The Middle Grades Reading Assessment is available at no cost for Indiana Schools.
Copies may be requested from jh25@evansville.edu
Mark Twain wisely said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Most middle grades students do know how to read. The grave responsibility of providing the conditions to strengthen the skills and promote independent reading rests on everyone’s shoulders. If Indiana’s young adolescents are to grow up to be successful members of their communities, then they need access to the best reading opportunities. While it is the responsibility of the entire community to offer support for providing these opportunities, schools are key to making justifiable and sensible decisions about reading instruction programs both within and beyond the confines the classroom.
Much has been written about how children learn to read in elementary schools and read to learn in middle and high schools. That idea worked as long as good paying jobs in factories and other locations were available where the hard physical work was more important than skills related to reading. Many young people didn’t graduate from high school, and those who left weren’t missed. In today’s world, we are much more concerned about graduation rates and academic preparation for higher education.
There is little down time for middle grades counselors, library media specialists, principals, and teachers. The needs of young adolescents are enormous, and those who work with them lead interesting but challenging lives. With the daily activities of a middle grades school keeping educators on their toes, it is no wonder that it is difficult to find time for assessing the reading program.
Assessment is about achievement scores, but it is more than that. Excellent middle grades reading programs provide well-equipped libraries, a feeling that reading is important to all adults and students, time for reading classes, skilled teachers, adult and student role models, and connections with public libraries, families, and other community-based programs. The Middle Grades Reading Assessment is an inexpensive way to assess the reading program and provide plans for improvement.
The assessment will reveal some problems that can be easily solved. A school could start a Newspaper In Education Program, work with the PTA to organize a Book Fair, build a strong Young Hoosier Book Award Program, start a Sustained Silent Reading Program, initiate reading classes for all students, connect with feeder school teachers and parents, provide materials for students to sign up for public library cards, help a Boys and Girls Club with information and support, provide special information to parents on the school Web site, purchase and display Celebrity Read Posters from the American Library Association, increase participation of teachers in reading professional development, and publicize faculty reading to students and parents. It may reveal more difficult problems, such as too few new books being added to the school library or the need to provide materials for a wide range of reading abilities. There is no question that some of these problems are difficult to solve without state and community support.
Schools that have conducted the assessment have the following in common: principal support and counselors, parents, school librarians, and teachers who help gather information. Think of the assessment as a compass to help schools stay on a path that leads young adolescents to the goal of being the best readers they can be.