Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy piece on Common Core reading from NPR

As an example, the new CC Lexile standards put Percy Jackson at a "third-grade" level and Harry Potter just slightly out of range for third grade. I don't at all consider that typical third-grade level, though it could perhaps be in a highly competent classroom of chidren of educated parents. I'd say that many average third-graders are still reading things like Secrets of Droon and Magic Treehouse--early chapter books.

It's somewhat unclear, but it looks like they drew the numbers semi-directly from CC materials. (Numbers are asterisked and footnoted as coming from *COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH, LANGUAGE ARTS, APPENDIX A (ADDITIONAL INFORMATION), NGA AND CCSSO, 2012")

Appendix A which you mentioned does discuss lexiles, including "legitimate questions can be raised about the tools used to measure text complexity... ", for example: In comparing the charts in both documents, the ranges do not match. Example:
- Appendix A: grades 2-3 band, "Lexile ranges aligned to CCR expectations" 450-790
- Lexile document: grades 2-3, "2012 CCSS Text Measures" 420-820

Appendix A does not seem to link to or reference the lexile webpage as a resource.

Interesting. Yes, the "Grapes of Wrath" problem is why I think Lexiles are pretty dumb. They're assigned by computer (I mean, of course they are), and boy, it shows. They probably mean more for nonfiction, come to think of it...

The link provided immediately before the quote I referenced from the NPR piece.

and that would be... three major shifts in instruction... n'cest pas?