The advent of accountability laws and policies, and accompanying high-stakes assessments based on standards, has put enormous pressure on instructors to teach to these tests at the expense of best practices.
"Kids reading during Tobey's baptismal reception" Photo by Stitch via CC.
"What I remember most about reading in childhood was falling in love with characters and stories; I adored Judy Blume’s Margaret and Beverly Cleary’s Ralph S. Mouse. In New York, where I was in public elementary school in the early ’80s, we did have state assessments that tested reading level and comprehension, but the focus was on reading as many books as possible and engaging emotionally with them as a way to develop the requisite skills. Now the focus on reading analytically seems to be squashing that organic enjoyment. Critical reading is an important skill, especially for a generation bombarded with information, much of it unreliable or deceptive. But this hyperfocus on analysis comes at a steep price: The love of books and storytelling is being lost." - Katherine Marsh
Article: Why Kids Aren’t Falling in Love With Reading