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Text Complexity
This Text Complexity Presentation (PDF) provides an explanation of how to determine text complexity levels for informational and literary texts as defined by the Connecticut Core Standards.
The Reader and Task Guiding Questionswill support educators when considering the use of a specific text with their students. These questions are meant to stimulate ideas about and reflection on the text, students, and any tasks associated with a piece of writing.
The Informational and Literary Text Rubricsare designed to support teachers in developing a common language to describe and discuss texts, and allow educators to easily evaluate important elements of a text that are not considered by readability formulas.
The Text Complexity Placematis a useful tool for educators to document the aspects of the text and the final determination of difficulty levels based on the rubric.
The Appendix A - Common Core State Standardsdocument focuses on text complexity, explaining its relevance through the presentation of research stressing the importance of reading grade-appropriate complex text. The second part of Appendix A explains, in detail, how to measure the complexity of a text with the introduction of a three-part model. The text complexity rubrics and placemat presented to Connecticut educators in the links in this section were built based on this model. To address new research in the field, an addendum to Appendix A was later published: Supplemental Information for Appendix A: New Research on Text Complexity.
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