This is all beginning to make sense though in my other life as a college professor. No wonder my students struggle with reading high level scientific texts! They have been reading just right/ at level texts for so long that when they are forced to dive in to text which is way over their comfort zone - they have no strategies to cope.
This reminds me of an old thread on SAT vocabulary, and whether the average vocabulary is shrinking. It is also my understanding that more college/university courses are going to a textbook-free format. As reading material trends toward online rather than print format, fees may be imposed for access to the online material. Additionally, some online reading material may be presented by software which tracks the amount of time on each page, and by utilizing the device camera, may even record the student eye movements across the digital page. Some libraries are also converting to book-free, digital collections.
It may be time to stock up on good books and dictionaries, from child through college level, while they are still available in print.
