The complexity of texts students are being assigned to read has declined by about three grade levels over the past 100 years. A century ago, students were being assigned books with the complexity of around the ninth- or 10th-grade level. But in 2012, the average was around the sixth-grade level.
What Kids Are Reading, In School And Out
Walk into any bookstore or library, and you’ll find shelves and shelves of hugely popular novels and book series for kids. But research shows that as young readers get older, they are not moving to more complex books. High-schoolers are reading books written for younger kids, and teachers aren’t assigning difficult classics as much as they once did.
Children are reading significantly less challenging material in school every year. Read more or listen to the full report at NPR.
(via pacificstand)Ugh. Another example of a country under educating its populace on purpose to make them complacent.
