Understanding Challenging Texts

1. Quantitative Measures of Text Difficulty

1.1. there are mathematical formulas that can define text complexity and rank them from easier to harder

1.2. quantitative measurement uses a unit called the Lexile. Lexiles are numbers derived from a formula that considers sentence length and word frequency.

1.3. quantitative measurement is based on 3 major things: the assumption that the reader is more likely to understand words that are used frequently in written text, the sentence structures the author uses contribute to text difficulty, and shorter sentences are easier to understand.

2. A possible process for choosing and using texts

2.1. work school-wide to truly enact the CCSS in middle and high school, which will require the full participation of all teachers in all disciplines

2.2. make it so that it is not just the English teachers doing all the work with literature, it has to be across every content level

2.3. use text recommendations as an estimate of distance between the CCSS and the current practice

2.4. do not ignore the quantitative measures of text difficulty

2.5. do not forgo traditional textbooks and informational articles, especially in science and social studies

2.6. use qualitative analysis of text difficulty as the foundation of instructional planning

3. Seminal Works in the Disciplines

3.1. Most college students read complex text by themselves through a trial by fire process.

3.2. CCSS authors demanded that K-12 students be exposed to more challenging texts throughout their schooling period in order to become accustomed to it for life after primary and secondary school.

3.3. states have adopted standards and a standard list instead of any specific curriculum and sometimes look at the list as a curriculum instead of an illustration which is what it is supposed to be.

4. Qualitative Measures of Text Difficulty

4.1. there is more to text difficulty than what can be comprehended by the sheer numbers and electronic attempts of measurement

4.2. quantitative measurements are necessary but not sufficient for defining complex text

4.3. qualitative text analysis can only be done by a mature and informed reader

4.3.1. In order to analyze text as a reader you must: Consider the levels of meaning or purpose, consider the structure, consider the knowledge demands

5. Readers and Texts

5.1. quantitative and qualitative analysis make no sense without knowledge of what students know and can do.

5.2. it doesn't make sense to know how difficult a text is in the abstract, the goal is know how difficult it is for the reader

5.3. reader considerations go beyond skill and knowledge to include social and emotional development