I don't see the elimination of "Reading" as a silo class as a bad thing. I think critics are missing the point of the change. It is designed to incorporate reading strategies into ALL content classes. Students need new and different reading strategies as the encounter new and different, more complex text which happens in all classes as they progress through their academic careers. We were all required to take reading classes as part of our certifications. Now is the time to use those strategies. I remember taking reading classes as a middle school (Junior High) student, mostly a waste of time! Better to use the skills and develop the strategies across the continuum of content presented in a school day. The few (90% read at or above grade level) students that need help should have specific intervention - these reading specialists can be specifically utilized in this capacity. If there are schools with a higher demand because they have more of a population that needs intervention, then those schools should have more reading specialists available to them.

This article raises more questions than it answers.
1) What exactly is meant by reading classes? Does that refer to Language Arts/English classes which include way more than just reading comprehension strategies: reading, writing, speaking, listening?
2) Does that 90% at grade level refer to decoding, or does it also incorporate reading comprehension? What resources would be in place to remediate and accelerate the 10% who are NOT at grade level?
3) What resources would be put into place to aid the content teachers in implementing such a huge change in what and how they teach? If their planning time is also cut [due to the changes in PE time that are mentioned], would there be some other balancing aid put into place to assist them? Would the curriculum be stream-lined to allow more time to cover the extra material? Would more teachers be hired to allow for smaller class-sizes?

I'm all for integrating content and skills, but this is a huge paradigm shift. I agree with Meshkin that there are already significant challenges at the middle school level. A change such as this one might be better implemented as a component in a larger restructuring of middle school education.
I look forward to reading more as the decision-making process continues.

It sounds like they've already begun to put the changes in place, which is odd if it hasn't been vetted by the school board, etc. We need more details on the changes.

Who came up with this bonehead idea? Hello... do you think that maybe the reason that 90% of your students are reading on grade level is because they had reading classes. ...hello...? you think...

The concept of "reading in the content areas" was developed first as an adjunct to and then as an integrated component of, a specific effort to develop this fundamental skill.
Okay, let's dismantle what is working, we have this county school system committee so we need some kind of work product to justify our non-instructional positions at the central office.

I KNOW let's propose an idiotic change to basic curricula and talk down to those opposed as if they're behind the times and lacking vision.

Folks, we know what works, this should have been tabled after the first draft was reviewed. Instead we now have an embarrassing example of how innovation by committee is usually a mistake.

Its an old axiom that through 3rd grade children learn to read, then beginning in 4th grade, they read to learn. If schools/school systems don't realize/act on poor reading skills in 4th grade the battle is usually lost by the time the student reaches middle school. The reasons the battle is lost has less to do with whether reading is taught in MS but a myriad of other factors many related to a students self-perception.

As a 6th grade reading teacher, I can tell you that it's NOT too late to help a struggling reader improve his/her reading skills...I have been able to show them the importance of reading, show them how to improve their reading ability, develop vocabulary skills. The past couple of years, with the new Advanced Reader curriculum, we were charged with supporting content taught in SS and Science. We read about the Cultural Revolution and read and studied about past, present, and future dictators around the world (in 6th grade thank you)...and studied China/Chairman Mao and the lack of freedom currently experienced in China...none of this is normally covered in the regular content area...it was ALL covered in READING...in addition...we have a research unit where students learned how to access professional databases, take appropriate notes, learn how to cite sources properly, embedded citations (6th grade thank you), write a modified MLA research paper, and created visual podcasts on topics such as Human Impact on the Environment.... Deadzones in the Chesapeake Bay, Phalates, DDT, Dam Construction, Impact of Disposable Diapers, Water Bottles, Coral Reef Destruction, Chlouroflorocarbons...and these are 6th graders! The research unit will be replaced with a "dumbed down" version of a research project...such as how do you find out the best price of a cell phone you want to purchase...the reading curriculum will also be replaced with "modules" such as Food and You...SERIOUSLY??????

As a reading teacher who has worked in four of Maryland's county districts, I can tell you with great certainty that Howard County's Reading/English program is the strongest in the state--I mean to say "was" the strongest in the state. It will likely fall over the next several years. In fact freefall might be a better term. Having a reading class AND an English class is one of the chief reasons why Howard County's scores have been so high over the years. Dropping reading as a separate class will likely result in disaster for our students. A few things the general public has no idea about: The other disciplines: Math, Science, Social Studies, English already have PACKED curricula. To add reading objectives to those documents will make it nearly impossible to cover the objectives. Of course, they will eventually change all the objectives anyway, but at that point, what you are likely to see is students mastering less actual content in all those classes. It's a great idea to let science teachers teach their kids how to best read science documents, as in the other disciplines as well. BUT, reading classes cover so much more than how to read textbooks. Students' love of reading will suffer. Their experience with reading will suffer. And their reading ability will suffer without the extra class. Make it a double block of Language Arts--that would work just fine. I urge the public, esp. if you have kids in HCPSS: find out what's happening. Get involved. This is not good for kids.

No Child Left Behind. My child will certainly be left holding a newspaper she won't be able to read looking at the classified ads for a job that will assume she can read.

Educators: you are really out of touch.

Unfortunately, the name of this article is highly misleading. Reading, taught as an applied skill integrated with other subjects means that it is actually getting more emphasis, not less. Those who are very far below grade level are exceptions and will still get extra help in that skill.

I can see why reading teachers are concerned about this change, but as a parent of students in Howard County schools I see this as strengthening of reading improvement strategies.

Frank...I will also tell you that as an "insider" of the system...the "modules" proposed to be put in place of reading classes are also highly misleading...Food and You...Film Making...not a whole lot of reading going on in those classes...might be fun for the students, but not what should be done in place of instructional reading in class.

Let me guess, the person that made this decision doesn't have any children in the system anymore...

One doesn't need to have children in the system to have common sense!