AVReading

The last common core anchor standard is perhaps the most controversial of the anchors. It reads as follows: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently. On the surface, it doesn’t seem too inflammatory, but the debate / discussion has centered around the qualifier “complex”. Literacy and English teachers voiced a few concerns about this standard: what is considered complex and second how do you ensure that everyone is reading in their level of productive struggle? First, many have expressed concerns over the actual definition of complex. Some feared that teachers would apply an overly simplistic definition and rely solely on reading formulas (like Lexile scores) to determine what would be considered as sufficiently difficult. They argue that some texts -- like Hemingway for example-- are quite rigorous in form and content, but measure really low in readability (since he is known for short, declarative sentences with a low frequenc...