The event was headed up by Northridge Middle School business teacher Pamela Raines and was sponsored by the Indiana Department of Education. Raines was on the on a committee which help develop the state middle school business curriculum.

"Business classes for the middle schools have been around for a long time, but with the No Child Left Behind initiatives from 2002 that said all middle school students must be technologically literate the emphasis has been pushed back to the middles schools."

Business classes offered vary from school to school according to Raines. At Northridge the sixth-graders will be taught keyboarding, document formation, and presentation of graphics. Other classes offered in grade sixth through eight include technology, business performance, business owners and careers.

"It is becoming more and more essential that these skills are being learned at the lower level," Raines said. "That way they are prepared and don't have to be retaught by the time they get to high school."

The all-day workshop had teachers from across the state learning about setting up common assessments, curriculum and other issues.

Presenters for the day were Raines; Tammy Wiley, a teacher from Anderson Southside Middle School; Barb Beadle, Indiana Department of Education; and Dr. Mary Ellen Adams, a professor from Indiana State University.

"We had a great turnout of 32 people," Raines said. "We had to turn away people. We chose these people because we felt they could help us by taking the information back with them and spreading it around the state. This is the first year we have had this in place so it was important to try to get everyone n the same page."

Raines said they are hoping this becomes a yearly event and have a workshop in the fall and in the spring.