Qualitative Measures of Text Complexity Rubric
(Text Complexity: Raising Rigor in Reading-Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Diane Lapp)
Exploring the Reader
Cognitive Capabilities
Will this text maintain the student’s attention?
Will this text tax the reader’s working memory?
Will this text require specialized supports (e.g., language support,
accommodations)?
Does the text contain enough supports to move the reader’s learning forward
rather than cause frustration?
Motivation
Does the topic or genre of the text interest the reader?
Is the text relevant to the reader?
Does the reader have an opportunity to exercise choice?
Has the reader experienced success in the past with this topic or genre?
Does the reader have opportunities to collaborate with others before and after
the reading?
Is the text being used to connect to larger themes or concepts?
Will this text allow the reader to meet a goal that he or she has set?
Knowledge
Does the reader possess specialized knowledge about the topic or genre?
Does the reader possess the needed metacognitive skills to comprehend the
text?
Does the reader have sufficient background and/or prior knowledge to link to
new information?
Experiences
What direct experiences does the reader have that may make this text more
accessible?
Is this text more complex than previous ones to build the reader’s skills and
knowledge?
Exploring the Task
Teacher-Led Tasks
Does this text require modeling of cognitive comprehension strategies?
Notes
Does this text require modeling of word-solving strategies?
Does this text require modeling of text structures?
Does this text require modeling of text features?
Peer Tasks
Does this task match the reader’s collaborative learning skills?
Does the task match the reader’s social skills?
Does the task require the readers to engage in accountable talk?
Are suitable supports for accountable talk (e.g., language frames) furnished?
Individual Tasks
Does the task provide sufficient challenge for the reader while avoiding
protracted frustration?
Are the text and the task sufficiently more complex than previous ones so they
provide opportunities to build the reader’s skills and knowledge?
Exploring the Question
Do the questions require the reader to return to the text?
Do the questions require the reader to use evidence to support his or her ideas
or claims?
Do the questions move from text-explicit to text-implicit knowledge?
Are there questions that require the reader to analyze, evaluate, and create?