Text Complexity

1
Text Complexity

• CLASS Day 3

2
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
by
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by
Considering the reader and the task
Measuring the quantitative dimension
Analyze Discuss Evaluate

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

3
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
by
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by
Measuring the quantitative dimension
The reader and the task considerations
1. Levels of meaning 2. Structure 3.Language
Conventionality and Clarity 4.Knowledge demands
life experiences 5.Knowledge demands
cultural/literary knowledge 6. Knowledge demands
content/discipline
1.Flesch-Kincaid 2.Fry 3.Lexile
1. Motivation 2. Experiences 3. Interests

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

Analyze Discuss Evaluate
4
Rank the Texts by levels of Complexity

• Use the following Text Exemplars to rank the
  texts according to grade level
• How would you decide for which grade level this
  is appropriate?
• What criteria helps you make the decision to rank
  in grade order?
• Why did you make the decisions you made?

5
Participants can and do
Expected Outcomes

• Identify how qualitative dimension of text
  complexity aid text selection
• Identify how quantitative dimension of text
  complexity aid text selection
• Identify how the reader and the task
  consideration play when selecting a text
• Analyze how text complexity varies at grade levels

6
Key Terms for the day

Qualitative measure Quantitative measure Reader and task




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Quickwrite

• Does text complexity matter?
• How is text complexity related to rigor?

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Research

• Common Core State Standards for English Language
  Arts Literacy in History/Social Studies,
  Science, and Technical Subjects Appendix A

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ACT Benchmark Readiness

• The College Readiness Benchmark Scores are

College Course/Course Area ACT Test Benchmark Scores of Arkansas Students meeting Benchmark
English Composition English 18 67
Algebra Mathematics 22 35
Social Sciences Reading 21 50
Biology Science 24 24
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ACT College Readiness Benchmark

• 75 percent chance of earning a course grade of C
  or better
• 50 percent chance of earning a B or better

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Arkansas NAEP DataTime to think

• What do you notice about the data?
• How does this data support the need for complex
  text?
• What are the implications for action?

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Three Part Model for Measuring Text Complexity
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Qualitative Dimension of Text Complexity

• CCSS
• Levels of meaning
• Structure
• Language conventionality and clarity
• Knowledge demands

• ACT
• Relationship
• Richness
• Structure
• Style
• Vocabulary
• Purpose

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Range of Text Types for Grades K-5
Literature Literature Literature
Stories Dramas Poetry
Includes childrens adventure stories, folktales, legends, fables, fantasy, realistic fiction, and myth Includes staged dialogue and brief familiar scenes Includes nursery rhymes and the subgenres of the narrative poem, limerick, and free verse poem
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Range of Text Types for Grades 6-12
Literature Literature Literature
Stories Dramas Poetry
Includes the subgenres of adventure stories, historical fiction, mysteries, myths, science fiction, realistic fiction, allegories, parodies, satire, and graphic novels Includes one-act and multi-act plays, both in written form and on film Includes the subgenres of narrative poems, lyrical poems, free verse poems, sonnets, odes, ballads, and epics
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Range of Text Types for Grades K-5
Informational Texts
Literary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts
Includes biographies and autobiographies books about history, social studies, science, and the arts technical texts, including directions, forms, and information displayed in graphs, charts, or maps and digital sources on a range of topics
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Range of Text Types for Grades 6-12
Informational Texts
Literary Nonfiction and Historical, Scientific, and Technical Texts
Includes the subgenres of exposition, argument, and functional text in the form of personal essays, speeches, opinion pieces, essays about art or literature, biographies, memoirs, journalism, and historical, scientific, technical, or economic accounts (including digital sources) written for a broad audience
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Text Analysis Model
Qualitative Measure Model Text 1 Text 2 Text 3
Levels of meaning
Structure
Language Conventionality and Clarity
Knowledge Demands
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Text Analysis
Qualitative Measure Model Text 1 Text 2 Text 3
Levels of meaning
Structure
Language Conventionality and Clarity
Knowledge Demands
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Time to think

• What have you learned about text complexity?
• How do you see this working in your classroom?
• How do the dimensions of qualitative measure
  change according to the text type?

21
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
by
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by
Measuring the quantitative dimension
The reader and the task considerations
1. Levels of meaning 2. Structure 3.Language
Conventionality and Clarity 4.Knowledge demands
life experiences 5.Knowledge demands
cultural/literary knowledge 6. Knowledge demands
content/discipline

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

Analyze Discuss Evaluate
22
Quantitative Dimensionof Text Complexity

• Dale-Chall Readability Formula
• Flesch-Kincaid Formula
• Fry Readability
• Lexile

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Advantages of Readability Formulas

• Time- and energy-efficient ways
• Objective and reliable
• History of research

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Disadvantages of Readability Formulas

• Do not account for many important factors in
  text-reader matching
• Not as precise as they seem
• Not sensitive for earliest stages of reading

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Figure 3. Text Complexity Grade Bands and
Associated Lexile Ranges
Text Complexity Grade Band in the Standards Old Lexile Ranges Lexile Ranges Aligned to CCR Expectations
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
11-12 1070-1220 1215-1355
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Time to think

• What have you learned about text complexity?
• How do you see this working in your classroom?
• How do the dimensions of quantitative measure
  change according to the text type?

29
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
by
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by
Measuring the quantitative dimension
The reader and the task considerations
1. Levels of meaning 2. Structure 3.Language
Conventionality and Clarity 4.Knowledge demands
life experiences 5.Knowledge demands
cultural/literary knowledge 6. Knowledge demands
content/discipline
1.Flesch-Kincaid 2.Fry 3.Lexile

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

Analyze Discuss Evaluate
30
The Readerand the Task

• Balance between challenge and pleasure
• Motivated reader
• Knowledge
• Experience
• Ability

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Reading Interest Inventory

• Do you like to read?
• How much time do you spend reading?
• What are some of the books you have read lately?
• Do you have a library card? How often do you use
  it?
• Do you ever get books from the school library?
• About how many books do you own?
• What are some books you would like to own?

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Time to think

• What have you learned about text complexity?
• How do you see this working in your classroom?
• How do the dimensions of reader and task measure
  change according to the text type?

37
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
by
The reader and the task considerations
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by

• 1. Motivation
• 2. Experiences
• 3. Interests
• Balance between challenge and pleasure
• Ability

Measuring the quantitative dimension
1. Levels of meaning 2. Structure 3.Language
Conventionality and Clarity 4.Knowledge demands
life experiences 5.Knowledge demands
cultural/literary knowledge 6. Knowledge demands
content/discipline
1.Flesch-Kincaid 2.Fry 3.Lexile 4. Dale Chall

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

Analyze Discuss Evaluate
38
What does Text Complexity look like in the
classroom?

• Common Core State Standards
• Standard 10 Range, Quality, Complexity
• Texts Illustrating the Complexity, Quality,
  Range of Student Reading 6-12

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Text Analysis
Qualitative Measure Text 1 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Text 2 The Battle of Jericho Text 3 Water for Elephants Text 4 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Levels of meaning
Structure
Language Conventionality and Clarity
Knowledge Demands
Quantitative 950 700 730 1080
Reader and Task
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Key Terms for the day

Qualitative measure Quantitative measure Reader and task




41
CLASS
Text Complexity
Assessment
Icebreaker Objective Research Lesson
Design Next Steps
the inherent difficulty of reading and
comprehending a text
by
by
Measuring the qualitative dimension
by
Measuring the quantitative dimension
The reader and the task considerations
1. Levels of meaning 2. Structure 3.Language
Conventionality and Clarity 4.Knowledge demands
life experiences 5.Knowledge demands
cultural/literary knowledge 6. Knowledge demands
content/discipline
1.Flesch-Kincaid 2.Fry 3.Lexile
1. Motivation 2. Experiences 3. Interests

1. How do the understanding the qualitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
2. How does the understanding of quantitative
   dimension of text complexity aid in text
   selection?
3. What role does the reader and the task
   consideration play when selecting a text?
4. How does text complexity vary at grade levels?

Analyze Discuss Evaluate
42
The most rewarding things you do in life are
often the ones that look like they cannot be
done. Arnold Palmer
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CLASS Assignment

• Select a screener (learning styles inventory or
  some other screener) to use with your class, use
  this data to help select a text for your
  student(s), and then analyze this text according
  to the three dimensions of text complexity.