Renaissance Learning, an educational company specializing in software creation, released a new report that identified the most popular books children in the K-12 program are reading today. The report also examined the reading habits of more than 9.8 million students in the United States to determine their college and career preparedness.
To analyze the data of the report, the researchers took note of three categories: time spent reading, nonfiction reading and interaction with complex texts to measure new vocabulary exposure. The experts found out that about 66 percent of kids who read 15 or more minutes daily were able to pass state standards like the Smarter Balanced Assessment, according to Ed Surge.
"With changing standards and more rigorous expectations, we need to equip our students with both the passion and skills to read well and become well-read," said Renaissance Learning's director of educational research, Eric Stickney, in a press release. "The findings underscore just how valuable reading is in preparing students to succeed in all stages of their academic and professional careers. What's more, by examining and implementing effective reading practices, we can move toward closing achievement gaps in education."
Last month, the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) recommended that 50 percent of reading materials for fourth graders and 70 percent of reading materials for twelfth graders should comprise nonfiction to prepare them for adult life. Most states only propose 29 percent nonfiction materials for students, but the new report learned that this has slowly increased.
Meanwhile, below are some of the most popular books the kids have been reading in the last year based on the Renaissance Learning study:
FICTION
"Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss
"The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul" by Jeff Kinney
"Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix" by J.K. Rowling
"Frankenstein (Unabridged)" by Mary Shelley
NONFICTION
"Sisters" by Raina Telgemeier
"Penguin Chick" by Betty Tatham
"My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." by Christine King Farris
"Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
"Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
For more about the study, data is available at Learn Analytics.
