20 is Teen Read Week. See http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenreading.htm?gclid=CLrD95Gf0I4CFRUHWAoduBgABQ.

Circulation of K-8 Indiana school library books in 2002 was an average of 43.1 books per student. In 2006, after several years loss of funds from the School Library Printed Materials Grant, the circulation dropped to an average of 32.7 books per student. The difference was 10.4 books per student. Last year there were 724,738 K-8 students. Multiplying 10.4 times 724,738 equals 7,537,275 fewer books circulated in 2006 compared to 2002. It is obvious that access to current, appealing, high-interest, and useful books in school libraries results in more reading by students. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/talkingpoints.htm.

Most dropouts are already on the path to failure in the middle grades. See the Alliance for Excellent Education report at http://www.all4ed.org/publications/GraduationRates_FactSheet.pdf. Many of the students who do not complete high school are not enrolled in middle grades reading classes with highly qualified reading teachers.

October book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. See http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_L/loving_frank1.asp for book discussion questions

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

August, 2007

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

For information about Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis programs leading to a reading license, go to http://education.iupui.edu/soe/programs/dualprog/reading/index.aspx.

Students involved in Newspaper In Education activities are more likely to continue their reading of newspapers as adults. See http://www.naafoundation.org/pdf/Foundation/lifelongreaders.pdf.

There is a big reading gap between boys and girls. See http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBWLEGTE4F.html and http://www.edukey.net/2007/07/22/reading-gap-between-boys-girls-called-a-serious-crisis/. Special attention to boys will help raise reading scores for schools.

Selected teacher candidates from all Indiana colleges and universities are sent 50 books for use in their student teaching. They have provided descriptions of their work that can be found at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/studentteacher2.htm.

Long Beach, California middle schools focus on students’ reading problems. See http://www.middleweb.com/CSLB6read.html.

Less than a third of America’s adolescents meet grade-level expectations for reading. Unless students receive ongoing support, students who enter the fourth grade behind in reading will never catch up to their peers. There are 15 program elements known to make a difference for middle and high school students. See http://www.all4ed.org/publications/FedAdLit.pdf.

The Pathways Within Roads to Reading Initiative donates books to literacy programs in small and rural low-income communities. Maximum Award: 200 books appropriate for readers age 0 to young adult. Eligibility: 501(c)(3) organizations that run school, after-school, summer, community, day-care, and library reading programs; must have an annual operating budget of less than $95,000 (schools and libraries are exempt from this budget requirement), and be located in an underserved community with a population of less than 50,000. The deadline for applications is October 15, 2007. See
http://pwirtr.org/biannual.html.

Indiana is smarter than any of the surrounding states even though it dropped from 17^th in 2004-2005 to 24^th in 2006-2007. See http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0931043.html.

The Master Reading Teacher certificate is being implemented as part of the Texas Reading Initiative to ensure that all Texas students are reading on grade level by the end of the third grade and that their reading knowledge and skills grow throughout their public school careers. A Master

Reading Teacher is an individual who holds a Master Reading Teacher certificate

and whose primary duties are to teach reading and to serve as a reading teacher mentor to

other teachers. See http://www.texes.ets.org/assets/pdf/testprep_manuals/085_mrt.pdf.

The Harry Potter books have a limited effect of reading habits. Creating a habit of reading is a continuous battle with students who are saturated with other options. See http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/books/11potter.html?ex=1184817600&en=8679ae1e83c7265b&ei=5070&emc=eta1. The real effect on reading habits is to have a strong school library filled with current, appealing, high-interest, and useful books and other reading materials.

The Young Hoosier Book Award Program should be available for all middle grades students and promoted to them. Independent silent reading is one of the most important activities for reading comprehension, background knowledge, and accounts for one-third or more of a student’s vocabulary growth. Schools need to provide multiple copies of the 20 books on the middle grades list and recognize those students that read five or more of the books and thus are eligible to vote for their favorite book. See http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm. Set a goal concerning the percent of your students who will read five or more books. For example, if there are 500 students in the school, do you think that 25 percent or 125 students can be encouraged to read at least five of the books? Be sure to provide reading teachers with the charts available from the Indiana Library Federation at http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm.

Note how the Richmond, Virginia schools promote reading incentive programs at http://www.richmond.k12.va.us/readamillion/readingincentive.htm.

Three times as many adults and young adults participated in the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library's summer reading program this year. See http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/jul/26/reading-for-riches/.

Teachers with multiple teaching licenses are an important asset to schools. Encourage teachers working on advanced degrees to obtain a reading license. All teachers have completed some courses that may be accepted by an Indiana college or university. For a list of Indiana colleges and universities with approved programs leading to a reading license, see http://mgrn.evansville.edu/approvedprograms.htm.

The Center on Education Policy reports that 79 percent of middle schools have changed their curriculum since the advent of No Child Left Behind legislation. For a copy of the report Choices, Changes, and Challenges: Curriculum and Instruction in the NCLB Era, go to http://www.cep-dc.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=document.showDocumentByID&nodeID=1&DocumentID=212.

Check out The New York Times Learning Network at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/index.html. Note the daily quiz for students.

See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/resources.htm for Web sites of various publishers of reading materials. Catalogs can be ordered from publishers by going to their Web sites. Collections are available at colleges and universities throughout the state. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm for information about the collections. Find out what materials would be of use to your reading program so that requests can be made to purchase the materials. Plan how the materials will be used and note the expected results before making a request for their purchase.

August book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Age of Lincoln by Orville Vernon Burton.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

July, 2007

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

For information about the reading licensing program at Indiana University Southeast, go to http://www.ius.edu/Education/Graduate/readlicense.cfm/

Compare your summer reading Web site to the one for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro middle schools at http://www.chccs.k12.nc.us/culbreth/mediacenter/2007%206-8%20Summer.pdf., the Ephraim Curtis Middle School at http://www.sudbury-k8.org/pdfs/summer-reading-middle-2007.pdf, the Linwood Middle School http://www.sudbury-k8.org/pdfs/summer-reading-middle-2007.pdf, or the Hahira Middle School at http://hms.lowndes.k12.ga.us/summerread.htm. If your school does not have such a program, review the sites and plan for next summer. Students that are encouraged to read over the summer do better in their school work and on ISTEP in the fall. Notice that some list members of a committee that planed the program. Consider using parents and public librarians should you use a committee to develop your summer reading program. If your school is promoting summer reading on its Web site, please send that information to jh25@evansville so that others can benefit from your work.

See the Washington Post article, “Upper Grades, Lower Reading Skills” article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201825.html. Middle grades schools throughout the nation are focusing on reading as a large number of students are arriving in the ninth grade with poor reading skills.

Nebraska is moving to statewide reading tests. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/06/05/39nebraska_web.html.

See http://www.clarke.k12.ia.us/middle_school/web-content/student_schedule.html for the Clarke Middle School schedule. Note that the school has reading classes separate from language arts classes for seventh and eighth grade students. Also see similar schedules at http://www.wildrose.k12.wi.us/highschool/msclassschedule.htm and http://www.csd.k12.sd.us/default.asp?lngid=40&lngTopMenuId=25,

The favorite book of Indiana middle grades students as evidenced by the Young Hoosier Book Award voting is Abduction by Peg Kehret. See http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBAVote.htm for vote results in all categories.

New materials have arrived at the middle grades reading instruction materials centers in seven universities. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm for locations and contact persons. Also see http://mgrn.evansville.edu/resources.htm for Web sites of publishers of middle grades reading materials. You can order a catalog from publishers on most of the Web sites.

Are your efforts to connect your students with their public libraries paying off? Students around the state have excellent summer reading opportunities available to them. For examples see Indianapolis Public Library, http://www.imcpl.org/events/summerreading/index.htm; Monroe County Public Library, http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/srpexplain.html; Porter County Public Library System, http://www.monroe.lib.in.us/childrens/srpexplain.html; Anderson Public Library; Charlestown-Clark County Public Library, http://www.clarkco.lib.in.us/; and the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library, http://www.evpl.org/programs-events/srp07/.

Why do students need school library books when they have the internet? The Baltimore County Public Schools provided over $10 million for new books (an amount more that sought for the entire state in the School Library Printed Materials Grant). See their answer to the question plus other school library facts at http://www.bcpl.net/~dcurtis/libraryfacts/. Also see http://www.fno.org/mar2000/whenbook.html.

July book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni. See http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/thousand_splendid_suns.html for book club questions.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

May, 2007

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

The Indiana Reads Initiative report of the Reading Indiana Task Force Let’s Get All Indiana Children and Young Adults Reading is available at http://www.indianahumanities.org/smartdesktop/ReadingIndianaReport.pdf. The report is sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Humanities Council with support from the Ball Brothers Foundation.
The John Poole Middle School in Maryland provides a summer 2007 reading list for incoming sixth, seventh, and eighth grades students. This excellent example of summer reading promotion can be found at http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/poolems/BethG/jpms_depts_media_summerreading.html.
See http://www.iue.edu/departments/doe/license.shtml for initial licensing in reading at Indiana University East and http://www.iue.edu/departments/doe/GraduateOpportunities.shtml#rdglicenses for information about how practicing teachers can obtain a reading license.
Independent reading and increased volume of reading go hand in hand. There are many published studies that show the effectiveness of increased amounts of reading for students. See http://www.americanreading.com/whyitworks_researchsupport.php.
For information about the 1,000 Book Reading Challenge Program, see http://www.allynbaconmerrill.com/promotions/promotion.asp?promo=4067&rl=1. All applicants must be registered by August 15, 2007 to participate for the 2007-2008 school year and have a completed log by December 15, 2007.
The April 2007 Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy contains an article by Karen Bromley entitled “Nine things every teacher should know about words and vocabulary instruction” on pages 528-537. It contains a table of the most frequently appearing and most commonly taught prefixes, roots, and suffixes. She calls for direct instruction in vocabulary because it influences comprehension more than any other factor.
Deborah DuFour Bova of Raymond Park Middle School has an article in Middling Around, The Newsletter of the Indiana Middle Level Education Association entitled “Seizing Vocabulary by the ROOTS.” The strategy she describes fits into those critical minutes where routine engages the group and establishes the tenor or class time—the bell work, starter, warm-up time.
The Huntsville City Schools Web site features summer reading. See http://www.hsv.k12.al.us/dept/merts/instruction/summer/middle.pdf. See also the Greenwich Public Schools at http://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=4007.
For an article entitled “Are Middle and High School Students Reading to Learn or Learning to Read?” go to http://www.pta.org/archive_article_details_1118072738531.html. Notice the section concerning what parents can do to motivate their children to read. Alpha II is a skills-based system that helps teachers manage reading materials and tests from various publishers. See http://www.alpha2-learning.com/.
Student achievement is higher in big-city school districts, but reading scores still lag behind math gains. See http://www.cgcs.org/newsroom/press_release24.aspx.
The federal study of reading and math software found no significant differences in standardized test scores between students who used technology and those who used other methods. See http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/effectread.pdf.
Students at Lakeland Highland Middle School are scheduled each day in six classes plus a reading class. Class attendance is based on tracks that alternate each day, but all students attend reading classes every day. See http://www.polk-fl.net/LHMS/. Click on the faculty button and notice that the school has seven intensive reading teachers.
Indiana colleges and universities wishing to apply to be a part of the IRA’s Certificate of Distinction for teacher preparation programs in reading should contact Gail Keating at IRA headquarters before May 25 at gkeating@reading.org. Further information about IRA’s Certificate of Distinction program is available at www.reading.org.
A copy of the Summer Reading Log is available at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/ReadingLog.pdf. Provide copies to students, including incoming students, and place a copy on the school’s Web site for parents to copy should students lose their copies. To help students see the importance of reading and recording their work on the Summer Reading Log, announce to them something special that will happen in the fall for those who complete the school’s requirements.
Place orders for middle grades reading materials early so that they will be available in the fall. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/resources.htm for Web sites of publishers of middle grades reading materials.
Visit the collections of middle grades reading materials at sites around the state. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm for locations, hours available, and contact persons.
See http://www.englishjournal.colostate.edu/Extensions/BoldBooksExtEJ954.pdf for Bold Books for Teenagers: The Very Best Books for Middle School Reading.
Indiana colleges and universities still considering programs that lead to reading licenses should read the Purdue University North Central proposal to the Indiana Professional Standards Board at http://www.doe.state.in.us/dps/teacherprep/pdf/ReadingLicenseProposal-PUNC.pdf.
The School of Education at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point has very clear information for teachers that wish to be certified in reading or to receive a reading specialist license. This helps to market the need for reading certification (same as reading licenses in Indiana). See. http://www.uwsp.edu/Education/Graduate/ReadingCert.aspsp.
May book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud: See http://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm?book_number=1853 for book club questions.

See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/isra.htm for the Indiana State Reading Association resolution concerning the need for supporting school libraries. Students are more likely to read new school library books, so restoring the School Library Printed Materials Grant funds will help boost reading achievement because to be a good reader you need to read.

Attendance was way up at the Indiana State Reading Association Annual Conference. Many middle grades principals and teachers found excellent presentations concerning comprehension, fluency, and vocabulary. Publishers provided information about many materials that are appropriate for middle grades readers and their various reading levels. Middle grades reading materials are also displayed at seven Indiana colleges and universities. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm.

At Indiana University, the new Rules 2002 license addition went into effect July 1, 2006, and requires twenty-four (24) semester hours which include courses in reading methods, literature, linguistics, and critical issues for the reading professional. The license addition is available in both undergraduate and graduate levels. Graduate students may use appropriate courses from their undergraduate program to apply toward these requirements. See http://www.indiana.edu/~langed/degree/minor.html.

How many fourteen-year-old boys would turn down an offer of time travel to any baseball game in history? Certainly not die-hard New York Yankees fan, Matt Collier. Accompanied by the Time Keeper, guardian of Time throughout the universe, Matt becomes the batboy for his beloved team and tries to change the outcome of the 1960 World Series, the first ever to end with a homerun. Out of Time, written by Middle Grades Reading Network consultant Carol Lynn Thomas, is now available from Blackstone Audio at http://www.blackstoneaudio.com/audiobook.cfm?id=4227. Doris Kearns Goodwin says that Out of Time is "warm, compelling, and well written."

The Robert A. Taft Middle School in Crown Point features the Young Hoosier Book Award Nominees. See http://www.cps.k12.in.us/taft/media/index.htm#hoosier. Note that YHBA book covers are displayed along with information about each book and that the voting days are listed. Every Indiana middle grades student should have access to the books and be encouraged to participate in the program. Restoring the School Library Printed Materials Grant will help schools purchase needed copies.

See http://www.readingonline.org/articles/ash/index.html for Teaching Readers Who Struggle; A Pragmatic Middle School Framework. Five practices—daily oral or shared reading, guided reading in flexible groups, word study, self-selected extended reading and writing, and explicit comprehension strategy instruction—form the basis of the framework.

An old saying in education goes, "Students learn to read in elementary school, and read to learn in secondary school." But what if students arrive in middle school without having mastered simple vocabulary, decoding skills, and comprehension? What if the lifelong love of reading that teachers hope to instill never takes root? See http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=927.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that the reading skills of 12^th graders tested in 2005 were significantly worse than those of students in 1992. The share of students lacking basic high school reading skills rose to 27 percent from 20 percent in 1992. The share of those proficient in reading dropped to 35 percent from 40 percent in 1992. At the same time, the gap between boys and girls grew, with girls’ reading skills more than a year ahead of boys. See http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_grade12_2005/.

Up to 40 percent of eventual high school dropouts can be identified in the sixth grade and up to 60 percent in the eighth grade. See NCLB Recommendations from the National Middle School Association at http://www.cep-dc.org/nclb/hqt/nov2006/National%20Middle%20School%20Association%20(Nov).pdf.

See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/youngreading.htm for Talking Points concerning young adolescent reading.

SSR with Intervention by Leslie Preddy, library media specialist at Perry Meridian Middle School, is now available at http://lu.com/showbook.cfm?isbn=9781591584605. An article about this program, including how it increased ISTEP scores, will appear in the spring issue of NetWords.

A new federal grant program called Improving Literacy Through School Libraries Program was announced on February 16, 2007. The purpose of this program is to improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and well-trained, professionally certified school library media specialists. Applications are now available. The deadline for Transmittal of Applications is April 2, 2007. Local educational agencies (LEAs) in which at least 20 percent of the students served by the LEA are from families with incomes below the poverty line based on the most recent satisfactory data available from the U.S. Census Bureau at the time this notice is published. These data are Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for school districts for income year 2004. Estimated Range of Awards: $30,000-$300,000. Estimated Average Size of Awards: $190,000.
Estimated Number of Awards: 100. Applicable regulations, priorities, and other information are available in the Federal Register notice. Additional information is available online at:
http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/announcements/2007-1/021607g.html Since school libraries are so essential, and since most schools will not receive one of the 100 grants, Indiana school corporations should renew efforts to build strong school libraries. If reading is important, then school libraries are important.

Teachers are important reading role models. One Teachers Under Cover group has read 202 books since 1993. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/9winter.htm.

In order to be good readers, students need to practice their reading. New reading content is available every day in local newspapers, so students who read newspapers practice their reading all year long, including summer. Students who have participated in Newspaper In Education programs read more as adults compared to students who have not had access to newspapers in school. Check with you local newspaper to obtain a copy of The Newspaper: Powerlifting for Your Mind for Newspaper In Education Week activities. This 24-page tabloid has many excellent ideas for middle grades students. It also includes a letter from Dr. Suellen Reed promoting the program.

March book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. See http://bestsellers.about.com/od/bookclubquestions/a/thunderbolt_q.htm for book club questions.

The Indiana State Reading Association Annual Convention will be held at the Indianapolis Convention Center and Westin Hotel on February 25-27. The theme for the conference is The Power of Reading. For registration information, see http://www.indianareads.org/conference.htm. Publishers will display many middle grades reading materials for principals and teachers to examine.

The 2007-2008 Young Hoosier Book Award list can be found at http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/07_08nomineelist.pdf. All Indiana students should have access to these books. It will really help all Indiana schools to purchase the books for this key reading program should the School Library Printed Materials Grant be restored. See Talking Points at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/talkingpoints.htm.

2007-2008 Young Hoosier Book Award posters are available from Perma-Bound Books. Pick up a copy at the Perma-Bound booth during the Indiana State Reading Association Conference, contact your local representative, or e-mail your request to books@perma-bound.com. Additional Indiana-specific lists are available at http://www.perma-bound.com/indiana.jsp#booklists.

The annual International Reading Association Conference will be held in Toronto, Canada on May 13 to 17. For more information, go to http://www.reading.org/association/meetings/annual.html.

Reading is now embedded within the Purdue University Elementary Education and English Education programs, so all teachers prepared at Purdue have a strong reading background. A candidate completing those programs also receives licensing in reading. A candidate simply needs to complete a request for evaluation. Information about this process is located at http://www.education.purdue.edu/oppl/home/prospective_st/evel_request_post-bac.html.

Newspaper In Education Week will soon be here. Contact your local newspaper for more details. The title this year of the 24-page 2007 Newspaper In Education tabloid is The Newspaper: Powerlifting for Your Mind. Copies are available from your local newspaper. Consider providing a Target Date Project (page 20 of the tabloid) for your students so that newspapers from throughout the nation can be featured and compared. Students who gain the habit of reading the newspaper by participating in newspaper activities in their classrooms continue to practice their reading skills every day.

Some newspapers are now featuring the eight-chapter serial story, Sudden Squall, while others have completed the series. The series is sponsored by the Indiana State Reading Association and the Hoosier State Press Association Foundation and printed in 51 Indiana newspapers. This is an excellent series for middle grades students. The Teacher’s Guide and Standards can be found at http://hspafoundation.org/main.asp?SectionID=17&SubSectionID=143.

Leslie Preddy’s new book SSR With Intervention is now available from libraries Unlimited. It includes all the information and resources necessary to successfully implement SSR with Intervention in any classroom or school.

Copies of the winter issue of NetWords were sent this week to all Indiana schools, reading professors, superintendents, legislators, newspapers, and other individuals and organizations. Four copies were sent to middle grades schools so that key reading teachers and school librarians could have access to the publication. Articles include Struggling Readers Are Not All the Same, Show Us Your Library Card! by Lyn Cain of Northside Middle School in Columbus, Book Talks at the Book Fair by Tricia Grady of Custer Baker Middle School in Franklin, Books on the Menu by Susan Elliott of Decatur Middle School in Indianapolis, Lunch Bunch by Diane Rogers of Sidener Learning Community in Indianapolis, School Corporation Reading Leadership, Kids Who Read, Succeed by Linda Cornwell of Literacy Connections Consulting, Reading License Brings New Opportunities by Diane Maletta of Purdue University North Central, Dropouts and Young Adolescent Reading: A Crisis with a Solution, and the Middle Grades Reading Teacher Forum. NetWords articles are also available at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/netwdwW2001.htm.

See http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6296524.html for a description of an after-school volunteer tutor program for middle school students held in a school library.

The Indiana high school graduation rate for 2005-2006 was 76.5%. For the graduation rate of any Indiana high school, see http://mustang.doe.state.in.us/SEARCH/searchgradrt.cfm.

The New York Times on January 3 and 16 included “The Critical Years: Trying to Find Solutions in Chaotic Middle Schools” and “Panel Urges ‘Marshall Plan’ to Improve Middle Schools” by Elissa Gootman. The articles can by found by going to http://www.nytimes.com/ and searching for the articles. You may also find copies of the newspaper at your public library, or copies can be faxed or mailed to you by contacting jh25@evansville.edu. Concerning reading achievement, Elissa Gootman wrote: In New York State, grade-by-grade testing conducted for the first time last year showed that in rich and poor districts alike, reading scores plunge from the fifth to sixth grade, when most students move to middle school, and continue to decline through eighth grade. The pattern is increasingly seen as a critical impediment to tackling early high school dropout rates as well as the achievement gap separating black and white students.

February book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. For book discussion questions, see http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/thirteenth_tale1.asp.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

November, 2006

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

· The Indiana Reading Journal is now an on-line journal edited by Diane Maletta of Purdue University North Central. To read the fall 2006 edition, go to http://www.indianareads.org/publications.htm and click on Indiana Reading Journal. Articles include Young Adolescent Literacy or Young Adolescent Reading: They Are Not the Same by Leo Fay, Jack Humphrey, & Carl Smith; Improving Literacy Skills the SMARTboard Way by David Pratt, Engaging College Students in Reading Assignments: Effective Strategies for Readers of All Ages by Judy Roberts, A Baker’s Dozen: Tips for the New Teacher by Ruth Botwinik & Marlyn Rothman Press, Reading Any Good Books Lately? I Have by Susan Gooden, and We Have the WRITE STUFF: How Every Student Can Be a Published Author by Jetta Tarr. Note the information by Indiana State Reading Association president Libby Turner concerning the need to restore the School Library Printed Materials Grant that helps schools purchase new school library books.

· The Clearinghouse for Middle School Literacy Materials at Ball State University has an open house on Saturday, November 11, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. There will be refreshments, door prizes, a display of current adolescent literature, brochures and materials from publishers, sessions about evaluating materials, cool activities to use with literature, and great internet resources, and information about Ball State’s middle school licensure and reading specialist program. For more information contact Dr. Karen Ford at 765-285-8560 or KFORD@bsu.edu.

· As Indiana middle grades schools provide more attention to reading teachers and reading classes, they are seeking reading materials related to comprehension and vocabulary. Six Indiana universities now have collections provided by publishers of middle grades reading materials. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/cc.htm for contact persons, locations of copies of middle grades reading materials, and times when collections are available for teacher, principals, and reading coordinators to review.

· Most Indiana colleges and universities now offer programs leading to reading licenses. For an example, see http://www.ius.edu/education/Graduate/readlicense.cfm concerning the Indiana University Southeast program.

· The International Reading Association has recently issued a document entitled A Call to Action and a Framework for Change: IRA’s Position on NCLB Reform which is available at http://www.reading.org/downloads/resources/0608_NCLB_framework.pdf.

· Find suggestions from the Mohenasen Central School District in Rotterdam, New York for parents to encourage reading by their middle grades children at http://www.mohonasen.org/03parents/MSParent/EncouragingReading.htm.

· To find information about Indiana public libraries, go to http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/lib/publib.html. Many of these Web sites feature activities for young adults. Check with students to see if they know about their public library’s Web site and the services available to them. Find out what students need to do to obtain public library cards. Set a goal of 100% of students having a public library card.

· For information on assisting struggling readers created for Des Moines by the Heartland Area Education Agency in Iowa, go to http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/curriculum/reading/dmreaders.html.

· The RSL Research Group has issued a preliminary report What Helps Students Meet Academic Standards at Your Library. This report about Indiana school libraries can be found at http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/INprelimreportsept1406.pdf. Test scores in Indiana schools tend to rise with the extent to which the school library is open to students, staffed with a library media specialist and support staff, stocked with current and useful books, well used by students, and adequately funded. Note the importance of students consistently utilizing the library media center on a regular basis. Reading teachers from middle grades schools that offer separate reading classes have time to provide frequent visits by students into the school library.

· A total of 60 percent of the Hoosier students who drop out of school are males. See http://www.iyi.org/media/pr_details.asp?ArticleID=363. Skilled middle grades reading teachers are very important in helping boys stay in school by motivating them to become better readers.

· For overall NAEP reading results for Indiana’s eighth graders, see http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/stt2005/2006452IN8.pdf. Male students had an average score lower than female students by 21 points. The percent of Indiana students scoring below basic rose from 23 percent in 2002 to 27 percent in 2005. The percent scoring proficient dropped from 30 percent in 2002 to 26 percent in 2005. All students benefit from reading classes taught by licensed reading teachers.

· The American Library Association has available CD’s to make posters. Photographs of the principal, teachers, students, and so on can be added to the CD art work to display around schools to help promote reading. See www.alastore.ala.org.

· November book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Thuderstruck by Erik Larson. For discussion questions, see http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781400080663&view=rg.

MIDDLE GRADES READING NETWORK UPDATE

OCTOBER, 2006

FUNDED BY THE LILLY ENDOWMENT INC.

· The theme for Teen Read WeekTM 2006 is Get Active @ your library®, which encourages teens to use the resources at their library to lead an active life. Teen Read Week will be held October 15-21, 2006. The number of school library media centers, public libraries, and bookstore that celebrate Teen Read Week has grown steadily since it was formed nine years ago.

· For grants information that relates to Teen Read Week, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/trw/trw2006/grants.htm.

· More than six out of ten of those with high newspaper exposure during childhood are regular readers as adults, compared to only 38 percent of those with no exposure. The results are clear that newspaper involvement programs have an impact. See http://www.yakima-herald.com/nie/pdfs/MeasureSuccess.pdf.

· Fifty one Indiana newspapers are running the serial story Sudden Squall by Avi. It is an excellent story for middle grades students. See http://hspafoundation.org/main.asp?SectionID=17&SubSectionID=143 for the Teacher’s Guide.

· Find 2006-2007 Young Hoosier Book Award nominee novel resources prepared by Indiana school library media specialists at http://pmms.msdpt.k12.in.us/imc/preddy/YHBA/index.htm.

· Florida has allocated $90 million to make sure each school district has developed comprehensive reading plans for middle school students. See http://www.bonitanews.com/news/2006/jan/28/reading_rehab_work_focuses_early_teens/?print=1.

· See http://www.momcentral.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=3 to understand the problems of a struggling reading from the viewpoint of parents and what they can do to help alleviate the problem. Keep this information in mind as you meet with parents of struggling readers.

· The recent start of the new school year is a reminder of the vital influence that parents and community members have on student achievement, especially with reading skills. The Indiana Youth Institute has reprinted, "Can Your Child Read This? For Too Many Hoosier Kids the Answer is 'No'." This issue alert provides the latest information on student reading skills in Indiana, with practical recommendations on how parents, schools, and communities can work together to boost reading ability. Unlimited free copies are available for you to distribute to parents in your school. To order go to http://www.iyi.org/library_reference/issue_alert_order.html or call 1-800-343-7060.

· Purdue University North Central provides information for its students about the Indiana reading license at http://www.pnc.edu/ed/ReadingLicense/index.htm.

· Florida six, seventh, and eighth grade students who score low on the state reading test must be enrolled in and complete an intensive reading course the following year. See http://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-3857/k12_06_106memo.pdf#search=%22middle%20school%2C%20promotion%2C%20reading%22. For information about Florida’s reading initiative Just Read, Florida!, go to http://www.justreadflorida.com/.

· A copy of the 2006 Trend Analysis of Indiana K-8 Library Services Since the School Library Printed Materials Grant has been sent to all Indiana public schools along with the fall issue of NetWords.

· Letters About Literature is a national reading-writing contest for readers in grades 4 through 12 sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Deadline for entries is December 8, 2006. The Indiana Center for the Book, a program of the Indiana State Library and an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, coordinates Letters About Literature within Indiana. All state semi-finalists and winners receive recognition at a ceremony in Spring 2007. State winners also receive cash awards. The writer of the first place letter for each level also receives a Target GiftCard and advances to the national competition. For additional information or to obtain any of the following -- official contest guidelines with entry coupon, teacher's guide with lesson plans and blackline masters, chart summarizing contest's correlation with national language arts and reading standards -- visit the Indiana Center for the Book online at www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/isl/incb/icb.html or contact us by email at dlipp@statelib.lib.in.us or by phone at (317) 232-3699.

· October book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Conjurer’s Bird by Martin Davies. For book discussion questions, see http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/conjurers_bird1.asp.

A copy of the 2006 Trend Analysis of Indiana K-8 Library Services Since the School Library Printed Materials Grant has been sent to all Indiana public schools along with the fall issue of NetWords.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

April 1, 2006

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

There is now a model of a New Program Proposal for the Reading License that Indiana college and university education units may use as a guideline. Thanks to Purdue University North Central for their willingness to share their proposal as a model example. Their proposal is located on the State DOE website: http://www.doe.state.in.us/dps/teacherprep/pdf/ReadingLicenseProposal-PUNC.pdf . The Teacher Education Committee and the state BOE team, respectively, have verified the exceptionality of this document. Purdue University North Central now looks forward to beginning their Reading License program this May with maximum class enrollments, and graduating 25-30 teacher candidates in 2006 with Reading Licenses. For more information, contact Dr. Diane Maletta at dmaletta@pnc.edu.
In the 2003-2004 school year, there were 55,341 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students enrolled in 0480 reading courses. The total is now 72,398, an increase of 30.7 percent in just two years. See http://mgrn.evansville.edu/enrollment.htm.
Within 10 years 30 percent of Indiana’s 60,000 teachers are expected to retire. See http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060312/NEWS01/603120459&SearchID=73238333490762. As openings occur, this will be a good time to add licensed reading teachers to the staff. Work with colleges to obtain student teachers who are seeking reading licenses and encourage colleges to make other field placements for prospective middle grades reading teachers.
This week is National Library Week. Help your students learn about their public libraries, programs that are available, and work with your public library to help students obtain public library cards. Use this week to celebrate the opportunities that school libraries provide for students and faculty.
The Middle Grades High Interest/Low Readability list has been changed due to books going out of print and new books becoming available. The updated list is available at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/5fall2005.htm. Eight books were replaced.
Attendance was way up at the Indiana State Reading Association Conference on March 5-7. Over 800 people attended the meetings and looked over the many middle grades reading materials on exhibit. Much attention was given to meeting the needs of struggling readers. Plan now to attend the 2007 conference on February 25-27, 2007.
Get a group together and visit the middle grades reading materials collections at Ball State University, Indiana State University, IPFW, Indiana University Southeast, University of Evansville, and University of Indianapolis.
The Lebanon Community School Corporation’s 6^th Annual Literacy Academy will be held on June 11-13, 2006. For more information, go to LitAcademy_RegForm.pdf‎(302KB)‎.
Reading leaders or aspiring reading leaders can join the International Reading Association’s LEADER Special Interest Group. For more information, go to

LEADER Mem Brochure.pdf‎(349KB)‎

The spring issue of NetWords will be mailed late in April. Articles include Cool Books for Reluctant Readers by Kris McGlaun, Plan for Encouraging Summer Reading for Middle Grades Students, The Classroom Mosaic by Stephanie Beutler, Author Neal Shusterman Popular at Greenwood Middle School by Lu Dayhment, Ball State University Gears Up to License Reading Teachers by Jill Miels, Get Off the Rocking Horse by Earlene Holland, Young Hoosier Books Popular by Jamie Carnahan, Options for Reading Intervention Success by Cynthia Frost, Preparing for Fall Reading Classes, and University of Indianapolis Preservice Teachers “Savor” ML Supplementary Reading Materials by Beverly Reitsma. A Summer Reading Log is included. It can be duplicated and provided to current as well as incoming students.
The Young Hoosier Book Award books should be available for all Indiana middle grades students in their school libraries. The 20 books for 2006-2007 can be found at http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBA.htm. Many schools have recognition programs this spring for those students who were active participants in this school year’s program. Many schools have multiple copies of the books available in their school libraries. By providing a list of the books to students prior to the end of school, schools can see that their students have a head start on reading the books by obtaining them from bookstores or their public libraries and reading them during the summer. The lists can be printed and handed to students and placed on school websites. Students that practice their reading during the summer are better readers in the fall.
Schools should purchase two books per student per year for their school libraries. When ordering new books for school libraries, we need to keep in mind those middle grades students who are reading at third, fourth, and fifth grades levels. These are the potential high school dropouts who need special attention. See the list of Middle Grades Reading Network High Interest/Low Readability Books at http://mgrn.evansville.edu/5fall2005.htm.
High school dropouts cost the country billions in lost wages and taxes. See http://www.all4ed.org/press/pr_022806.html. About 30 percent of students nationwide who enter the ninth grade do not graduate from high school. This compares to the 25 percent of eighth grade students who are not proficient in reading on the on the NAEP test. All future high school dropouts are now in middle grades classrooms. Are they in reading classes where appropriate reading materials are available for their instruction? Middle grades schools are the place to provide reading instruction with licensed reading teachers to reduce the number of students who drop out of high school because they are unable to read high school materials. It seems a good investment to provide licensed reading teachers (who cost no more than other teachers, so cost is not a factor) and provide them with appropriate reading materials (cost is a factor because students arrive in the middle grades at different reading levels and need a wide variety of materials written at different reading levels.)
Most states have made progress in raising achievement in the elementary grades. The picture in middle school reading is not so positive. See information from The Education Trust at http://www2.edtrust.org/EdTrust/Press+Room/PPSCAdvisory.htm.
A new report challenges middle level principals to take responsibility for improving the academic outcomes of all of their students and for getting them on track for success in high school and beyond. They are concerned about the attrition rates among ninth grade students. See http://www.principals.org/s_nassp/sec.asp?CID=1&DID=52694.

April book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. After reading and discussing the book, visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, IL. See http://www.alplm.org/museum/museum.html.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

January 1, 2006

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

December 1, 2005

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

In 1995, the Middle Grades Reading Network's Stakeholder group, consisting of teachers, principals, superintendents, parents, college reading professors, and other key individuals drafted an action plan for the state of Indiana. In that plan, Becoming a Community of Readers: A Blueprint for Indiana, (see /blueprin.html) there were important actions that would vastly improve school libraries.

1. The state should provide categorical funds for books.

2. The state should allow and encourage the use of the Capital Projects Fund to purchase books.

3. School libraries should purchase two books per student per year.

4. Performance-Based Accreditation should include school library staffing, book acquisition rate, and circulation of library materials.

Reading and libraries are indispensable partners.

For suggestions on enticing reluctant readers into the school library, see http://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/teachers/newsletter03b.html.
Boys tend to learn to read at an older age than girls, take longer to learn, and comprehend narrative texts less easily. Boys also value reading less, and see reading as a way to get information rather than as a recreational activity. Regular visits to the school library show boys a much wider range of reading materials and foster their desire to improve their skills. See http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-2/boys.html.
For a list of the Middle Grades Reading Network High Interest/Low Readability Books recommended by Indiana public and school librarians and teachers, go to /5fall2005.htm. Books on the list are written at third, fourth, and fifth grade levels and are of interest to middle grades students who are at risk of dropping out of high school because of low reading skills.
The National Governors Association reports that only three out of 10 U. S. eighth-graders are proficient readers. Almost 40 percent of high school graduates have deficits in basic skills. This costs the nation’s business, universities, and under prepared high school graduates as much as $16 billion annually in lost productivity and remedial costs. See http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0510GOVGUIDELITERACY.PDF. More of the same may not result in better reading achievement. Invest in licensed reading teachers and provide them with the tools needed for students with a wide variety of reading levels.
Encourage use of newspapers in all classes, keeping in mind that you need to read to be a good reader. All teachers can help students gain the habit of reading a newspaper each day. See http://www.cvol.net/nie/Downloads-members.htm and www.naafoundation.org for ideas for math, social studies, and other subjects.
Indiana ranks 29^th in the Average Freshman Graduation Rate, 2002-2003. See http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2006/2006601.pdf. The average for the nation was 73.9. Indiana’s average was 75.5. The states with higher rates are Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Interstate 70 states from Pennsylvania to Utah all have higher rates than Indiana. Most students with good reading skills complete high school.
See Glencoe’s reading skills information at http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/tiparchive.phtml/7. Check out the free downloads of materials for graphic organizers, student worksheets for K-W-L, and so forth.
Indiana isn’t the only state concerned about middle grades reading. The following is a recent request to the Middle Grades Reading Network: I am interested in acquiring the Middle Grades Reading Assessment developed by the Middle Grades Reading Network. I read that it is available in the article "There is No Simple Way to Build a Middle School Reading Program" in the June, 2002 Phi Delta Kappan. In my district we are embarking upon building a middle school reading program after having gone without reading instruction as part of the core curriculum for a number of years. Meg Felix, reading teacher, Donegal Middle School, Marietta, PA.
For a list of the 2006-2007 Young Hoosier Book Award books, go to http://www.ilfonline.org/AIME/YHBA/YHBANextYearsNominees.htm. All Indiana students should have the opportunity to participate in the program.
Many Teachers Under Cover groups will meet during the holidays. For a list of books read by one group, go to /9winter.htm. Let your students know what you will be reading during the holiday break and ask them what they will be reading.
December book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Nightingales: The Extraordinary Upbringing and Curious Life of Miss Florence Nightingale by Gillian Gill. For a summary of the book and discussion questions, go to http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/nightingales1.asp.

Middle Grades Reading Network Update

November 1, 2005

Funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.

Math scores are higher but reading scores remain flat. There is a decline in eighth grade reading scores. See http://nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2005/ http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051020/NEWS01/510200484 and http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/20/national/20exam.html. Bordering states Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio had higher eighth grade scores than Indiana. All Indiana middle grades students have math classes with licensed math teachers. Most Indiana middle grades students are not enrolled in reading classes with licensed reading teachers.
Middle grades schools find it difficult to find teachers who have the new Indiana Early Adolescence Reading License. See //earlyado.htm for the names of colleges and the number of the new Early Adolescence Reading Licenses that have been earned by teachers. Contact the colleges and ask for student teacher placements with your licensed reading teachers so that you can observe the student teachers for possible employment.
Indiana once again has several public libraries listed in the nation’s top 100 libraries. We should probably have two such libraries inasmuch as there are 50 states. But we have seven! The Indiana public libraries in the top 100 are the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, the Allen County Public Library, the St. Joseph County Public Library, the Monroe County Public Library, the Carmel Clay Public Library, the Bell Memorial Public Library, and the Hagerstown-Jefferson Township Public Library. Complete listings can be found in the October 2005 issue of American Libraries. Help your students obtain public library cards and encourage them to take advantage of their public libraries.
All middle grades students should have an opportunity to read the books featured in the Young Hoosier Book Award Program. Any Indiana school serving students in grades K-8 may participate in the program. For information on how to participate, go to http://www.ilfonline.org/Programs/YHBA/participate.htm.
Sunnyside Middle School had four students who read all 20 Young Hoosier Book Award books in 2004-2005. For a picture of the award ceremony plus other information on how the program works in the school, go to http://www.lsc.k12.in.us/sunnyside/reading.html.
The We the People Bookshelf program encourages young people to read and
understand great literature while exploring themes in American history.
Public and school (K-12) libraries are invited to apply to be among the
1,000 libraries selected to receive free books. See
http://www.ala.org/ala/ppo/currentprograms/wethepeople/wepeople.htm
Letters About Literature is a national contest for readers in grades 4 through 12 sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in partnership with Target Stores. To enter, readers write a personal letter to an author, explaining how his or her work changed their view of the world or themselves. Deadline for entries is December 1, 2005. The Indiana Center for the Book, a program of the Indiana State Library and an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, coordinates Letters About Literature within Indiana. State winners receive cash awards. Top winners also receive a Target GiftCard and advance to the national level competition. For additional information or to obtain official contest guidelines, entry coupon, or teaching supplement, contact the Indiana Center for the Book by phone at (317) 232-3699, by email at dlipp@statelib.lib.in.us , or visit the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress Web site at loc.gov/letters.
School culture is strengthened when there are clear and consistent high expectations for all students, including subgroups that are too often marginalized and blamed for schools not making adequate yearly progress because of inadequate reading skills. See http://view.exacttarget.com/?ffcc17-fea216707467047f70-fe541c72706d03747416-fefc1575706602.
The 6^th Annual Literacy Academy hosted by the Lebanon Community School Corporation will be held on June 11-13, 2006. See http://uemail.evansville.edu/exchange/jh25/Inbox/Literacy%20Academy%20and%20Media.EML/1_multipart_xF8FF_2_6th%20Literacy%20Academy.pdf/C58EA28C-18C0-4a97-9AF2-036E93DDAFB3/6th%20Literacy%20Academy.pdf?attach=1.
West Central Middle School features its book fair on its web site. See http://www.west-central.k12.in.us/wcms/.
Remedial reading programs have been expanded in Des Moines’ middle schools. See http://www.dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051001/NEWS02/510010357/1001.
Globe Fearon has a new intensive reading intervention program for middle grades students reading at third, forth, or fifth grade levels. See http://www.AMPforSuccess.com.
Why do boys lag behind in reading? See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35057-2005Mar14.html.
For suggestions on how to select books for your reading group, go to http://www.readinggroupguides.com/advice/choose.asp.
November book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. For a summary of the book and discussion questions, go to http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/plot_against_america1.asp.

Four copies of the winter issue of NetWords will be sent this week to all middle grades schools and one copy sent to all other schools. Included in the mailing is a list of school corporations with over 100 students enrolled in seventh and/or eighth grade 0480 reading courses. These school corporations are from throughout the state, so schools seeking to add middle grades reading classes have nearby sites to visit. Information about 0480 reading courses can be found at /middlelevelreading.htm.
Teachers for 0480 reading courses must have a reading endorsement, reading license, or reading specialist license. For a list of Indiana colleges and universities with approved programs that lead to reading licenses, go to http://www.in.gov/psb/licensing/apbysubject2002/Reading.doc.
Indiana girls are more likely to stay in school and to graduate than boys. In 2004-2005, 63% of boys passed 8^th grade reading on ISTEP while 72% of girls passed. In 2003, 4,042 boys (60%) and 2,727 girls (40%) dropped out of school. See http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/206881-6024-092.html. Determine the reading interests and reading levels of boys to help connect them to books, magazines, and newspapers in their school libraries. Provide high interest reading skill materials at their reading levels for use in reading classes.
The American Library Association has 72 posters featuring celebrities that promote independent reading. The cost is $15 per poster. Schools display these posters in the library media center, reading classrooms, and in halls. See http://www.alastore.ala.org/SiteSolution.taf?_sn=catalog&_pn=sub_category&_op=44 for pictures of the 22” x 34” posters.
Contact your Newspaper In Education representative to work on ways to encourage students to read their local newspapers. Begin preparation for NIE Week, March 7-11. Ask your newspaper NIE representative for copies of the 2005 NIE Week tabloid Come Out Of Your Shell and Read! By promoting the use of newspapers, teachers will have more students who practice daily reading at home.
An article in the American School Board Journal discusses the accelerating decline in reading at http://www.asbj.com/2004/12/1204coverstory.html.
President Bush is calling for high school reading testing. See http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/13/education/13bush.html. Middle grades schools play an important role in helping students be successful readers, and high schools will look to them for help. Middle grades schools should identify students with low reading skills and provide them with appropriate instruction from skilled reading teachers.
A full-time library media specialist in each school building can help Indiana’s students increase their reading ability by helping to select quality reading material. See http://www.ilfonline.org/Units/Associations/aime/Data/index.htm. Learning to read is like learning to play basketball, first you learn the skills, then you practice, practice, practice. The school library media center is the logical place to have access to current books and other print materials for reading practice.
The Indiana State Reading Association annual conference will be held in Indianapolis on March 13-15, 2005. This is an opportunity to see middle grades reading materials, to talk to publisher representatives, and to attend sessions that provide support for reading teachers. For conference information, including the registration form, go to http://www.indianareads.org/conference.htm.

February book choice for Teachers Under Cover reading groups: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. For discussion questions, go to http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/angels_and_demons1.asp.

MIDDLE GRADES READING NETWORK UPDATE

JULY 1, 2004

FUNDED BY THE LILLY ENDOWMENT INC.

The Middle Grades Reading Network provides 50 copies of young adolescent books to student teachers nominated by their colleges and universities. The students promote the books during their student teaching, leave 25 books for the supervising teacher, and keep 25 books for their use as new teachers. For copies of articles about the experiences of student teachers, go to /studentteacher2.htm.
The National Policy Research Council has placed Indiana third in a national education ranking released recently in its "Gold Guide" resource. See http://www.nprcouncil.com/ggmedia/.
Current, interesting, and attractive school library book collections are essential for healthy middle grades reading programs. Schools need to purchase two books per student per year to keep their collections up to date. Some comments from school librarians concerning the 2003-2004 school year include the following:

The books purchased this year were from private donations since there was no book budget.

Our budget for 2004 has nothing but 0000 at this time!

Our book budget was cut to zero last year.

No local funds were used in 2003-2004 for books.

About 1/3 of our new books were purchased or acquired through PTO bookfair.

We have no PTA to donate funds.

Schools that provide no books for their school libraries are not breaking Indiana law. While the Indiana Administrative Code, 511 IAC 6.1-5-6 Media Program states that each school shall spend at least eight dollars ($8) per student per year from its 22200 account to maintain its media program, this means nothing because salaries can be taken from the 22200 account, so schools don’t have to spend any money on books or other print materials. Will this have an effect on school library circulation? Results from a spring 2004 survey of school library book acquisition and circulation by the Middle Grades Reading Network will be available this fall in a report to be prepared by the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.

The 2004 average price of children’s and young adult hardcover books is now $19.31. This is up slightly from $19.18 in 2003. See http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA386702?display=searchResults&stt=001&text=average+book+prices. School library book budgets need to increase just the same as other vital areas of school programs because school libraries are the source for books and other print materials that support independent reading and thus higher reading achievement.
According to the U. S. Department of Education, being a good parent for an early adolescent child involves reading. See http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/adolescence/part5.html. Support families by passing on this information to them.
The Alliance for Excellent Education is concerned about the many adolescents that have not mastered reading by the time they reach high school. While the title is “How to Know a Good Adolescent Literacy Program When You See One: Quality Criteria to Consider,” the article is mainly about reading. This is a good article to read as middle grades schools seek to improve reading performance of their students. See http://www.all4ed.org/publications/Criteria%20for%20Adolescent%20Literacy%20Programs.pdf
Des Moines, Iowa, is considering changes in all its 10 middle schools because of lack of academic progress. Reading programs are being added to the curriculum. See http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/21030961.html.
In an average Indiana middle school of 500 students, 26 percent or 130 students will not complete high school. Because reading is so essential to high school success, many schools across the nation are moving to direct instruction in reading classes. Direct instruction is skills oriented and teacher directed. See http://www.nifdi.org/ and http://people.uncw.edu/kozloffm/diarticle.html. For a report about direct instruction as a method to improve reading skills of students, see the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute Report at http://www.wpri.org/Reports/Volume14/Vol14no2.pdf. Look beyond the primary information and consider possibilities for the middle grades.
A total of 75,276 Indiana students read five or more of the Young Hoosier Book Award nominees and voted for their favorite books. All 20 middle grades books received many votes, so the list of books was appropriate. All middle grades students should have the opportunity to participate in the 2004-2005 program. In order to do so, check out the Indiana Library Federation website at http://www.ilfonline.org/Units/Associations/aime/Programs/YHBA/yhba.htm. Principals should ensure that the books and class charts are purchased; should facilitate school wide reading by promoting the books to faculty, parents, and students; and should recognize students that read five or more of the 20 books on the list and are thus eligible to vote for their favorite books.
The MSD Perry Township Adolescent Literacy Conference on June 15-17 attracted 60 participants with 40 from districts other than MSD Perry Township. They will have another conference on June 7-9, 2005.

MIDDLE GRADES READING NETWORK UPDATE

JUNE 1, 2004

FUNDED BY THE LILLY ENDOWMENT INC

See /dirmgrt.htm for the new directory of Indiana middle grades reading teachers. To add names, send directory information to jh25@evansville.edu.
Counselors play an important role in increasing student achievement. They have access to data that can help close the reading achievement gap and support potential high school dropouts. See http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/93A1ACBB-A1E0-4B71-B2EE-A4AA6352A442/0/EducationTrustPresentationNov03.ppt. Middle grades counselors can provide detailed information from ISTEP and NAEP. They can follow-up students by comparing high school graduation information with the names of students who completed their middle grades schools. They can report reading levels of entering students and ensure that the students are enrolled in appropriate reading classes. They can work with parents and encourage students to focus on improving reading skills. They can administer diagnostic reading tests to students as they enroll during the school year.
The National Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis provides information about college-going rates of high school graduates directly from high school. See http://www.higheredinfo.org/dbrowser/index.php?measure=32#. The U. S. average is 56.7 percent. Indiana is above the U. S. average and ranks above Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio and is similar to Illinois.
The new way of computing high school graduation rates is the Cumulative Promotion Index or CPI. See http://www.urban.org/template.cfm?Template=/TaggedContent/ViewPublication.cfm&PublicationID=8742&NavMenuID=95. The national graduation rate is 68 percent. Students from historically disadvantaged minority groups have little more than a fifty-fifty chance of finishing high school with a diploma. Males graduate from high school at a rate 8 percent lower than female students. Follow up your former eighth grade students to determine the number of students in various categories who did not complete high school. Check their middle grades reading scores to decide how to make program changes to ensure that present middle grades students with similar backgrounds can be helped to complete high school.
There were over 60 sessions at the International Reading Association conference in Reno in May concerning critical literacy. See http://www.reading.org/focus/critical_lit.html.
The Evansville Public Library’s One Book One Community has added a middle school book this year, in addition to the book being promoted throughout the community for adults. The title of the book is How I Found the Strong by Margaret McMullan. See http://www.evpl.org/onebook/index.html. An author event will be held on November 18 at the new main library in Evansville. Promotions include author visits to schools, buttons for all who finish the book, book marks and flyers, and newspaper articles.
Reading four or five books during the summer can prevent the reading-achievement losses that normally occur over those months. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=34Read.h23.
Many Indiana schools have no or little funding for new books for their school libraries. Results of a survey now being completed by the Middle Grades Reading Network concerning school library book acquisition and circulation will be available in the fall. This information should be of importance to all educators who want the very best school conditions for their students.
Education Week, May 19, reports on success of K-8 schools. School districts are seeking ways to boost student achievement, and school systems such as Philadelphia are finding that 8^th graders in K-8 schools are scoring higher on the Stanford Achievement Test. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=37K-8.h23. The K-8 schools find time for reading and English (language arts) classes as Indiana schools organized K-8 once did. A total of 800 out of 1820 or 44 percent of Indiana schools have students enrolled in grades 6, 7, or 8. These include schools organized K-6, K-7, K-12, 1-6, 3-6, 4-8, 5-6, 5-8, 6-7, 6-8, 6-12, 7-8, 7-9, 8-9, and 7-12. Most Indiana schools with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students are now finding time for reading classes and licensed reading teachers, so good reading conditions can be found in any grade configuration.

MIDDLE GRADES READING NETWORK UPDATE

MAY 1, 2004

FUNDED BY THE LILLY ENDOWMENT INC.

For a copy of material from the National Middle School Association concerning summer activities for young adolescents, go to http://www.pmsaweb.org/nmsanews.htm.
The Elgin Academy in Elgin, IL promotes summer reading through its website. See http://www.elginacademy.org/library/summer_reading/summer_reading_middle_school_grade07_08.htm. This is a good example for Indiana middle grades schools to use for their students. When students practice their reading during the summer, they score higher on fall reading tests as well as any tests that require good reading skills.
Legg Middle School in Michigan has a letter to parents and students on its website and lists of books for in-coming fifth graders and returning sixth and seventh graders. All students are encouraged to read something during the summer. See http://www.coldwater.k12.mi.us/lms/reading/summer.html.
Students at Madeira Beach Middle School in Florida must read two books over the summer and complete a book survey that is provided on their website. Then students must take a Reading Counts test on the two books they read. To see their website, go to http://www.mb-ms.pinellas.k12.fl.us/reading.html.
MSD Perry Township is holding an Adolescent Literacy Conference on June 15, 16, and 17 at the Perry Township Education Center. The conference will provide knowledgeable presenters, engaged thinking, a climate conducive to learning, applicable materials, and professional/trade book exhibits. For further information, contact Nancy Meyer-Brown, Secondary Literacy Coordinator at nmeyer-brown@msdpt.k12.in.us.
An analysis of scores from state-mandated tests in 61 urban districts showed that 93 percent of the 4^th grades tested improved in reading while at the 8^th grade level only 53 percent did. By contrast, math scores in the 4^th grades showed a 90 percent gain and in the 8^th grade 83 percent improved their scores. Students have math classes through the eighth grade, but many middle grades students are not enrolled in reading classes and these test results show that reading achievement suffers when reading teachers and reading classes are not available. See http://www.edweek.org/ew/ewstory.cfm?slug=29Urban.h23&keywords=urban%20students%20show%20reading%2C%20math%20gains%20on%20state%20assessments.
Three studies released in 2000 show that students in schools with well-maintained library collections and trained library staffs perform better on standardized tests,
especially reading. Yet during a time when educators are working to boost
students' reading skills, school leaders are slashing librarian positions. This is one area where Indiana leads the nation. See http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/23930974.html.
The MyRead website, developed by Australia's Commonwealth Department
of Education Science and Training, supports teachers of underperforming students in the middle years. See http://www.myread.org/index.htm.
Reading group guides for teacher book discussion groups are available at http://www.readinggroupguides.com/. A total of 1,320 guides are available at no cost. Some of the current guides include The Secret Life of Bees, The Da Vinci Code, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Lovely Bones, Bel Canto, Life of Pi, Seabiscuit, Cold Mountain, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and The Handmaid’s Tale.
Ohio has higher fourth and eighth grade NAEP reading scores than Indiana. While they have language arts standards, on their state proficiency tests they list specific scores for reading, math, and writing rather than reading and language. See http://www.ode.state.oh.us/proficiency/PDF/Statistical_Summary_March_2003_Grade_4_and_6_Profic.pdf.
Reading is high on the list of important areas and concerns of the nation’s schools as evidenced by attendance at the annual International Reading Association conference now being held in Reno. The usual attendance is around 15,000. The attendance this year is 25,000. While all states are having financial problems in funding schools, throughout the nation, with reading being so critical for success in school, school systems are finding ways to ensure that key reading educators are able to attend the conference. Plan now to send key reading educators to the to the IRA conference in San Antonio on May 1-5, 2005.
The 19-page Middle Grades Reading Assessment can be downloaded at /assreading.htm. Many schools use the assessment in May to help make plans for the coming year.
Copies of the new Study of Reading in Indiana Middle, Junior, and Senior High Schools were mailed in April to all Indiana superintendents and middle, junior, and senior high schools. Additional copies are available by contacting jh25@evansville.edu.
Copies of the spring issue of NetWords were mailed late in April. Schools with middle grades students receive four copies. All other schools receive one copy as do superintendents and other key individuals and organizations.

Chicago State University, Chicago, IL	Adv. Reading Specialist (7/91) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (7/98)
Concordia University, River Forest, IL	Master of Arts, Reading Specialist-Role 6 (8/01)
Governors State University, IL	Reading Specialist Role 6 (11/02) Reading Coordinator Role 7 (11/02)
Illinois State University, Normal, IL	Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/98)
Lewis University, IL	Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/00)
National-Louis University, IL	Adv. Reading Specialist (1/91) Adv. Reading Consultant/Coordinator (1/98)
Northeastern Illinois University	Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/98) Adv. Reading Consultant/Coordinator (1/98)
Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL	Adv. Reading Specialist (1/91) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/98) Masters in Reading, Reading Specialist, Role 6 (1/01)
Saint Xavier University, IL	Adv. Reading Teacher, Role 6 (8/01) Adv. Reading Consultant, Role 7 (8/01)
Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville	Adv. Reading Teacher, Role 4 (4/99)

Eastern Kentucky University, KY	Basic Elementary (1/92)
Morehead State University, KY	Basic Elementary (11/87) Adv. Reading Specialist (11/87)
Murray State University, KY	Basic Elementary (10/91)
Northern Kentucky University, KY	Basic Elementary (7/88) Adv. Reading Specialist (7/88)
Spalding University, KY	Adv. Reading Specialist (11/92)
University of Kentucky, KY	Adv. Reading Specialist (2/89)
University of Louisville, KY	Adv. Reading Specialist (1/90)
Western Kentucky University, KY	Adv. Reading Specialist (7/92) Adv. Reading Specialist (5/97)

Andrews University, MI	Basic Elementary (6/90) Adv. Reading Specialist (6/91)
Calvin College, MI	Basic Elementary (11/92) Adv. Reading Specialist (11/92)
Central Michigan University, MI	Basic Elementary (8/91) Adv. Reading Specialist (9/90)
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI	Adv. Reading Specialist (6/90) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (8/97)
Grand Valley State University, MI	Adv. Reading Specialist (12/94)
Hope College, MI	Basic Elementary (8/89)
Madonna College, MI	Basic Elementary (12/89)
Marygrove College, MI	Basic Elementary Adv. Reading Specialist (2/91)
Nazareth College, MI	Basic Elementary (1/90)
Oakland University, MI	Basic Elementary (12/88) Doctorate(1/89),Role 6 Reading and LA, Reading Specialist, Role 6 (5/01) Reading and LA, Teacher Educator, Role 8 (5/01)
Saginaw Valley State University	Basic Elementary (1/90) Adv. Reading Specialist (1/90)
Spring Arbor College, MI	Basic Elementary (7/90)
Wayne State University, MI	Basic Elementary (1/91) Adv. Reading Specialist (1/91) Adv. Reading Supervisory (1/91) Doctorate (1/91) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/98) Adv. Reading Consultant/Coordinator (1/98) Adv. Doctorate (1/98)
Western Michigan University, MI	Adv. Reading Specialist (7/88) Adv. Reading Teacher, Role 4 (6/00)

Ashland University, OH	Basic Elementary (7/91) Adv. Reading Specialist (7/91) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (7/98)
Baldwin-Wallace College, OH	Adv. Reading Specialist (7/93) Reading Specialist (4/98)
Bowling Green State University, OH	Adv. Reading Specialist (1/93)
Cleveland State University, OH	Adv. Reading Specialist (5/88)
Findley College, OH	Basic Elementary (5/88)
Kent State College, OH	Basic Elementary (1/90) Adv. Reading Specialist, Doctorate (1/90) Masters in Reading Specialization, Reading Specialist, Role 6, (3/01) Ph.D. in C&I, Teacher Educator, Role 8 (3/01)
Ohio Northern University, OH	Basic Elementary (1/93)
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH	Basic Elementary, Adv. Reading Specialist, Adv. Reading Supervisory Doctorate (7/91) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (7/98)
Ohio University, Athens, OH	Basic Elementary (7/88) Adv. Reading Specialist (7/88) Adv. Reading Supervisory (7/88) Doctorate (9/89) Adv. Reading Specialist (1/97) M ED, Reading Specialist, Role 4; (1/01)
Otterbein College, OH	Basic Elementary Adv. Reading Specialist (1/91) Reading Specialist, Role 6 (7/02)
University of Akron, OH	Basic Elementary (6/92) Doctorate (6/92) Adv. Reading Specialist (1/95) Reading Specialist, Role 6 (7/02)
University of Cincinnati, OH	Adv. Reading Specialist (7/93) Doctorate (7/93) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (4/98) Adv. Doctorate (4/98)
University of Dayton, OH	Basic Elementary (10/92) Adv. Reading Specialist (10/92) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (1/98) Reading Specialist, Role 6 (11/02)
University of Toledo, OH	Adv. Reading Specialist, Doctorate (8/88) Masters, Reading Specialist, Role 6 (5/01) Doctorate, Teacher Educator, Role 8 (5/01)
Wright State University, OH	Basic Elementary, Adv. Reading Specialist (6/89)
Youngstown State University, OH	Basic Elementary (7/92) Adv. Reading Specialist (7/92) Adv. Reading Teacher/Clinician (5/97)

College or University	Early Childhood	Middle Childhood	Early Adolescence	Adolescence/ Young Adult	Reading Specialist
Anderson University
Ball State University	X	X	X	X	X
Bethel College
Butler University
Calumet College
DePauw University
Franklin College
Goshen College
Grace College
Hanover College
Huntington College
Indiana State University	X	X	X	X	X
Indiana University	X	X	X	X
IU East	X	X	X	X
IU Kokomo	X	X	X	X
IU Northwest	X	X	X	X
IU South Bend
IU Southeast	X	X	X	X
Indiana Wesleyan University
IUPU Fort Wayne	X	X	X	X
IUPU Indianapolis	X	X	X	X
Manchester College
Marian College
Oakland City University	X	X	X	X
Purdue University	X	X	X	X	X
Purdue Calumet	X	X	X
St. Joseph’s College	X	X
St. Mary’s College	X	X	X	X
St. Mary-of-the-Woods College
Taylor University
TriState University
University of Evansville	X	X	X	X
University of Indianapolis
University of Notre Dame
University of St. Francis
University of Southern Indiana	X	X	X	X
Valparaiso University	X	X	X	X
Wabash College

The LaPorte Herald Argus provided an article to readers concerning the importance of reading for middle school students. See http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=386672&query=jolene%20fisher.

Massachusetts outscores every other state on NAEP Exams. See http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.asp?id=3692.

The Massachusetts Secondary School Reading Grant Program supports middle schools, high schools, and vocational schools in Massachusetts interested in developing a school-wide approach to improving reading achievement. See http://www.doe.mass.edu/read/ssr.html.

For an Indianapolis Star editorial “Fix Middle Schools for High School Success,” see http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071015/OPINION/710150308.

Define Normal by Julie Anne Pete

Phineas Gage by John Fleischman

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Indiana

Kentucky

Michigan (two programs currently seeking compliance not listed)

Ohio (five programs currently seeking compliance not listed)