The National Assessment Governing Board recommendations for the percentages of literary versus informational texts increases the most through the grades for teaching which skill?

• A. Decoding
• B. Integrating/interpreting information
• C. Fluency
• D. Spelling

Answer: (B)

When students move to higher grades, they encounter more informational texts and are asked to bring together ideas from multiple sources. The ability that grows the most with this shift is integrating and interpreting information, because students must combine details from different passages, evaluate evidence, and form well-supported conclusions. This skill depends on weighing and synthesizing information across texts, not just reading words aloud or recognizing spelling patterns. Decoding and fluency are foundational, needed for smooth reading but not the focus of the move toward more informational text. Spelling is not central to reading comprehension and interpretation.