text complexity the inherent difficulty of reading and comprehending a text combined with...
TRANSCRIPT
Text Complexity
The inherent difficulty of reading and comprehending a text combined with
consideration of reader and task variables
(Common Core State Standards for ELA)
WCPSS Elementary Principals
December 1, 2011
Remember the Six Shifts?Increase reading of informational text
Literacy instruction in all content areas
Text complexityText-based answersIncreased writing from sources
Academic vocabulary
Desired OutcomesAn understanding of the three
features of text complexity
An understanding of why text complexity matters
Knowledge of resources to support consideration of text complexity
Why Focus on It?
As the complexity of K-12 texts decreased
The complexity of reading demands in college/career increased
Best “Sorter” within the ACT?Not cognitive level of question…
Not questions focusing on textual elements…
Text Complexity
Not natural…“We were never bornto read. Human beingsinvented reading only afew thousand years ago.And with this invention,we rearranged thevery organization of ourbrain, which in turnexpanded the ways we are able to think, which altered the intellectualevolution of our species.”
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain
Not an inoculation…
Students with Disabilities
and
English Language Learners
Not “if,”
but “how”
Literacy is a right, not a privilege.
Rank the titles at your table from least to most “complex”
Table Talk: What did you notice?
Text Complexity
Common Core State Standards
Three-legged Stool
Quantitative
Qualitative
Reader and Text
Quantitative Analysis of Text
What is a Lexile measure?
How are Lexile measures determined?
How can you find out a student’s Lexile reader measure?
How can you find out the Lexile measure of a text?
Readability Measures
A way of quantifying text difficulty…
2000 +
Unique: Matching Readers to Texts
↔
Forecasted Comprehension of Text
1500L 25%
1250L 50%
1000L 1000L 75%
750L 85%
500L 95%
What does a Lexile measure include?
Sentence Length
Word Frequency
How are Lexile measures determined?
Most people stay away from snakes. But not Jesus Rivas. He likes to follow them. He follows a snake called the anaconda. It is one of the biggest snakes in the world. Rivas takes the anaconda from the water. He studies it. Then Rivas puts the snake back. His job makes him a snake stalker. (280L)
Everyone should stay focused at work, but if Jesus Rivas gets distracted for even a moment, he could be strangled by a 500-pount snake. Rivas, a biologist, is leading the first-ever study of anacondas in the wild. (1120L)
Staircase of Text Complexity
Grade Band
Current Lexile Band “Stretch” Lexile Band
K-1 N/A N/A
2-3 450L-725L 450L-790L
4-5 645L-845L 770L-980L
6-8 860L-1010L 955L-1155L
9-10 960L-1115L 1080L-1305L
11-CR 1070L-1220L 1215L-1355L
At the lowest grade in each band, (for example, 4th grade), students focus on reading texts within the current Lexile band. At the next grade within the band (for example, 5th grade), students must “stretch” to read some texts from the next band.
Building + Challenging
Student: 50 above
and100 below
How can you find out a student’s Lexile measure?
NC EOG
How can you find out the Lexile measure of a text? http://www.lexile.com
Book Search
Lexile Analyzer
Lexile Codes
AD: Adult Directed
NC: Non-Conforming
HL: High-Low
IG: Illustrated Guide
GN: Graphic Novel
BR: Beginning Reading
NP: Non-Prose
Where are we going?
Grade Band Current Lexile “Stretch” Lexile
K-1 N/A N/A
2-3 450L-725L 450L-790L
4-5 645L-845L 770L-980L
6-8 860L-1010L 955L-1155L
9-10 960L-1115L 1080L-1305L
11-CCR 1070L-1220L 1215L-1355L
What a Lexile Measure Cannot Do
Replace professional judgment of teachers
Determine whether or not a student can read a text
Measure content or quality of a text
Qualitative Analysis of Text
Qualitative Analysis
Comparing Three Titles
Sample Science Texts
730L
1020L
1000L
Reader and TaskVariables specific to particular
readers (such as motivation, knowledge, and experiences)
Variables specific to particular tasks (such as purpose and the complexity of the task assigned and the questions posed)
Keep in mind…1. A student’s ability to read complex
text does not always develop in a linear fashion.
2. Students reading well above and well below grade-band level need additional support.
3. Even many students on course for college and career readiness are likely to need scaffolding as they master higher levels of text complexity.
Students need opportunities to stretch their reading abilities but also to experience the satisfaction and pleasure of easy, fluent reading…, both of which the Standards allow for. As noted above, such factors as students’ motivation, knowledge, and experiences must also come into play in text selection.
Common Core State Standards
Key Word: “GRAPPLE”
Additional Resources Common Core State Standards
for ELA Appendix A and Appendix B
DPI Exemplar Document (contains ordering information for texts listed in CCSS and indicates which are in the public domain)
Implications for Your School?
Questions?
Sherri Merritt, Ph.D.Director of K-12 LiteracyWake County Public School System