Keep a record of names and reading scores of eighth graders.  Check each year to see if these students have stayed in school.  Compare reading scores of those who drop out of         school to the scores of those who stay in school to determine the impact of reading ability on staying in high school.  Use this information to provide appropriate reading instruction for students with similar backgrounds to those who have difficulty reading high school materials.

Keep in mind that ISTEP occurs soon after the summer vacation.  Students who read during the summer will perform better on ISTEP.  Contact public librarians and invite them to promote their summer reading programs and help students obtain public library cards.

The Young Hoosier Book Award Program is an Indiana system that promotes independent reading.  The more students read independently, the better readers they become.  Furthermore, acquiring good reading habits in the middle grades will make a positive impact on them throughout their lives.  Reading teachers and school librarians should work closely together to ensure wide participation.

Decide on the number of sets of books you will need as well as the charts and other materials available from the Indiana Library Federation at  http://www.ilfonline.org/Programs/YHBA/yhba.htm>.  Determine the cost and work with your principal to seek a sponsor for the program.  Sponsors might be local service clubs, such as Kiwanis, Lions, Optimist, or Rotary; PTA; foundations; or local businesses such as Target.  Create a bookplate to place in each book, and write the name of the sponsoring organization on the bookplate.  Provide follow-up information to the group, such as the number of students involved.  At the recognition event for students, include representatives from the sponsoring organization.  Provide a follow-up report and/or presentation to the organization.  Seek newspaper publicity that includes the sponsor.  

Using a computer, it is not difficult to keep a record of titles and authors of books read, along with the date.  You could use a rating system, for example, one * for the least favorite and ***** for one you think is outstanding.  Also, a little information about each book could be recorded.  After a few years, you will appreciate the information that you have recorded after reading each book.

The Indiana Professional Standards Board Web site lists the education programs that have been approved for Indiana teacher education programs.  To find out which colleges and universities will be offering the Early Adolescence Reading License, go to <http://www.in.gov/psb/licensing/apbyschool2002/> and click on a college or university; then find reading among the titles.  Contact the college or university of your choice to learn what additional courses you need to complete to obtain the reading license.

School libraries should add two books per student per year to keep collections current.  For example, a school with 500 students should add 1000 new books each year.  Check with your school librarian to find out the number of new books purchased during this school year.  Without new books, reading achievement suffers.  If your school library lacks new books, it is not only a school library problem; it is a reading problem.

How can our teachers be reading role models for our students? 

Teachers are readers, so the problem is how to convey that information to students.  Feature information about a teacher each month in the main display case.  Favorite books, along with pictures and other materials concerning the teacher, will be of interest to students and help them understand the importance of reading.  A large picture of the teacher reading a book would make an appropriate background for the display.  Because the student population changes within a few years, this approach will work forever merely by updating and reusing the display of each teacher.

 Most Indiana schools use Reading Is FAME only one or two periods each day, so teacher time isn’t needed for the full day.  Foundations is usually presented in the fall semester and Adventures in the spring semester.  The part-time aide could be taken from an existing program, or a parent volunteer could provide needed help.  Some schools arrange for Title I funds for the small class size needed for the intensive work of supporting students who have little chance of completing high school without building stronger reading skills.