These standards were created to ensure all high school students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life.
But not everyone is a fan.
One book in particular, "Dreaming in Cuban," is recommended for eleventh graders. But critics say the detailed description of a sex scene is inappropriate for 16-and 17-year-olds. Parent Barbara Ports said that she'd "want to look at the book in whole to really know if it's appropriate or not."
So why are the latest federally-supported standards pushing these publications?
>>SOUND OFF: What do you think should be done about the recommended reading list?
Kathleen Porter-Magee of the Fordham Institute supports the Common Core and said opponents of the standards tend to leave out an important fact—no state is required to follow the entire reading list. It is a guide.
“They should be prepared to read the kinds of rigorous informational texts that we're all faced with -- not just in our jobs, but in the newspaper - everything that's required to be an active citizen,” Porter-Magee said.
But conservatives say the list strips away teachers’ creativity.
“I think you’re going to feel a lot of pressure to follow that reading list pretty closely,” Burke said.
Racy books are not the only concern with the Common Core Reading list. Books that some consider too boring are also a point of discussion.
Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation said the list includes some terribly boring material. “Recommended levels of insulation is a good example of something that might put a 14-year-old boy to sleep during his class,” she said.
There are only five required reads, including Shakespeare and the Declaration of Independence.
“Everything else that students read in class, every day from K through 12, is decided by curriculum directors, teachers, principals, school board, parents,” Porter-Magee said.
Common core supporters say if parents have a problem with recommended reads, they can always go to school officials.
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