Signs that the publisher didn't work with real children

Back in December I complained in a post that the publisher of literacy materials must not have used them with real children.  Last week I had more evidence of this.

I am giving my students Running Records with a kit from the new materials.  The selections I am supposed to have them read come from the middle of chapters -- out of context from the whole.  One frustrated student asked, "Why can't we start at the beginning?  Are they trying to hide something from us?"  I laughed.

I want to see how my students behave as readers when I assess them.  When we give them a section of text disconnected from real reading, I don't think our results are accurate.  Just saying....