In this article Dr. Shanahan shares his view on the Common Core Instructional Level Theory. The common core is moving toward teaching reading by using more difficult and complex texts. Dr. Shanahan feels that there is research that provides us with a evidence that contradicts this theory.
Becoming a successful reader is a combination of the learner interacting with the text and the teacher. The instructional level theory claims that text difficulty level is relative to the student reading level and this is the factor that makes everything "click". However, this totally ignores the teachers strategies, scaffolding, and support that is offered to the student on the basis of their individual needs.
Common Core denotes that students learn best when they receive the least teaching. This is contradictory to the studies that suggest that kids can learn from text written at very diverse levels, even when the text difficulty causes the teachers to give the students support of background knowledge among various other techniques.
Although, Shanahan claims that Lexile assessments have improved readability assessment. He still believes that students learning quality will depend on the amount and quality of instructional support from the teacher or parent.
Shanahan's conclusion is logical. I do believe that exposure to more complex syntax and vocabulary in multiple contexts leads to improved comprehension. In order to accelerate growth in reading ability and stamina it will be incumbent on every teacher to know exactly what each student requires to move from one level to the next. That is undoubtedly our biggest challenge since most people are insecure in their diagnostic abilities.
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