Understanding Text Complexity: Grades 3-8
David Abel, Fellow for Curriculum and Assessment, ELA
NTI, December 12, 2014
Agenda
1. Introduction
2. What is text complexity and why is it important?
i.
ii.
iii.
Quantitative Measures
Qualitative Measures
Reader and Task
3. What are the characteristics of complex text?
4. Ways to determine if a text is sufficiently complex
5. Group examination of texts and determination of complexity
6. What to do about text complexity
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Although it was winter, the nearest ocean four
hundred miles away, and the Tribal Weatherman asleep
because of boredom, a hurricane dropped from the sky
in 1976 and fell so hard on the Spokane Indian
Reservation that it knocked Victor from bed and his
latest nightmare.”
“Every Little Hurricane” from The Lone Ranger and Tonto
Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
What Makes a Text Complex?
In this example…
•Long sentence(s) and complex syntax
•Multiple and/or subtle themes and purposes
•Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or
pull things together for the student
•Unfamiliar settings, topics or events
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even
in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an
intolerable one: for when we suffer, or are exposed to the
same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might
expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity
is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by
which we suffer.”
--Thomas Paine, Common Sense
What Makes a Text Complex?
“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long
precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing
particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little
and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving
off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find
myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly
November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing
before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I
meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper
hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me
from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking
people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon
as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball…”
--Herman Melville, Moby Dick.
CCLS Recommendations
Regarding Text Complexity
• The CCR (College and Career Readiness) standards anchor
the document and define general, cross-disciplinary literacy
expectations that must be met for students to be prepared
to enter college and workforce training programs ready to
succeed.
• The K–12 grade-specific standards define end-of-year
expectations and a cumulative progression designed to
enable students to meet college and career readiness
expectations no later than the end of high school.
• The CCR and high school (grades 9–12) standards work in
tandem to define the college and career readiness line—the
former providing broad standards, the latter providing
additional specificity.
7
Why reading complex text is important
• Facility with complex text strongly predicts ability to an earn a
“B” grade or better) in first year college courses. (ACT, 2006.)
• Students who come to school without a solid base of
background knowledge need increasingly complex texts to
build their schema about the world.
• The texts that students read in K-12 have become easier, but
college texts have not (and instruction in College is
significantly less scaffolded.)
• The texts that students read in K-12 are often not expository,
but the texts that they read in college are mostly expository.
• What instruction students have had with complex expository
texts has been largely superficial/strategy based (skimming,
focusing on details, not forming a full picture/deep
understanding.)
8
CCLS Reading Standards
Grade 8
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,
including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of
grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and
proficiently
RI.8.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary
nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6-8 text complexity
band independently and proficiently.
CCLS Reading Standards
Informational text Grades 11-12
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RI.11-12.10
•By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend
literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
• By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend
literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 11–
CCR text complexity band independently and
proficiently.
CCLS Reading Standards
for Grade 8
Reading Informational Text
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RI.8.7
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print
or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
RI.8.8
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing
whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
RI.8.9
Analyze a case in which two or more texts provide conflicting information on the
same topic and identify where the texts disagree on matters of fact or interpretation
CCLS Reading Standards
for Grade 8
Reading Literature
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.8.7
Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays
faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the
director or actors.
RL.8.8
(RL.8.8 not applicable to literature)
RL.8.9
Analyze 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 describing how the material is rendered new.
Determining text complexity
Explanation of the Text Complexity Factors
• Quantitative evaluation of the text

Readability measures and other scores of text complexity
• Qualitative evaluation of the text

Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and
clarity, and knowledge demands
• Matching reader to text and task

Reader variables (such as motivation, knowledge, and
experiences) and task variables (such as purpose and the
complexity generated by the task assigned and the
questions posed)
Is there one way
to determine text complexity?
No, determining text complexity is a complex act!
•Text complexity does not reside in the text, rather it is
the product of the interaction between the text, the
reader, and the purpose for reading. The What, the
Who, the Why and the Where and When.




What—the characteristics of the text—
qualitative/quantitative evaluation
Who—the characteristics of the reader (reading
ability/age/experience/ motivation)
Why—the purpose for the reading (assignment/analysis
of writers craft/ research/pleasure)
Where and When—the conditions of the reading—
teacher/parent guided, group discussion/literary circle,
independent (classroom/home/library/computer),
instruction vs assessment, etc.
Text Complexity: Quantitative Measures
There is no single method for determining text
complexity.
•
The quantitative dimension of text complexity refers
to those aspects that are difficult for a human reader
to evaluate when examining a text.
•
These factors are more efficiently measured by
computer programs.
Text Complexity: Quantitative Measures
• Quantitative measures of text complexity generally
measure measures of word difficulty (frequency,
length) and sentence length.
• Some metrics add other features of words, sentence
syntax, and text cohesion, creating a broader range
of text and linguistic measures.
Free Quantitative Measures of Text Complexity







ATOS Analyzer from Renaissance Learning:
http://www/renlearn.com/ar/overview/atos/
Degrees of Reading Power from Questar:
http://www/questarai.com
The Lexile Framework from Metamatrix:
http://www.lexile.com/analyzer
Coh-Metrix Easability Tool from University of Memphis:
http://141.225.42.101/cohmetrixgates/Home
Reading Maturity from Pearson Knowledge Technologies:
http://www.readingmaturity.com (Beta site)
SourceRater from Educators Testing Service:
http://naeptba.ets.org/SourceRater3/ (Beta site)
Flesch-Kincaid (part of your Microsoft Word)
Text Complexity Grade Bands and Associated Ranges from Multiple Measures
Common
Core Band ATOS
Degrees
of
Reading
Power
FleschKincaid
The
Lexile
Framework
Reading
Maturity
SourceRater
2nd-3rd
2.75 – 5.14
42 – 54
1.98 – 5.34
420 – 820
3.53 – 6.13
0.05 – 2.48
4th-5th
4.97 – 7.03
52 – 60
4.51 – 7.73
740 – 1010
5.42 – 7.92
0.84 – 5.75
6th-8th
7.00 – 9.98
57 – 67
6.51 – 10.34
925 – 1185
7.04 – 9.57
4.11 – 10.66
9th-10th
9.67 – 12.01
62 – 72
8.32 – 12.12
1050 – 1335
8.41 – 10.81
9.02 – 13.93
11th-CCR
11.20 – 14.10
67 – 74
10.34 – 14.2
1185 – 1385
9.57 – 12.00
12.30 – 14.50
Source: CCLS Appendix A
What are the Features of Complex Text?
•
•
•
•
•
Subtle and/or frequent transitions
•
•
•
Complex sentences
•
•
Longer paragraphs
Multiple and/or subtle themes and purposes
Density of information
Unfamiliar settings, topics or events
Lack of repetition, overlap or similarity in words and
sentences
Uncommon vocabulary
Lack of words, sentences or paragraphs that review or pull
things together for the student
Any text structure which is less narrative and/or mixes
structures
20
Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures
Text Complexity: Qualitative Measures
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity
In pairs or triads, read literature text #1
(Excerpt from Frederick) and discuss where it
might fit in terms of the following qualitative
criteria in the text complexity rubric
• Meaning
• Text Structure
• Language Features
• Knowledge Demands
THEN, using the quantitative measures provided, place
it in a grade band for instruction and assessment….
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
FREDERICK
Very Complex
Criteria
Meaning
Multiple levels of
meaning that may be
difficult to identify,
separate, and interpret;
theme is implicit, subtle,
or ambiguous and may
be revealed over the
entirety of the text.

Moderately Complex
Multiple levels of
meaning that are
relatively easy to identify;
theme is clear but may
be conveyed with some
subtlety.
Moderately Complex
Multiple levels of meaning that
are relatively easy to identify;
theme is clear but may be
conveyed with some subtlety.


Readily Accessible

Notes
One level of meaning:
theme is obvious and
revealed early in the
text.
NOTES:
Clear theme, but not revealed
early in the text and not
obvious/conveyed with some
subtlety.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
FREDERICK
Very Complex
Criteria
Text
Structure

Prose or poetry includes
more intricate elements
such as subplots, shifts
in point-of-view, shifts in
time or non-standard
text structures.
Moderately Complex
Prose includes two or
more storylines or has a
plot that is somewhat
difficult to predict (e.g.: in
the case of a non-linear
plot); poetry has some
implicit or unpredictable
structural elements.
Readily Accessible
Prose or poetry is
organized clearly and/or
chronologically; the
events in a prose work
are easy to predict
because the plot is
linear; poetry has explicit
and predictable
structural elements.

Readily Accessible
Prose or poetry is
organized clearly
and/or chronologically;
the events in a prose
work are easy to predict
because the plot is
linear; poetry has
explicit and predictable
structural elements.

Notes

NOTES:
Prose is organized clearly and
chronologically, with relatively easy
to predict plot points.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
FREDERICK
Very Complex
Criteria
Language is generally
complex with abstract,
ironic, and/or figurative
language, and regularly
includes archaic,
Language unfamiliar, and
Features academic words; text
uses a variety of
sentence structures
including complex
sentences with
subordinate phrases and
clauses.

Moderately Complex
Language is often
explicit and literal but
includes academic,
archaic, or other words
with complex meaning
(e.g.: figurative
language); text uses a
variety of sentence
structures.
Moderately Complex
Readily Accessible
Language is often
explicit and literal but
includes academic,
archaic, or other words
with complex meaning
(e.g.: figurative
language); text uses a
variety of sentence
structures.
Language is explicit
and literal, with mostly
contemporary and
familiar vocabulary; text
uses mostly simple
sentences.


Readily Accessible
Language is explicit
and literal, with mostly
contemporary and
familiar vocabulary; text
uses mostly simple
sentences.

Notes

NOTES: Includes some complex words (e.g,
"reproachfully") as well as familiar vocabulary;
also includes some simple and complex
sentences (e.g., "And when he told them of the
blue periwinkles, the red poppies in the yellow
wheat, and the green leaves of the berry bush,
they saw the colors as clearly as if they had
been painted in their minds…")
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
FREDERICK
Very Complex
Criteria
Knowledge
Demands

The text explores
complex sophisticated
or abstract themes;
text is dependent on
allusions to other
texts or cultural
elements; allusions or
references have
context and require
inference and
evaluation.
Moderately Complex
Moderately
Complex
The text explores
several themes; text
makes few references or
allusions to other texts
or cultural elements; the
meaning of references
or allusions may be
partially explained in
context.


The text explores a
single theme; if there
are any references or
allusions, they
are fully explained in
the text.

Readily Accessible
Notes

NOTES:
Explores a focused, simple
theme, with some allusions
The text explores several The text explores a single
(e.g., " granary") and
themes; text makes few
theme; if there are any
references or allusions to references or allusions, they references that can be
explained partially in context.
other texts or cultural
are fully explained in the
elements; the meaning of text.
references or allusions
may be partially
explained in context.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
FREDERICK
• OVERALL QUANTITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATINGS
Metrics
Lexile:
Flesch-Kincaid:
Reading Maturity
Metric:
Measures
690
3.7
4.1
Grade Band
2-3
2-3
2-3
• OVERALL QUALITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATING AND
PLACEMENT
Moderately Complex/Readily Accessible
Appropriate for grade 2-3 instruction and
assessment
Group Evaluation of Text Complexity
In pairs or triads, review informational text #1
on page 12 ( Lake‐Effect Snow) and use the
qualitative rubric to determine the ratings in
each of the qualitative criteria:
•Meaning
•Text Structure
•Language Features
•Knowledge Demands
THEN, using the quantitative measures provided, place it in a
grade band for instruction and assessment….
NOTE: the criteria are different for informational text….
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
LAKE EFFECT SNOW
Very Complex

Moderately Complex

Readily Accessible

Notes

Text is clear, concrete and focused,
and comes with a singular, journalistic
perspective
Criteria
Meaning
Text
Structure
Language
Features
Knowledge
Demands
The text contains multiple
purposes, and the primary purpose
is subtle, intricate, and or abstract.
The primary purpose of the text is not
stated explicitly but is easy to infer
based upon context or source; the text
may include multiple perspectives.
The primary purpose of the text is
clear, concrete, narrowly focused,
and explicitly stated; the text has a
singular perspective.
Connections among an expanded
range of ideas, processes, or
events are often implicit, subtle, or
ambiguous; organization exhibits
some discipline-specific traits; any
text features are essential to
comprehension of content.
Connections between some ideas,
processes, or events are implicit or
subtle; organization is generally
evident and sequential; any text
features help facilitate comprehension
of content.
Connections between ideas,
processes, and events are explicit
and clear; organization is
chronological, sequential, or easy to
predict because it is linear; any text
features help readers navigate
content but are not essential to
understanding content.
Language is generally complex,
with abstract, ironic, and/or
figurative language, and archaic
and academic vocabulary and
domain-specific words that are not
otherwise defined; text uses many
complex sentences with
subordinate phrases and clauses.
Language is often explicit and literal
but includes some academic, archaic,
or other words with complex meaning;
text uses some complex sentences
with subordinate phrases or clauses.
Language is explicit and literal, with
mostly contemporary and familiar
vocabulary; text uses mostly simple
sentences.
Language is explicit and literal, but
has some words specific to the
domain ("phenomenon", " squalls," "
plummeted") and some complex
sentences.
The subject matter of the text relies
on specialized, discipline-specific
knowledge; the text makes many
references or allusions to other
texts or outside areas, allusions or
references have no context and
require inference.
The subject matter of the text involves
some discipline-specific knowledge;
the text makes some references or
allusions to other texts or outside
ideas; the meaning of references or
allusions may be partially explained in
context.
The subject matter of the text relies
on little or no discipline-specific
knowledge; if there are any
references or allusions, they are
fully explained in the text.
The topic of the text involves some
discipline-specific language, including
geography, weather in NYS, but as
most of the text is an explanation of
Lake Effect, there is little outside
knowledge needed to comprehend
the text.
Graphics are essential to
understanding the text; they may
clarify or expand information in the
Use of Graphics text and may require close reading
(optional)
and thoughtful analysis in relation
to the text.
Graphics are mainly supplementary to
understanding of the text; they
generally contain or reinforce
information found in the text.



Graphics are simple and may be
unnecessary to understanding the
text.


Connections between events and
ideas are explicit and clear, and follow
a general cause-effect structure.
Graphics help to illustrate the
phenomenon explained in the text and
reinforce the explication.
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity:
LAKE EFFECT SNOW
• OVERALL QUANTITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATINGS
Metrics
Measures
Grade Band
Lexile:
930
4-5, 6-8
Flesch-Kincaid:
6.4
4-5
Reading Maturity 7.0
Metric:
4-5
• OVERALL QUALITATIVE COMPLEXITY RATING AND
PLACEMENT
Moderately Complex/Readily Accessible
Appropriate for Grade 4-5 instruction
End of the year grade 5/ beginning or midyear 6 assessment (?)
Practice Evaluation of Text Complexity
What about Literature text # 2 (Homer) or 3
(Steinbeck)?
What about informational text # 3 (Anne Frank) or #4
(Asimov?)
How do these texts feature specific aspects of
qualitative text complexity ?
For example: Steinbeck in terms of language features;
Frank in terms of structure and/or meaning?
STEINBECK
“ The sun was warming the brush house, breaking through
its crevices in long streaks. And one of the streaks fell on
the hanging box where Coyotito lay, and on the ropes that
held it. It was a tiny movement that drew their eyes to the
hanging box. Kino and Juana froze in their positions. Down
the rope that hung the baby's box from the roof support a
scorpion moved slowly.”
WHAT NEXT?
• What are your key take-aways about complex text?
• What are the best ways to prepare students for
reading complex text?



Lots of reading
Students must build their academic vocabulary
Students must build their knowledge about the world
Text Sets can be a good way to get at all three of these….
Importance of Knowledge
“It's true that knowledge gives students
something to think about, but a reading of the
research literature from cognitive science
shows that knowledge does much more than
just help students hone their thinking skills:
It actually makes learning easier. Knowledge is
not only cumulative, it grows exponentially.
Those with a rich base of factual knowledge
find it easier to learn more…”
--Daniel Willingham, “How Knowledge Helps,” American
Educator
Importance of Vocabulary
“In four years, an average child in a
professional family would accumulate
experience with almost 45 million words, an
average child in a working-class family 26
million words, and an average child in a
welfare family 13 million words.”
--”The Early Catastrophe: the 30 Million Word Gap by age 3”,
Hart and Riley
Hart & Risley (1995)
“The 30 Million Word Gap”
What do you think the gap
will look like in 10 years?
What To Do
About Vocabulary and Knowledge
“Building knowledge systematically in English
language arts is like giving children various
pieces of a puzzle in each grade that, over
time, will form one big picture…”
The More Words You Know the
More Words You Learn
• Most words are learned from reading
(Nagy and Anderson 1985, Baumann &
Kameenui 1991, Beck and McKeown 1991,
Graves 1986)
• The more words you know the easier it
is to learn new words (Stanovich 1986,
Adams 2009)
The More You Knowledge You
Have, the More You Can Learn
• Reading remains the most efficient way to
grow knowledge (Adams 2009, Kintsch 1998)
• The growth of knowledge works the same as
vocabulary; students from less affluent
homes come to school with less knowledge.
Thus each year students from more affluent
homes acquire more knowledge.
Resources for Building Text Sets
• Book on “Teaching with Text Sets”
http://bit.ly/Teaching_with_Text_Sets
• American Reading Company Webinar on Finding Texts at
Different Lexile Levels: http://www.americanreading.com/
• Novel New York (NYS library databases, many
searchable by lexile): http://novelnewyork.org/
• Light Sail: http://www.lightsailed.com/
• Curriculet: http://www.curriculet.com
• Starting in the spring full text sets will begin to be loaded
up on www.achievethecore.org
• Nonfiction Text Sets from TC Reading and Writing Project
http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/book-listsclassroom-libraries-and-text-sets-for-students/textsets.html
Resources for Building Text Sets
• ELA SCASS Navigating Text Complexity

http://www.ccsso.org/Navigating_Text_Complexity/Showroom_M
odels.html
• ReadWorks

http://www.readworks.org/
• Reading A-Z

http://www.readinga-z.com/
• EBSCO Databases (state membership)

http://cdn.lexile.com/m/cms_page_media/135/RTData_July_13.pdf
• Webinar on Finding Texts at Different Lexile Levels:

http://achievethecore.org/page/927/webinar-on-finding-textshidden-resources-at-your-fingertips-detail-pg
• Nonfiction Text Sets from TC Reading and Writing Project

http://readingandwritingproject.com/resources/book-listsclassroom-libraries-and-text-sets-for-students/text-sets.html
Resources for Direct Vocabulary Instruction
• “Wordly Wise” published by Educators Publishing
Service (EPS)
• Bringing Words to Life, Beck and McKeown
www.textproject.org
• Marzano Six Step Program
http://www.ncresa.org/docs/PLC_Secondary/Six_S
tep_Process.pdf
• “Word Nerds” - Stenhouse Publishers
• Frayer model (all over the internet)
• Words Their Way
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/series/
Words-Their-Way-Series/10888.page
QUESTIONS?
THANK YOU
DAVID ABEL
David.Abel@nysed.gov