Dr. Beth Egmon interviewed her learners about the upcoming discussion on the SBOE Draft Required Reading List. The most important thing we can do in education most times is: Ask the kids. They'll tell you want you need to know.
Testimony for State Board of Education, April 6-9, 2026
Thank you for the opportunity to address the State Board of Education. My name is Dr. Beth Egmon. I have testified in prior years before both the State Board of Education and the Public Education Committee of the Texas House of Representatives when I served as President of the Coalition of Reading and English Supervisors of Texas. I have served as an educator in this great state for well over 30 years and have seen a myriad of changes during my tenure. I am retired from public education, but currently have a robust tutoring business, working in conjunction with Texas educators and the public schools.
As the discussion about the state required reading list has evolved, I have grown increasingly alarmed and feel I must advocate on behalf of my students. A core reading list on its face is a good idea. In fact, several of my students were in favor of the idea.
Raj, Grade 4, indicated that “students should be able to read together (the same book)” and Yash, Grade 4, said that when a class reads whole group text, he feels more “confident and learns more” as a reader. Riya, Grade 5, said reading the same book helps so she can be more “supported and not be lonely.” She also noted that there is also a “need to have book clubs so we can talk about books together.”
Most of my students are students who struggle with reading - students with dyslexia, autism, developmental delays, attention deficit disorder, rare genetic disorders. They are diverse, coming from different socioeconomic backgrounds, races, cultures, and faiths. What they all have in common is a desire to learn, to do their very best, and achieve their dreams– whatever those individual dreams may be.
My greatest fear with this state required reading list is that the great State of Texas is setting them up to fail. You will hear testimony in the coming days that shows clearly how long it will take an average reader to read through the lengthy list (sometimes more than one school year in several cases); AND - that is IF the student can read over 100+ WPM (words per minute).
Many of my students cannot read that fast. In fact, when I showed my students the list for their current grade level, each and every one of them responded with exasperation. Each said something along the lines of “NO WAY!” They knew it was an impossible task to wade through in one year. They didn’t need me to do word counts, readability levels, and words per minute. They knew just by looking that it was impossible.
Luke, 5th grade states, “I don’t think I could do it because during reading time, I only have 45 minutes, which would make it hard to do this. Second of all, some of the books may be too easy, or may be too hard, or too long for me. Or here is one very big problem – what if some people have a problem with reading? How does that work with this list?”
Ariana, Grade 6, states, “It’s too long of a list and it would take me the whole 6th grade AND 7th grade to finish the books that are on that list. I read slow so I can understand what is going on in the book – I often have to even reread.”
Aashni, Grade 8, states, “I do not want to read pages of the Bible because I am not Christian. I don’t need to read the Bible.”
Hailey, Grade 8, states, “not every culture has the same beliefs as those chapters from the Bible. Some kids might not feel comfortable that they have to read those things.” She further states, “Another thing is that not all English classes can stay at the same speed. Like what if there’s a fire drill that day? All of those English / ELA classes will of course get behind. The teachers will then make them cram reading those books. That causes the students even more stress in school. I know I work in the student center and sometimes I hear kids come in and talk about how stressful school is now and how they can no longer take it. They’d rather be dead than alive. School is stressful enough; adding on to it can make students even more suicidal. Adding this long list of books can make it worse.”
As you can hear from these students, the list is too long and is not inclusive. Forcing students to read something that is in conflict with their faith beliefs is a hard sell to a teenager, especially when their faith is not represented. I would also like to point out as a Christian myself, I have a hard time reconciling myself to the fact that there would be some non-Christian teachers that would actually be teaching Christian texts in the classroom. I personally do not want a non-Christian teaching my family members about the Beatitudes, do you?
In my discussion with the students, one student asked me how they were supposed to work through the list and still do writing, take tests, go to the library, talk about books, and do all the other things that happen in school … and he said when there’s a sub – all the plans get put on hold. So they sometimes get behind. What happens then? I couldn’t answer that question. I’m hoping reasonableness wins out here and the list is shortened.
I’m also hoping the list becomes more reflective of the students in the classrooms. I was very surprised by the lack of diversity in the list, as well as the publication dates of the readings. There are a lot of contemporary authors and stories that make for excellent reading and teaching, yet none made the list. With such a voluminous list, there is absolutely no time to add such contemporary works to the classroom. Teachers were hired as professionals, trained as professionals and yet are not being allowed to be the professional in the classroom. This is a problem.
Teachers within their local districts know their students best. Each classroom has its own unique make-up of students. Any teacher can tell you each class is different and varies from year to year. A one size fits all list that is so voluminous, leaving no room for additional text, has no place in Texas education. Core texts to choose from, possibly. But there needs to be room for additional texts to meet the varied needs of each classroom. In its current form, this list offers no room for any other educational needs.
I strongly urge you to VOTE NO on the list in its current form and consider following the spirit of the law it is intended to uphold with a much leaner list of books that include choice.
Thank you for your dedication to improving education for all students. I am confident that we can build a brighter future for our schools and our state.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Beth Egmon
