In their article, Dear Governor: Lobby to Save a Love of Reading, Anne Stone and Jeff Nichols question leveled reading. They seem to have the same sorts of concerns that I have expressed here, in my blog. Like their sons who trade insults about reading levels, I, too, have heard my daughter say to one of her imaginary friends, “You’re only reading at a level C…you need to keep trying,” and worse,”I’m at a level J, but you’re only at a level D…” Gotta love a curriculum that provides fodder for put-downs during pretend play and a real chance to gloat. Lovely. Really, really lovely.

Thanks to Angie DeCola for sharing this article with me in the first place. And, thanks to these New York Times authors for bringing to light the injustice of a curriculum that is applied in ways that undermine real reading development.