I find it hard to believe OP is a research scientist. Most of my fellow researcher love music, art or theater. Many are avid readers of a whole spectrum of fiction and non-fiction. An active mind needs multiple types of fuel.

Anonymous wrote:

No one will fault you for not tackling 60% or 40%. What matters is whether or not students master the objectives.

I am PP to whom you are responding. I taught school for years. My point: as a goal, 60/40 may be fine. As a standard, it is stupid.

It's not a standard. It's a guideline written to help reinforce the standards, as more standards have been added that connect to expository texts.

Standards are used in planning. They're the basic measures for each lesson, as they'll be converted (for lack of a better word) into mastery objectives.

When did you last teach, btw? This isn't news to anyone. The original standards for Maryland were the Core Learning Goals. Now they're replaced by national standards - Common Core.

same process for the CLGs, but w/o the emphasis on expository reading

Anonymous wrote:Idk... Probably because they read about science, health, and history in science, health, and history classes...

THIS

Fiction is food (nectar or ambrosia) for the soul.

No one will fault you for not tackling 60% or 40%. What matters is whether or not students master the objectives.

Federal money is tied to the standards being measured. They need to go back to the drawing board on these standards.