Implications of Text ComplexityBy Edwina Howard-Jack, NBCT,

English Language Arts Coordinator, Office of Instruction, WVDE &Dr. Vaughn Rhudy, NBCT,

WESTEST 2 RLA/Online Writing Assessment Coordinator, Office of Assessment and Accountability, WVDE

Just because something is traditional is no reason to do it, of course. Piracy, for example, is a tradition that has been carried on for hundreds of years, but that doesn’t mean we should all attack ships and steal their gold.

Horseradish by Lemony Snicket

1998* 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011208

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NAEP Reading Grade 4Overall Average Scale Score

Embargoed until NCES release

41998* 2002 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

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NAEP Reading Grade 8Overall Average Scale Score

Embargoed until NCES release

What do you know about selecting a text that is appropriate for students?

Text Complexity

AHHHH… SHIFT!

Your students will be reading increasingly complex texts to acquire language skills including academic vocabulary.

The Crisis of Text 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.

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.

What’s wrong with the simplified text approach?

• Simplified texts are often synonymous with restricted, limited, 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. . .

Ahhh… Shift!

Text Complexity in CSO’s

Your Assignment:

1. Quickly sort the cards at your table to create a K-12 text complexity progression.

2. Summarize what you notice and the implication at your tables.

3. Create a poster using words or pictures and be prepared to share.

Resources

TEACH21

Lexile Alignment to College & Career Readiness to Close the Gap

Grade Band Old Lexile Ranges

New Lexile Ranges

2-3 450-725 450-7904-5 645-845 770-9806-8 860-1010 955-1155

9-10 960-1115 1080-130511-CCR 1070-1220 1215-1355

ELA SCASS Work

Vaughn Rhudy, Susan Pimentel, Edwina Howard-Jack, Rachel HullEnglish Language Arts SCASS Meeting, San Antonio, Texas

February 6-7, 2012

Placemat

Evaluate a Text

The Grapes of WrathExcerptSteinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath.New York: Viking, 1967 (1939).

If we were analyzing Grapes of Wrath…

Quantitative

Quantitative

Qualitative

Reader and Task

• Briefly describe the reader.• Explain the task associated with the text. • Consider these variables

– Student’s motivation– Knowledge– Experiences– Purpose and the complexity of the task assigned and the questions

posed.

What did the authors say?

Resources

Implications

Discuss the implications for you as Chief Instructional Leaders regarding:

• the increase in text complexity within the standards,• the intentional selection of texts using the placemats• and the shifts in teaching all students using complex texts

while varying the level of and removal of scaffolding so that students can access these texts.

Be prepared to share.

• noun, the systematic killing of the love of reading, often exacerbated by the inane, mind-numbing practices found in schools (Gallagher, 2009)

Read-i-cide