American High School's Reading Curriculum: 5th-Grade-Level

The article highlights the expectations ATOS (Advanced Technology for Data-Driven Schools) set in regards to proper reading levels.  Educators are apparently setting the bar too low for students.  With high-schoolers "reading at an average 5th grade level."  As we look back at what we were reading in 5th grade, this stat seems hardly imaginable.  However, with ATOS's readability analyzer, we found out that the top 20 books high-schoolers are reading should appropriately be designated for a 5th-7th grade reading level.  This list includes: Mice of Men (4.5 grade level), Hunger Games (5.3), To Kill a Mockingbird (5.6), and Night (4.3).  So, the question at hand, how does this technological advancement take into consideration the depth of our reading skills?  The article states that, "Renaissance uses an ATOS readability formula that takes into account several predictors: average sentence length, average word length, word difficulty level and total number of words in a book or passage."  

I couldn't settle on the reasoning of this system, so decided to research it myself.  When directed to Renaissance Learning's website you are given the opportunity to actually use this analyzer.  I tested a reading on Althusser, a French Marxist Philosopher that we discussed extensively in my Pursuits of English class (Junior year, which would be grade level 15).  The results concluded that the reading's appropriate level was 16.5.  Which, if I am figuring this correctly, would be a Senior going on to Graduate School.  I chose one of my most dense readings, and as an English major we can expect to be reading some of the more challenging literacies.  Basically, there is a huge disparity between what got me interested in literature, (The Great Gatsby's, etc. which are rated at 5-6 grade levels) to what I am reading at the University level.  Why is this so, and is the ATOS Readability Analyzer really that accurate?

Interactivity #4

My Analysis Map

I chose this particular lesson plan because I feel it encompasses a wide range of technological skills.  Students have the opportunity to exercise these skills after they have learned the background knowledge to how Wikipedia came about and how it continues to flourish.  Through this lesson plan, students are taught to analyze the information they are presented.  As we know, much of what we get from the internet is fallacious information.  The lesson highlighted the importance of citing several different outposts of information to check it's credibility, and bringing them together in a collaborative and accurate manner.  

The gaps in curriculum goals and teaching strategies that I noticed were certain literary aspects.  For example, the lesson plan did not highlight the importances of character and plot development.  Some of the more fundamental literary components could have been touched on more, but overall the lesson plan highlighted a broad range of curriculum goals.  Figurative language was paramount; along with cultural experiences and themes of social issues.  The students worked on their analytical skills, and collaborated towards producing a coherent successful final product.  

The Wiki technology practice was essential in digging into the importance of being discriminatory of the information you receive over the internet.  Students need to be utilizing the internet purposefully, and digesting accurate information.  Otherwise, this beneficial means of attaining information will have a counter-effect and students will be taking in false information. 

Personal insight into the life of a struggling educator.

"Confessions of a 'Bad' Teacher"

I'm wondering how we find a balance, when, if at times we feel as though we have no control in our own classroom. His world came down around him, he felt humiliated to be a considered a 'bad' teacher in a 'good' school. 

Ban on public funding for students who wish to seek higher education

Must watch!


"Telling us that we cannot obtain higher education, that we cannot go to college or community college, even if we work hard and do our best in school, it is crushing dreams, it is crushing goals," says Keish Kim,