As you probably know by now, the common standards in English/language arts emphasize students’ ability to master progressively complex texts as they progress through the grades. (Appendix A of the standards is where they delve into this stuff.)
I blogged the other day about watching teachers in New York City grapple with this, and with learning strategies for teaching students how to read well in the disciplines. There is much more detail in my story, which is now out on our website.