- As you undoubtedly have noticed,
the improvement of reading achievement for students in
our state has been a high priority for many California
legislators and other policy makers over the last
several years. Their work is motivated by an
understanding they share with educators: that reading
and literacy skills provide students with the keys to
lifelong learning, and that the more students read,
the better readers they will become.
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- We all believe that every effort
should be made both at school and at home to get
students to read as much as possible. To help promote
more student reading, recent legislation was written
with the intent of informing parents about reading
materials that may be appropriate (in terms of reading
difficulty) for students.
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- As a result of that legislation, a
CALIFORNIA READING LIST web site has been developed.
Designed by SAT-9 testing publisher, Harcourt
Education Management, the web site is one source that
can assist parents and students in selecting books
written at a level of difficulty that corresponds with
a child's reading score. When STAR test results were
sent home, each child's parent/guardian received
information about their child's designated reading
list and about how to access that list from the
CALIFORNIA READING LIST web site. The web site went up
on June 30, 2000.
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- The titles for the CALIFORNIA
READING LIST were drawn from six different volumes of
the California Department of Education's recommended
literature for students in kindergarten through grade
twelve:
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- • Recommended Readings in
Literature, Kindergarten Through Grade Eight, 1996
[currently being updated; new edition to be
published in winter 20001
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- • Recommended Literature,
Grades Nine Through Twelve, 1990 [currently being
updated; new edition to be published in winter
20001
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- • Literature for
History-Social Science, Kindergarten Through Grade
Eight, 1991
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- • Literature for Science and
Mathematics, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve,
1993
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- • Literature for Visual and
Performing Arts, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve,
1996
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- • Read to Me, Recommended
Literature for Children Ages Two Through Seven,
1992
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- The genres represented
among the titles on the lists
include:
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- Adventure
- Autobiography
- Biography
- Classic
- Contemporary
Realistic
- Fiction
- Essay
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- Fairy
Tale
- Folklore/Folk
Tales
- Historical Fiction
Information
- Legend
- Mystery
- Mythology
- Novel
- Science Fiction Short
Story Speech
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- There are a total of 13 different
lists of reading material on the web site (numbered
from 01 to 13+). These lists are progressive in terms
of difficulty; each list is made up of a collection of
titles that are slightly more difficult to read than
the titles on the list preceding it. List #01 contains
the most easy-to-read titles, while List #13+ is made
up of the most difficult or sophisticated titles. The
list numbers do not correspond to grade
levels.
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- The lists on the CALIFORNIA
READING LIST web site were specially tailored to match
the achievement level of each student who participated
in the statewide assessment program in Spring 2000.
Based on a student's score on the Reading portion of
the SAT-9, a specific list has been designated as
appropriate for that child in terms of reading
difficulty and interest level. The titles from a
child's list represent books covering a range of
difficulty, subjects, and interests. When a title from
a child's designated list is selected from the web
site to review, information is provided about that
book that may help determine its suitability for a
child.
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- The following caution for parents
appears in the introductory material on the web site,
and is reproduced on the information page for every
title on the list:
- IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION
- You know your child best.
Ultimately, only you and your child can determine
which books are appropriate to read, taking a variety
of important factors into consideration. These factors
include: your child's particular interests,
independent reading ability, motivation, and level of
maturity. Please consider each of these factors as you
attempt to match an individual child with a specific
book. The reading lists provide information only on
the books. You then must take that information into
account with what you know about your own child in
order to make the most appropriate reading selections.
Also, you should not limit a student's reading
selection to the titles from his/her designated list.
The California Reading List provides only one source
of potential titles. Many other lists, including
collections of award-winning titles (Newbery,
Caldecott, California Young Reader Medal, Coretta
Scott King, etc.), can be found through school and
local libraries, the Internet, and other helpful
sources. The bottom line is: ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO
READ.
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- The reading lists on the web site
will be updated and refreshed periodically in order to
include new titles written for children and young
adults, or to delete other titles that may no longer
be available or appropriate.
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- To visit the CALIFORNIA READING
LIST web site, go to: www.startest.com
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