Classical Literature The notion that a child with a book is better than a child with a video game is probably one we can all agree on, especially given the current culture of entertainment.
So, why—despite the unlimited access to literature over the last century—have reading levels dropped dramatically among high school students in the United States?
12th Grade Reading Levels Studies show that the average 12th grade student is reading at a 5th grade level. But the problem is not that students aren’t capable of reading at higher levels, it’s that our schools aren’t requiring students to read at higher levels.
Reading list recommendations for high school seniors rarely feature literature above a sixth grade reading level. Topping the list in many high schools today are books like Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games. While it is certainly an engaging book, The Hunger Games lacks the complexity that students need to prepare them for college.
Still, many would argue that getting students to read, regardless of the material, is a good thing, period—a point not taken lightly. Should we encourage our children to read more challenging material at the risk of stifling their interest in books altogether?
The answer is yes. The types of literature students are reading—and the difficulty level—matter.
Classical Literature Liberty is a Christian classical academy. A key component of classical education is, of course, the study of classical literature. The “classics”—Iliad, Lord of the Flies, Pride and Prejudice—are complex examples of the English language. These books challenge students to think analytically, which, in turn, increase their reading proficiency. Students are able to identify and comprehend things like tone, irony and structure in the text.
Yet, over the last 20 years, classical literature has been replaced by shorter, simpler, contemporary text. In some cases, the educational powers felt there was a need for more “diversity” in the literature studied, while in other cases, the importance of reading has been overshadowed by the growth in math and science programs—programs that don’t necessarily include creative literature.
Common Core Reading Standards In addition, the study of classical literature has been greatly diminished under the proposed common core standards (which Minnesota has adopted). These standards instead favor nonfiction and “informational text” in the classroom because that is what the majority of college students will be required to read. However, like many of the common core standards, there is no evidence to support the idea that non-fiction and informational texts better prepare you for college, regardless of what type of text you’ll see in college.
Even more concerning is the fact that some of the recommended informational texts verge on political advocacy. For example, asking students to study the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Recommended Levels of Insulation.
The great danger in trivializing complex, fictional literature is that it produces an incoherent crop of students. The classics require deeper thinking. Without them, the students’ capacity for analytical thinking is decreased, and their ability to develop the human connection that comes with such literature is lost.
Perhaps the classical literature advocate Sandra Stotsky put it best when she said, “You wouldn’t find words like ‘malevolent,’ ‘malicious’ or ‘incorrigible’ in science or history materials.”