Catherine Rand

My focus within literacy is how reading comprehension is affected by the different materials we use in schools, including how it is affected by texts that have been simplified and made to be a lower reading level. While leveled texts have been used in schools for as long as there have been public schools, new programs are using readability formulas to create large-scale sets of linguistically and conceptually simplified texts to accommodate struggling readers without changing the core content of the text. Yet, simplifying texts doesn't necessarily mean easing reading difficulty. I research these texts and programs to determine how they influence comprehension and help teachers know whether the tools they are using are effective.

• M.A. Literacy Education, Rutgers University
• M.F.A. Filmmaking, New York Film Academy
• B.A. Visual Arts and Art History, Rutgers University

Elementary and Middle Grades Literacy Education

https://sites.google.com/view/catherinerand/home

“There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?” By Erin Hanson