UNLOCKING THE TOOLS TO TEXT COMPLEXITY

Agreements

We will…– AAssume Responsibility– SSeek information– PParticipate actively– IIntegrate information– RRespond and act– EExchange ideas

Outcomes1. Understand reading standard #10.2. Understand the CCSS text complexity model.3. Practice using the quantitative measures tools.4. Practice using the qualitative rubrics for both

literary and informational texts.5. Analyze reader and task considerations and

scaffolding possibilities for texts.6. Practice generating a final recommendation form

(i.e., the “placemat”).

• Publishing Information• ii• Senate Bill 1200, Statutes of 2012, provided for an update of the California • Common Core State Standards: English Language Arts and Literacy in History/• Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy). • The CA CCSS for ELA/ Literacy were modified on March 13, 2013, following the • recommendation of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlaks on, • to include the addition of the College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards • and technical changes . When the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy were modified, the • members of the State Board of Education (SBE) were the following: Michael • W. Kirs t, President; Ilene Straus , Vice Pres ident; Sue Burr; Carl A. Cohn; Bruce • Holaday; Jos ephine Kao; Aida Molina; Patricia Ann Rucker; Nicolasa Sandoval; • and Trish Boyd Williams. • Senate Bill 1 from the fifth Extraordinary Sess ion (SB X5 1) in 2010 es tablis hed • the California Academic Content Standards Commiss ion (Commiss ion) to • evaluate the Common Core State Standards for Englis h Language Arts and • Literacy in History/Social Studies , Science, and Technical Subjects developed • by the Common Core State Standards Initiative for rigor and alignment with the • California standards. Based on the evaluation, the Commis sion inserted words, • phrases, and s elect California s tandards to maintain California’s high expectations • for s tudents. On July 15, 2010, the Commiss ion recommended that the SBE • adopt the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy as amended. The members of the • Commiss ion were the following: Greg Geeting, Chair; Heather Calahan; Steven • Dunlap; Robert Ellis; Eleanor Evans; Bill Evers; Scott Farrand; Mark Freathy; • Lori Freiermuth; Bruce Grip; Kathy Harris ; Jeanne Jelnick; Deborah Keys; James • Lanich; Matt Perry; Pat Sabo; Brian Shay; Alba Sweeney; Hilda Villarreal Writ; • Chuck Weis ; and Ze’ev Wurman. Support for the Commiss ion was provided by • the Sacramento County Office of Education under the direction of Sue Stickel, • Deputy Superintendent of Schools . • When the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy were adopted by the SBE on Augus t 2, 2010, • the members of the SBE were the following: Theodore Mitchell, President; Ruth • Bloom, Vice President; Alan Arkatov; James Aschwanden; Benjamin Aus tin; • Yvonne Chan; Gregory Jones ; David Lopez ; and Johnathan Williams. Jack • O’Connell, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction, is als o recogniz ed for • his leadership during the adoption of the s tandards in Augus t 2010.• The • California Common Core State Standards : Englis h Language Arts and Literacy • in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects• was edited in part • by the staff of CDE Pres s, with the cover and interior design prepared by Tuyet • Truong. It was publis hed by the California Department of Education, 1430 N • Street, Sacramento, CA 95814-5901. It was distributed under the provisions of • the Library Distribution Act and • Government Code• Section 11096. The Common • Core State Standards appear as they were published by the Common Core State • Standards Initiative.• © 2013 by the California Department of Education• All rights res erved • ISBN 978-0-8011-1740-4• Reproduction of this document for resale, in whole or in part, is not authorized.• iii• Special Acknowledgments• Special appreciation is extended to Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public • Instruction, for support of the revis ion and update of the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy. • Special commendation is extended to Lupita Cortez Alcalá, Deputy Director, • Instruction and Learning Support Branch; Thomas Adams, Director, Curriculum • Frameworks and Ins tructional Res ources Divis ion; Kris ten Cruz Allen, Administrator, • and Cynthia Gunders on, Consultant, Curriculum Frameworks Unit. • Special recognition is awarded to Joy Kes sel, Analys t, Common Core Systems • Implementation Office, for her contribution to the original organization and • format design.• Ordering Information• Copies of the • California Common Core State Standards : Englis h Language Arts • and Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects• are • available for purchas e from the California Department of Education. • For prices and ordering information, pleas e vis it the Department Web s ite • at http:// www.cde.ca.gov/ re/ pn/rc or call the CDE Press Sales Office at • 1-800-995-4099.• Notice• The guidance in the • California Common Core State Standards : Englis h Language • Arts and Literacy in His tory/ Social Studies , Science, and Technical Subjects• is not • binding on local educational agencies or other entities . Except for the s tatutes, • regulations, and court decis ions that are referenced herein, the document is • exemplary, and compliance with it is not mandatory. (See California • Education • Code• Section 33308.5). • A Mess age from the State Board of Education • and the State Superintendent of Public Ins truction• ....................................• v• Introduction• ..............................................................................................• 1• Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/ Social Studies, • Science, and Technical Subjects K–5• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Reading• ........................• 10• Reading Standards for L iterature K–5• ..................................................• 11• Reading Standards for Informational Text K–5• ......................................• 14• Reading Standards for Foundational Skills K–5• ....................................• 17• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Writing• ..........................• 20• Writing Standards K–5• .........................................................................• 21• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Speaking • and Lis tening• .................................................................................................• 26• Speaking and Lis tening Standards K–5• ................................................• 27• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Language• ......................• 31• Language Standards K–5• .....................................................................• 32• Language Progres sive Skills , by Grade• ...........................................................• 40• Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading K–5• ...........• 41• Staying on Topic Within a Grade and Across Grades• ......................................• 43• Standards for English Language Arts 6–12• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Reading• ........................• 46• Reading Standards for L iterature 6–12• ................................................• 47• Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12• ....................................• 51• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Writing• ..........................• 55• Writing Standards 6−12• .......................................................................• 56• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Speaking • and Lis tening• .................................................................................................• 65• Speaking and Lis tening Standards 6−12• .............................................• 66• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Language• ......................• 70• Language Standards 6−12• ..................................................................• 71• Language Progres sive Skills , by Grade• ...........................................................• 76• Standard 10: Range, Quality, and Complexity of Student Reading 6−12• ........• 77• Standards for L iteracy in His tory/Social Studies , Science, and Technical • Subjects 6−12• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Reading• ........................• 80• Reading Standards for L iteracy in His tory/ Social Studies 6−12• ...........• 81• Reading Standards for L iteracy in Science and • Technical Subjects 6−12• .....................................................................• 83• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Writing• ..........................• 85• Writing Standards for L iteracy in His tory/Social Studies , • Science, and Technical Subjects 6−12• ................................................• 86• Appendices (linked in online edition)• Appendix A: Research Supporting Key Elements of the Standards and Glos sary • of Key Terms• Appendix B: Text Exemplars and Sample Performance Tas ks• Appendix C: Samples of Student Writing• iv• Contents• TOM TORLAKSON• State Superintendent of Public Ins truction• MICHAEL W. KIRST, President • California State Board of Education• v• A Mess age from the State Board of Education • and the State Superintendent of Public Ins truction • The firs t academic content s tandards for Englis h language arts adopted by • California in 1997 set a bold precedent—the es tablis hment of a s tatewide, • standards -based education sys tem to improve academic achievement and • define what students s hould learn. • The commitment to a high-quality education, based on sound content s tandards, • was reaffirmed in August 2010 when California joined with 45 other s tates and • adopted the California Common Core State Standards : English Language Arts • and Literacy in History/ Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (CA CCSS • for ELA/Literacy). The CA CCSS for ELA/ Literacy build on the rigor of the state’s • previous Englis h language arts standards , incorporating current research and • input from other educational sources —including s tate departments of education, • scholars, profess ional organizations , teachers and other educators, parents, and • students. Als o, California additions to the standards (identified in bold typeface • and “CA,” the s tate abbreviation) were incorporated in an effort to retain the • cons is tency and precis ion of our past s tandards. The CA CCSS for ELA/ Literacy • are rigorous, based on res earch and evidence, and internationally benchmarked. • They addres s the demands of today to prepare students to s ucceed tomorrow. • The CA CCSS for ELA/ Literacy are organized around a number of key design • cons iderations . The College and Career Readiness anchor standards cons titute • the backbone of the standards and define the general, cross -disciplinary lit• -• eracy expectations for students in preparation for college and the workforce. The • standards are divided into s trands : Reading, Writing, Speaking and Lis tening, and • Language. Connected to these design considerations is the interdisciplinary • expectation that the development of each student’s literacy skills is a shared • responsibility—English language arts teachers collaborating with teachers of other • academic content subjects for an integrated model of literacy across the curriculum. • The standards es tablis h what it means to be a literate person in the twenty-firs t • century. Students learn to closely read and analyz e critical works of literature • and an array of nonfiction text in an exploding print and digital world. They use • research and technology to sift through the s taggering amount of information • available and engage in collaborative convers ations , s haring and reforming • viewpoints through a variety of written and speaking applications. Teachers , • schools, dis tricts , and county offices of education are encouraged to use these • standards to design specific curricular and ins tructional s trategies that best • deliver the content to their s tudents.• The CA CCSS for ELA/ Literacy help build creativity and innovation, critical • thinking and problem s olving, collaboration, and communication. They set another • bold precedent to improve the academic achievement of California’s students. • The standards develop the foundation for creative and purposeful express ion in • language—fulfilling California’s vision that all students graduate from our public • school system as lifelong learners and have the s kills and knowledge necess ary • to be ready to ass ume their pos ition in our global economy.• Introduction• English Language Arts/ Literacy K–5 | • 33• Language Standards K–5• Language Standards K–5• L• Kindergartners• Grade 1 Students• Grade 2 Students• Conventions of Standard Englis h • (continued)• 2.• Demonstrate command of the conventions • of standard Englis h capitaliz ation, • punctuation, and spelling when writing.• a.• Capitalize the firs t word in a sentence • and the pronoun • I• .• b.• Recogniz e and name end punctuation.• c.• Write a letter or letters for mos t • cons onant and short-vowel sounds • (phonemes).• d.• Spell s imple words phonetically, • drawing on knowledge of sound-letter • relationships .• 2.• Demonstrate command of the conventions of • standard Englis h capitaliz ation, punctuation, and • spelling when writing.• a.• Capitalize dates and names of people.• b.• Use end punctuation for s entences.• c.• Use commas in dates and to s eparate single • words in a s eries .• d.• Use conventional spelling for words with common • spelling patterns and for frequently occurring • irregular words .• e.• Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on • phonemic awarenes s and s pelling conventions.• 2.• Demonstrate command of the conventions of • standard Englis h capitaliz ation, punctuation, and • spelling when writing.• a.• Capitalize holidays, product names, and • geographic names.• b.• Use commas in greetings and closings of • letters .• c.• Use an apos trophe to form contractions and • frequently occurring poss es sives .• d.• Generaliz e learned s pelling patterns when • writing words (e.g., cage • • badge; • boy • • boil).• e.• Cons ult reference materials, including • beginning dictionaries, as needed to check • and correct s pellings .• Knowledge of • Language• 3.• (Begins in grade 2)• 3.• (Begins in grade 2)• 3.• Use knowledge of language and its conventions • when writing, s peaking, reading, or listening.• a.• Compare formal and informal us es of English.• Standards for• English Language Arts • 6 –12• College and Career Readines s Anchor Standards for Reading• The grades 6–12 standards on the following pages define what s tudents should • und• e• rs tand and be able to do by the end of each grade. They corres pond to the • College and Career Readines s (CCR) anchor s tandards below by number. The CCR • and grade-specific s tandards are neces sary complements —the former providing • broad s tandards, the latter providing additional specificity—that together define • the s kills and unders tandings that all s tudents must demons trate.• Key Ideas and Details• 1.• Read clos ely to determine what the text s ays explicitly and to make logical • inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to • support conclusions drawn from the text.• 2.• Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyz e their development; • summariz e the key s upporting details and ideas.• 3.• Analyz e how and why individuals , events , and ideas develop and interact • over the course of a text.• Craft and Structure• 4.• Interpret words and phras es as they are used in a text, including determining • technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyz e how s pecific • word choices s hape meaning or tone.• 5.• Analyz e the structure of texts, including how s pecific s entences, paragraphs , • and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or s tanza) • relate to each other and the whole.• 1• 6.• As sess how point of view or purpos e s hapes the content and s tyle of a text.• *Pleas e s ee “Res earch to Build and Present Knowledge” in Writing and “Comprehension and • Collaboration” in Speaking and Listening for additional standards relevant to gathering, as sess ing, • and applying information from print and digital sources .• College and Career Readines s • Anchor Standards for Reading• English Language Arts 6–12 | • 46• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas• 7.• Integrate and evaluate content presented in divers e media and formats , • including vis ually and quantitatively, as well as in words .*• 8.• Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including • the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the • evidence.• 9.• Analyz e how two or more texts address s imilar themes or topics in order to • build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.• Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity• 10.• Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently • and proficiently.• Note on range and content of s tudent reading• To become college and career ready, s tudents must grapple with works of • exceptional craft and thought whose range extends acros s genres, cultures, • and centuries. Such works offer profound ins ights into the human condition • and serve as models for s tudents ’ own thinking and writing. Along with • high-quality contemporary works, these texts s hould be chosen from among • seminal U.S. documents, the clas sics of American literature, and the timeles s • dramas of Shakes peare. Through wide and deep reading of literature and • literary nonfiction of steadily increas ing s ophis tication, students gain a • reservoir of literary and cultural knowledge, references , and images; the • ability to evaluate intricate arguments; and the capacity to s urmount the • challenges pos ed by complex texts .• RL• English Language Arts 6–12 | • 47• Reading Standards for L iterature 6–12• Reading Standards for L iterature 6–12• The following s tandards offer a focus for ins truction each year and help ensure that students gain adequate expos ure to a range of texts and tasks. Rigor is • also infus ed through the requirement that students read increas ingly complex texts through the grades . • Students advancing through the grades are expected • to meet each year’s grade-s pecific s tandards and retain or further develop skills and unders tandings mas tered in preceding grades.• Grade 6 Students• Grade 7 Students• Grade 8 Students• Key Ideas and Details• 1.• Cite textual evidence to s upport analys is • of what the text s ays explicitly as well as • inferences drawn from the text.• 1.• Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support • analys is of what the text says explicitly as well as • inferences drawn from the text.• 1.• Cite the textual evidence that mos t s trongly supports • an analys is of what the text says explicitly as well as • inferences drawn from the text.• 2.• Determine a theme or central idea of a text • and how it is conveyed through particular • details ; provide a summary of the text dis• -• tinct from personal opinions or judgments .• 2.• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and • analyz e its development over the cours e of the • text; provide an objective summary of the text.• 2.• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze • its development over the cours e of the text, including • its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; • provide an objective summary of the text.• 3.• Describe how a particular story’s or drama’s • plot unfolds in a s eries of episodes as well • as how the characters res pond or change as • the plot moves toward a res olution.• 3.• Analyz e how particular elements of a s tory or • drama interact (e.g., how setting s hapes the • characters or plot).• 3.• Analyz e how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in • a story or drama propel the action, reveal as pects of a • character, or provoke a decision.• Craft and Structure• 4.• Determine the meaning of words and • phrases as they are us ed in a text, including • figurative and connotative meanings ; analyz e • the impact of a specific word choice on • meaning and tone. • (See grade 6 Language • standards 4–6 for additional expectations .) • CA• 4.• Determine the meaning of words and phrases • as they are used in a text, including figurative • and connotative meanings; analyze the impact • of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds • (e.g., alliteration) on a s pecific verse or stanza of • a poem or section of a story or drama. • (See grade • 7 Language standards 4–6 for additional • expectations .) CA• 4.• Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they • are used in a text, including figurative and connotative • meanings ; analyz e the impact of specific word choices • on meaning and tone, including analogies or allus ions • to other texts . • (See grade 8 Language standards 4–6 • for additional expectations.) CA• 5.• Analyz e how a particular sentence, chapter, • scene, or stanz a fits into the overall structure • of a text and contributes to the development • of the theme, s etting, or plot.• 5.• Analyz e how a drama’s or poem’s form or • structure (e.g., soliloquy, sonnet) contributes to • its meaning.• 5.• Compare and contras t the structure of two or more • texts and analyze how the differing structure of each • text contributes to its meaning and s tyle.• 6.• Explain how an author develops the point of • view of the narrator or s peaker in a text.• 6.• Analyz e how an author develops and contrasts the • points of view of different characters or narrators • in a text.• 6.• Analyz e how differences in the points of view of the • characters and the audience or reader (e.g., created • through the use of dramatic irony) create s uch effects • as s us pense or humor.• RL• English Language Arts 6–12 | • 48• Reading Standards for L iterature 6–12• Reading Standards for L iterature 6–12• Grade 6 Students• Grade 7 Students• Grade 8 Students• Integration of Knowledge and Ideas• 7.• Compare and contras t the experience of reading • a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing • an audio, video, or live vers ion of the text, • including contras ting what they “see” and “hear” • when reading the text to what they perceive when • they lis ten or watch.• 7.• Compare and contras t a written s tory, drama, or • poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia • vers ion, analyz ing the effects of techniques • unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, s ound, • color, or camera focus and angles in a film).• 7.• Analyz e the extent to which a filmed or live • production of a story or drama s tays faithful to • or departs from the text or script, evaluating • the choices made by the director or actors .• 8.• (Not applicable to literature)• 8.• (Not applicable to literature)• 8.• (Not applicable to literature)• 9.• Compare and contras t texts in different forms or • genres (e.g., stories and poems ; his torical novels • and fantasy stories) in terms of their approaches • to similar themes and topics .• 9.• Compare and contras t a fictional portrayal of a • time, place, or character and a his torical account • of the s ame period as a means of understanding • how authors of fiction use or alter history.• 9.• Analyz e how a modern work of fiction draws on • themes , patterns of events, or character types • from myths, traditional stories, or religious • works such as the Bible, including des cribing • how the material is rendered new.• Range of Reading and • Level of Text Complexity• 10.• By the end of the year, read and comprehend • literature, including s tories, dramas, and poems, • in the grades 6–8 text complexity band profi• -• ciently, with scaffolding as needed at the high • end of the range.• 10.• By the end of the year, read and comprehend • literature, including s tories, dramas, and • poems , in the grades 6–8 text complexity band • proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the • high end of the range.• 10.• By the end of the year, read and comprehend • literature, including s tories, dramas, and • poems , at the high end of grades 6–8 text • complexity band independently and proficiently.

Activity

My Grandmother’s HairAs a small group, read “My Grandmother’s Hair” and answer the three questions provided at the bottom of the page…

Strategy: Stop and Share

• On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the overall complexity of this text?

• What features of this text support your rating of its complexity?

• At what grade level might this text be appropriate for instruction? Why?

Answer in small group and share out to whole group

Text Complexity – Why Is This Important? Complexity of texts students are expected to read is below what

is required to achieve college and career readiness:

– High school textbooks have declined in all subject areas over the last several decades

– Average length of sentences in K-8 textbooks has declined from 20 to 14 words

– Vocabulary demands have declined since the 1960s:

• 8th grade textbooks = former 5th grade texts

• 12th grade anthologies = former 7th grade texts Complexity of college and career texts has remained steady or

increased, resulting in a gap

Text Complexity Gap

How Do We Address This Gap?

Video Overview of Text Complexity

• https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/simplifying-text-complexity

How Should Instruction Address Text Complexity?

RA! RA! RA! Reading!

Read Aloud

Modeling of decoding and fluency

Heavy scaffolding for vocabulary and comprehension

Read Along

Some scaffolding, as needed, for decoding,

fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

Read Alone

Independent, autonomous reading

Little to no scaffolding

Teac

her S

caffo

ldin

g

Gradual Release of Responsibility (I do, we do, you do)…

Student Autonomy

Text Complexity

“The Common Core Standards hinge on students encountering appropriately complex texts at each grade level in order to develop the mature language skills and the conceptual knowledge they need for success in school and life” (p. 3).

Areas of Emphasis for Instruction

1. Building knowledge through a balance of literary and informational texts.

2. Reading, writing, and discussion grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational.

3. Regular practice (“productive struggle”) with complex text and its academic vocabulary.

Specifically, reading standard #10:Anchor Standard:

R.CCR.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Example Grade-level Standard (6th grade):RI.6.10 By the end of the year, read and

comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Text Complexity

Strategy: Stop and Tweet

The Common Core anchor standards address what a 21st Century diploma holder should

be able to do in order to flourish.• As a TL, what does this statement mean to

you?• How does this statement affect our

instruction and student learning?

So…So…What do the Common Core State Standards mean by text complexity?What is a text complexity band?

and How do we ensure the texts our students are reading are in the appropriate text complexity band?

Guiding Questions

17

How do we determine the grade-level complexity of a text?

QuantitativeReadability measures—Lexile

Qualitative– Levels of Meaning– Language Conventionality & Clarity– Structure– Knowledge Demands

Reader &TaskTeacher judgment based on knowledge of students

CCSS Text Complexity Model

Where Do We Find Texts in the Appropriate Text Complexity Band?

Choose an excerpt of text from Appendix B:

We could….

or…

Use available resources to determine the text complexity of other materials on our own.

A Four-step Process:

Determining Text Complexity

QuantitativeQual

itativ

e

Reader and Task

4. Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band.

3. Reflect upon the reader and task considerations.

2. Analyze the qualitative measures of the text.

1. Determine the quantitative measures of the text.

Measures such as:• Word length• Word frequency• Word difficulty• Sentence length• Text length• Text cohesion

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

The Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity:This document outlines the suggested ranges for each of the text complexity bands using:• Lexile Text Measures

Resources for Accessing Quantitative Measures of Text

Which may include:• Lexile• ATOS book level• Additional measures• Readability formulas

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Let’s imagine we want to see where a text falls on the quantitative measures “leg” of the text complexity triangle, using either the Lexile text measure or the ATOS book level (or both).

For illustrative purposes, let’s choose Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Finding a Lexile Measure for Text: http://www.lexile.com/findabook/

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

26

27

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

28

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

For texts not in the Lexile database, consider using the Lexile Analyzer: http://www.lexile.com/analyzer/

• Registration is required (free) http://www.lexile.com/account/register/

• Allows user to receive an “estimated” Lexile score

• Accommodates texts up to 1000 words in length

• Texts of any length can be evaluated using the Professional Lexile Analyzer—educators can upgrade to this tool for free by requesting access http://www.lexile.com/account/profile/access/

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Lexile Text Measure: 870L

In which of the text complexity bands would this novel fall?

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

32

Remember, however, that the quantitative measures is only the first of three “legs” of the text complexity triangle.

Our final recommendation may be validated, influenced, or even over-ruled by our examination of qualitative measures and the reader and task considerations.

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Activity: Your Turn!Using Lexile.com as a tool:•Identify a quantitative measure for one of the texts your teachers use with students.•Identify the text complexity band in which this text would be placed based only upon the quantitative measure.

Discuss your results as a small group.

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

Measures such as:• Levels of meaning• Levels of purpose• Structure• Organization• Language conventionality• Language clarity• Prior knowledge demands

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Step 2: Qualitative MeasuresThe Qualitative Measures Rubrics for Literary and Informational Text:

The rubric for literary text and the rubric for informational text allow educators to evaluate the important elements of text that are often missed by computer software that tends to focus on more easily measured factors.

Because the factors for literary texts are different from information texts, these two rubrics contain different content. However, the formatting of each document is exactly the same.

And because these factors represent continua rather than discrete stages or levels, numeric values are not associated with these rubrics. Instead, four points along each continuum are identified: high, middle high, middle low, and low.

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Questions to Consider in Planning for Instructional Scaffolding

On the back side of each rubric is list of springboard questions to help educators begin thinking about the kinds of instructional scaffolding the text may also require.

So…

How is the rubric used?

And how would To Kill a Mockingbird fare when analyzed through the lens of the Literary Text Rubric?

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

39

Lexile Text Measure:

870L

From examining the quantitative measures, we knew:

But after reflecting upon the qualitative measures, we believed:

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

QuantitativeQ

ualit

ativ

e

Reader and Task

Our initial placement of To Kill a Mockingbird into a text complexity band changed when we examined the qualitative measures.

Remember, however, that we have completed only the first two legs of the text complexity triangle.

The reader and task considerations still remain.

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Discuss: Your Turn!Using the rubrics for literary text, analyze the qualitative measures of the following titles:•“My Grandmother’s Hair” (literary text)—1130L

Discuss your results as a small group.

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

Considerations such as:•Motivation•Knowledge and experience•Purpose for reading•Complexity of task assigned regarding text•Complexity of questions asked regarding text

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

Questions for Professional Reflection on Reader and Task

Considerations:

The questions provided in this resource are meant to spur teacher thought and reflection upon the text, students, and any tasks associated with the text.

The questions included here are largely open-ended questions without single, correct answers, but help educators to think through the implications of using a particular text in the classroom.

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

What aspects of the text will likely pose the most challenge for my students?

• Content or theme concerns or challenges? • Text structure challenges?• Language feature challenges? • Knowledge and experience demands? • Motivation for and interest in the text?

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

What supports do I need to provide so that all of my students (even those who are struggling readers) can access the text?

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

How Should Instruction Address Text Complexity?

RA! RA! RA! Reading!

Read Aloud

Modeling of decoding and fluency

Heavy scaffolding for vocabulary and comprehension

Read Along

Some scaffolding, as needed, for decoding,

fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension

Read Alone

Independent, autonomous reading

Little to no scaffolding

Teac

her S

caffo

ldin

g

Gradual Release of Responsibility (I do, we do, you do)…

Student Autonomy

RA, RA, RA Reading! In Action

Based upon our examination of the Reader and Task Considerations, we have completed the third leg of the text complexity model and are now ready to recommend a final placement within a text complexity band.

Step 3: Reader and Task Considerations

Step 4: Recommended Placement

After reflecting upon all three legs of the text complexity model we can make a final recommendation of placement within a text and begin to document our thinking for future reference.

Step 4: Recommended Placement

Lexile Text Measure:

870L

Based upon all the information—all three legs of the model—the final recommendation for To Kill a Mockingbird…

Step 4: Recommended Placement

In this instance, Appendix Bconfirms our evaluation of the novel. To Kill a Mockingbird is placed within the grade 9-10 text complexity band.

Step 4: Recommended Placement

Template for Text Complexity Analysis and Recommended

Placement Form:

The one-page template provides an opportunity to record the thinking involved in recommending the placement of a specific text into a text complexity band.

Keeping a record of such analysis and thinking might be useful documentation in the case that any questions arise in the future.

Step 4: Recommended Placement

Group Activity: 10 minutes

Read the poem, “Introduction to Poetry”Using the Text Complexity tools discussed, determine the following:•Quantitative•Qualitative•Reader and Task

Share findings with your table group!

Step 4: Recommended Placement

Think about…

How can I apply this model in the work that I do as a TL and encourage others I work with to embrace the

model as well?

Final Activity