WHYTEXT COMPLEXITY

MATTERS

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS FOR English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

SUBSTANTIAL, DURABLE DEFICITS INLATER READING PERFORMANCE

NAEP Results

Early reading (4th grade) has improved somewhat.

Reading stagnant at Grades 8 and 12 for 40 years!

“Fewer than 40% of high school seniors can read and respond to questions from complicated literary and informational passages. . .and extend and restructure ideas in specialized and complex texts.”

THE CRISIS OF COMPLEXITY Complexity of texts students are expected to handle K-12 has eroded:

High school textbooks have declined in all subject areas over several decades.

Average length of sentences in K-8 textbooks have declined from 20 to 14 words.

Vocabulary demands have declined, e.g., 8th grade textbooks equivalent to former 5th grade texts; 12th grade anthologies equal to former 7th grade.

Complexity of college and careers texts have remained steady or increased: Lexile scores of college textbooks have not decreased in any block of

time since 1962 and in fact have increased. Vocabulary difficulty of newspapers has remained stable. Word difficulty of scientific journals and magazines 1930–1990 has

increased since 1930.

RESULT

Huge gap between end of high school andcollege reading demands equal to 350L

(Lexile) or the Lexile difference between 4th

grade and 8th grade NAEP texts!

How much should we worry about this gap?

ACT STUDY

Purpose: Determine what distinguished text

reading performance of students likely to succeed in college and not.

Process:Set benchmark score on the reading test shown

to be predictive of success in college (“21”) .Looked at results from a half million students.Divided texts into three levels of complexity:

uncomplicated, more challenging, and complex.

PERFORMANCE ON ACT BY COMPREHENSION

PERFORMANCE ON ACT BY TEXTUAL ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE ON ACT BY DEGREE OF TEXT

COMPLEXITY

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RECAP OF ACT FINDINGS

• Question type (main idea, word meanings, details) is NOT the chief differentiator between students scoring above and below the benchmark.

• Question level (higher order vs. lower order; literal vs. inferential) is NOT the chief differentiator between students either.

• What students could read, in terms of its complexity--rather than what they could do with what they read—is greatest predictor of success.

READING BETWEEN THE LINES:WHAT THE ACT REVEALS ABOUT COLLEGE READINESS IN READING

Half of high school graduates are ready for college level reading

More students are on track in 8th and 10th grade then are actually prepared in 12th grade

Approximately 6 million secondary students read below grade level

3 million students drop out of school every day

Shortage of basic skills cost the US $16 billion/year in lost productivity and remedial costs.

CAREER AND COLLEGE READINESS

It is also recognized today that the knowledge and skills needed for college are equivalent to those needed in the workplace (American Diploma Project, 2004; Barth, 2003).

We and others have documented that improving college and workforce readiness is critical to developing a diverse and talented labor force that will help ensure our nation’s economic competitiveness in a growing global economy (Callan & Finney, 2003; Cohen, 2002; Somerville & Yi, 2002).

THE FORTUNATE ONES ARE KIDS. . .

Who have had lots of books available to them

at home and whose caretakers read to them in

their early years with great regularity.

Who have had teachers that augmented

textbooks with adequately complex reading.

Who themselves have become eager andindependent readers because they learned

how to read well in their first years of their

schooling.

THE UNFORTUNATE ONES ARE. . .

• Those who are isolated from texts before arriving at the schoolhouse door.

• Struggling readers who are never given the opportunity to grapple with adequately complex texts.

• Kids thought not to be able to “handle” the regular curriculum so materials are pitched at a much lower level.

• English learners who are provided adapted texts that are often so greatly simplified they provide little exposure to the content and the forms/structures of the language they should be learning.

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE SIMPLIFIEDTEXT APPROACH?

Simplified usually means limited, restricted, and thin in meaning.

Academic vocabulary can only be learned from complex texts––by noticing how it works in texts, engaging with, thinking about, and discussing their more complex meanings with others.

Mature language skills needed for success in school and life can only be gained by working with demanding materials.

No evidence that struggling readers—especially at middle and high school--catch up by gradually increasing the complexity of simpler texts. . .

TEXT FREE OR LIGHT-TEXT SOURCES OF INFORMATION

“There may one day be modes and methods of information delivery that are as efficient and powerful as text, but for now there is no contest. To grow, our students must read lots, and more specifically they must read lots of “complex” texts – texts that offer them new language, new knowledge, and new modes of thought.” (CCSS Appendix A, Page 182)

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STUDENTS MUST BE TAUGHT TO READ AT GRADE LEVEL

Some students will need more scaffolding to read more complex text.

Scaffolding should not replace the reading of the text by telling the students what they will learn or becoming a simpler source of information.

Scaffolds need to enable all students to access the complex text directly, rather than reduce the complexity of the text.

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SCAFFOLDS Read the text aloud with students

reading along Guide the readers when encountering

places in the text where they may struggle

Use shorter pieces of complex text Read closely and reread a great deal Ask questions that can only be

answered by close reading of the text Require evidence from the text to

explain answers 19

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Age/grade level materials for exposure to structures, content, vocabulary

Instructional level materials that allow them to progress

Easy materials that allow them to practice

Can be more “challenging” if familiar or interesting

May need to be less “challenging” if unfamiliar or uninteresting

Teachers must ensure that students engage with:

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Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and

clarity, and knowledge demands

Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and

clarity, and knowledge demands

Readability measures

– Word length; word frequency/familiarity

– Sentence length and text length

– Lexile

Readability measures

– Word length; word frequency/familiarity

– Sentence length and text length

– Lexile

Reader Variables (motivation, knowledge, and experience) and task variables (purpose and the complexity generated by the task

assigned and questions posed)

Reader Variables (motivation, knowledge, and experience) and task variables (purpose and the complexity generated by the task

assigned and questions posed)

Three Factors for Measuring Text Complexity

MEASURES OF TEXT COMPLEXITY

Quantitative measures or readability formulas stand as proxies for semantic and syntactic complexity:

Word length; word frequency/familiarity Sentence length and text length

Qualitative measures complement and sometimes

correct quantitative measures: Purpose Language conventionality and clarity Text Structures Knowledge demands

QUANTITATIVE MEASURESLEXILES Lexile units are based on word frequency

and sentence length. Word frequency is calculated based on words in the Lexile databank (almost one billion).

Lexile range from 0 (beginning reading) to 2000 (highly technical texts).

A grade level difference is approximately 100 Lexiles.

However, reliable scoring does not begin until second grade (Lexile range of 350-400). 24

QUANTITATIVE MEASURESGRADE BANDS AND ASSOCIATED LEXILE RANGES

Text Complexity Grade Bands in CCSS

Old Lexile Ranges Lexile Ranges Alligned to CCR

K-1 N/A N/A

2-3 450-725 450-790

4-5 645-845 770-980

6-8 860-1010 955-1155

9-10 960-1115 1080-1305

11-CCR 1070-1220 1215-1355

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QUALITATIVE MEASURESUNCOMPLICATED TEXT

Levels of Meaning Explicitly states purpose Single level of meaning

Structure Simple and explicit Graphics unnecessary to understanding text Chronological order

Language Conventionality and Clarity Literal and clear Familiar, conversational, light vocabulary load

Knowledge Demands Low intertextuality, few references to other texts Everyday knowledge and familiarity

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QUALITATIVE MEASURESCOMPLEX TEXTLevels of Meaning Multiple levels of meaning Purpose may be hidden or obscure

Structure Graphics essential to understanding text Specific to particular discipline Complex, unconventional, implicit

Language Conventionality and Clarity Figurative, unfamiliar, or domain specific language Complex sentence structures, high vocabulary load

Knowledge Demands Content knowledge, specialized knowledge required High intertextuality/many references or citations

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OTHER TEXT COMPLEXITYCONSIDERATIONS

READER AND TASK

Percent of expository reading assigned

Degree of independence required when reading

Vocabulary!

Increase Emphasis On Expository Text

Increase percentage of expository text available to students

Eliminate shallow reading from complex expository texts

Increase authentic learning and reading from expository texts

Provide more opportunities to students’ independent reading of expository texts

NEED TO FOSTER INDEPENDENT READING

• Students are given considerable scaffolding to comprehend texts in k-12.

• General movement should be toward decreasing scaffolding and increasing independence because that is what will be demanded in college and the workplace (and on new tests).

Foster Independent Reading

Gradual Release of Support

Provide opportunities for structured independent reading

Variety of books at differing interest levels, genres,readability levels, and complexity levels

Spread the love of reading

NEED TO SYSTEMATICALLY FOCUS ON VOCABULARY

Vocabulary is empirically connected to reading comprehension.

Successful instruction incorporates and integrates morphology, phonology, etymology, orthography, and syntax as well as meanings.

Instruction needs to be developed from text (frequency of rare words in even educated adult conversation is 17.3 per 1000 words)

Instruction needs to include heavy dose of informational text as it contains more rare words than narratives.

Instruction needs to teach how meanings of words vary with context (e.g., Texas was admitted to the union, he admitted his errors, admission was too expensive).

SPECIAL FOCUS ON GENERAL ACADEMIC VOCABULARY

Words that are likely to appear frequently in a wide variety of texts/disciplines (utility & importance)

Words that are necessary for understanding a text and allow for rich representations (instructional potential)

Words that relate to other words and offer students more precise ways of referring to ideas they already know about (conceptual understanding)

35© 2009 Florida Department of Education

SEQUENCED VOCABULARY INSTRUCTION

First, contextualize the word for its use in the story that you are reading.

“She’s just too much of a distraction and I’ve been getting calls from the other parents. They’re afraid those stripes may be contagious.”

Next, ask the children to repeat the word so that they can create a phonological representation of the word.

“Say contagious with me.” (clap it out)

Next, explain the student friendly meaning of the word.

“Contagious means an illness that can spread to other people.”

Provide examples in contexts other than the one used in the story.

“The surgeon scrubbed his hands to prevent the spread of contagious germs.”

Have students interact with the word… “Could you be contagious if you went to work with strep throat?

RESEARCH UNDERWAY

To develop a tool that will gauge the complexity of texts in a number of dimensions including but not limited to readability measures.

To work with publishers on how to best use this tool in selecting texts as well as in developing materials and programs for states adopting the CCSS.

To develop a pool of annotated texts that exemplify and benchmark the process of evaluating complexity to help educators develop/select the best materials and methods for students.

To work with assessment developers so their assessments are based on these same principles.

of newspapers has remained stable.! Word difficulty of scientific journals and magazines 1930–1990 hasincreased since 1930.

of newspapers has remained stable.! Word difficulty of scientific journals and magazines 1930–1990 hasincreased since 1930.

•Texts are instructional tools for student learning. •Educator knowledge of text impacts the quality of instruction and student development in effective use of these tools.

•Educators need to understand the impact of text complexity.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO NOW

Take Complexity Inventory of what students are reading in each grade and make adjustments.

Adjust balances of texts so students are exposed to:More informational texts K-5More literary non-fiction 6-12

As much as possible use on grade/band level text for instruction (with supports).

Ask students to stretch to read more complex texts— especially short texts--beyond their reading level (with supports).

WHAT SCHOOLS CAN DO NOW, CONT’D.

Teach students to read strategically. . .to slow down to understand key points and to re-read passages.

Attend systematically to building general academic vocabulary across-the-board.

Make word learning part of the school culture!

Give frequent formative assessments that present students with standards based tasks and provide absolutely no direct teacher support.

READING STANDARDS

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The reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read. (CCSS Page 8)

STANDARD 10

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Standard 10 defines a grade-by-grade “staircase” of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading to the college and career readiness level.

STANDARD 10 – GRADES K-1

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Grade KActively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.Grade 1With prompting and support, reads informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.

STANDARD 10 - GRADE 2-3

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By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

STANDARD 10 – GRADE 4-5

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By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

TEXT COMPLEXITY AND THE GROWTH OF COMPREHENSION

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Whatever they are reading, students must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text, including making an increasing number of connections among ideas and between texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts. (CCSS Page 8)

ILLUSTRATIVE TEXTS FOR K-5

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Texts illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of student reading K-5 – page 32 of Common Core State Standards booklet.

APPENDIX A

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Overview & Research Supporting Text Complexity

Pages 1-16

APPENDIX B

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Text exemplars illustrating the complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriate for various grade levels with accompanying sample performance tasks.