Common Core's Focus on 'Close Reading' Stirs Worries

Academic leaders say shift may be a leap for teachers

Tampa, Fla.

What would happen if English/language arts teachers revolutionized their instruction to focus intently—and exclusively—on the texts students are reading?

That's what chief academic officers from 14 urban school districts discussed here last month. It's a key shift in the Common Core State Standards that now guide teaching and learning in all but four states: Students are expected to engage in "close reading" of complex literary and informational texts.

In contrast to common practice, in which teachers explain reading passages and supply background information before students read, "close reading" confines initial study to the text itself. Students make sense of it by probing its words and structure for information and evidence. Through questions and class exercises, teachers guide students back through the reading in a hunt for...