I'm a big fan of E.D. Hirsch. Here's a recent opinion piece where he argues that reading tests should not ignore context, that is, actual knowledge of the subject a students is asked to read about. We tend to ignore context in K-12, and it shows in higher ed. We see reading as a discreet skill separate from what we read about.
He suggests that the entire curriculum should be knowledge based, not skills based. Once basic knowledge is obtained, skills take care of themselves (more or less).
