ela shifts 1 and 3 sometimes i sum up the standards by saying, read like a detective and write like...

ELA Shifts 1 and 3

“Sometimes I sum up the standards by saying, read like a detective and write like an investigative reporter. More and more I feel like I should say,

“Read like a detective and write like a conscientious investigative reporter.”

- David Coleman, “Bringing the Common Core to Life”

Agenda:Morning Session

8:30-9:00 Welcome/Introduction ELA Common Core

Treasure Hunt

9:00-10:00 Session I Group A Group B Shifts: 1 & 3 Shifts: 4, 5, & 6

10:00-10:15 Break

10:15-11:15 Session II Group A Group BShifts: 4, 5, & 6 Shifts 1 & 3

11:15-11:30 Wrap-UpCurriculum Mapping Input

Afternoon Session

12:30-1:00 Welcome/Introduction ELA Common Core Treasure Hunt

1:00-2:00 Session I Group A Group B Shifts: 1 & 3 Shifts: 4, 5, & 6

2:00-2:15 Break

2:15-3:15 Session II Group A Group BShifts: 4, 5, & 6 Shifts 1 & 3

3:15-3:30 Wrap-UpCurriculum Mapping Input

Clear Learning Targets

I can balance the amount of literature and informational text in my classroom. (Shift 1)

I can use three measures to analyze text complexity. (Shift 3)

Treasure HuntKnowing where to find information is just

asimportant as knowing the information. A

questioncan be answered effectively when one knows how to use the available tools.

Use your treasure map to navigate the ELA Common Core State

Standards.

Word Bank: Clusters Language Writing 10

Craft and Structure

Standards Speaking and Listening

Presentation of Knowledge and

10 Language Production &

Distribution of Writing

Range of Writing K-5

Phonics and Word Recognition

Phonological Awareness

Vocabulary Acquisition and

Range of Reading and Lvl of Text

Complexity

Fluency Conventions of Standard English

Print Concepts

6 Comprehension and Collaboration

Research to Build and Present knowledge

Integration of knowledge and

Answe r

Six Shifts in ELA Common CoreThe new English Language Arts Common Core StateStandards contain many changes in learning standards, but they can be grouped into 6 main shifts. The shifts are directly linked to the College and CareerReadiness Standards.

Shift 1: Balance of literature and information text (K-5) *50% of information text by 4th grade

Shift 2: Literacy across all content areas (6-12)Shift 3: Staircase of complexityShift 4: Question and Answers: text-dependentShift 5: Writing to inform or argue using evidencesShift 6: Academic Vocabulary

Shift 1: Balance of Literature and Informational Text

I can balance the amount of literature and informational text in my classroom.

What is Shift 1?Balance of literature and informational text (K-5) -50% of information text by 4th grade

Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts. Elementary school classrooms are, therefore, places where students access the world – science, social studies, the arts and literature – through text. At least 50% of what students read is informational.

Anchor StandardsR.I 1-10R.L 1-10

Shift 1: Guiding Questions

1. What will this mean we have to change about our practice?

2. What challenges will we face as we make this shift?

3. What are the implications for my classroom/school as we implement Shift 1?

Why is Shift 1 so important? “80% of text adults read is informational, 80% of text read in

school is literary.” National Geographic School Publishing 2003

Informational texts have a variety of formats, most of which are different from literary texts.

Reading informational texts requires different reading strategies and apply those strategies differently

Informational Texts and literary text are written and read for different purposes.

Nonfiction Text Structures

Description Compare/Contrast Cause and Effect Chronology/Sequence Procedural Persuasive Question/Answer Problem/Solution

Signal Words Point the Way…

Text Structure & Signal Words

Description/ Hierarchical List

Cause & Effect

Compare/Contrast

Problem/Solution

Question &Answer

Sequence

For instanceFor exampleFurthermore

Such asAlso

To begin withMost important

AlsoIn fact

In additionAnd to

illustrate

SinceBecause

This led toOn account of

Due toAs a result of

For this reasonConsequentially

Then…so…Therefore

In like mannerLikewiseSimilar to

The difference between

As opposed toAfter allHoweverAnd yet

ButNeverthelessOn the other

One reason for the…

A solutionA problem

WhereThe question isOne answer is

Recommendations include

HowWhenWhatNextWhyWho

How manyThe best estimate

It could be thatOne may conclude

UntilBeforeAfter

FinallyLastly

First…last…Now…thenOn (date)At (time)

First, secondMeanwhile

Not long afterinitially

• the features that identify nonfiction writing;

• the selective way nonfiction is read according to the reader’s purpose;

• the ways organizational features such as indexes, content pages, glossaries and headings help the reader access the text;

• the specialized language and language structures used to convey information;

• how visual literacy such as photographs, diagrams, maps and charts combine with written text to convey information;

• how information in captions and labels combines with running text to convey information;

• strategies for using prior knowledge and experience to engage in inquiry

To become effective readers of informational texts, students need to understand:

Shift 1: Fiction and Non-Fiction

Use the cards at your table to complete the sort!

Literary Informational

F a ir y T a les

R e a lis tic ta les

T r ic kste r ta les

P o u rq u o i ta les

C u m u lativ e ta les

E p ics

L e ge n ds

F a b les

M y th s

T a ll ta les

TraditionalFolktales

S c ien c e F iction

F a n ta sy

Fantasy

H isto ric a l F ic tion

R e a lis tic F ic tion

R ealism

F ic tion

R e c re a tion

M a th em a tics

S cie nce

A r ts

L a n gu a ge

H e a lth

S o cia l S tu d ie s/Issues

Informational

M e m o ir

A u to b iog r a p hy

F ic tio n aliz edBiography

A u the n ticBiography

B iography

N on-F ic tion

L it er at ur e

Shift 1: Putting it into Practice

1. Use the chart paper at your table to generate a list of informational texts types that you can use in your classroom.

2. Include a short description of how you will use it.

“ If we include more informational text in early schooling, we put children in a better position to handle the reading and writing demands of their later schooling. We would like to see a day when children “read to learn” and “learn to read” from the earliest days of schools and throughout their school careers.”

- Nell Duke

What the Student Does…

What the Teacher Does…

What the Principal Does…

•Build background knowledge and exposure to the world through reading

•Apply strategies to reading informational text

•Provide students equal #s of informational and literary texts

•Ensure coherent instruction about content

•Teach strategies for informational texts

•Teach “through” and “with” informational texts

•Scaffold for the difficulties that informational text present to students

•Ask students, “What is connected here? How does this fit together? What details tell you that?”

•Consider and inventory of informational text in your building.

•Consider purchasing equal amounts of informational and literacy text to students

•Ensure teacher accountability for building student content knowledge through text

•Provide opportunities for PD and co-planning for teachers to become more familiar with informational texts

Shift 1:

Balance of Literature

Informational Text

Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity

I can use three measures to analyze text complexity.

What is Shift 3?Staircase of Complexity

In order to prepare students for the complexity of college and career ready texts, each grade level requires a “step” of growth on the “staircase”. Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space in the curriculum for this close and careful reading, and provide appropriate and necessary scaffolding and supports so that it is possible for students reading below grade level.

Anchor StandardR10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Specifically, within reading standard #10:

Anchor Standard:

R.CCR.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Example Grade-level Standard (2nd grade and 4th grade):

RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,

including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity

band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of

the range.

RI.4.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts,

including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding

as needed at the high end of the range.

Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605

Text Complexity

SoSo……

What do the Common Core Standards mean by text complexity?

What is a text complexity band?

How do we ensure the texts our students are reading are in the appropriate text complexity

26Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605tabid=4605

Overview of Text Complexity

Text complexity is defined by:

ive2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning,

structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.

Quantitative

1. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software.

Reader and Task

3. Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.

Text Complexity Grade Bands

Suggested Lexile Range

Suggested ATOS Book Level Range**

K-1 100L – 500L* 1.0 – 2.5

2-3 450L – 790L 2.0 – 4.0

4-5 770L – 980L 3.0 – 5.7

6-8 955L – 1155L 4.0 – 8.0

9-10 1080L – 1305L 4.6 – 10.0

11-CCR 1215L – 1355L 4.8 – 12.0

Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity Grade Bands

Common Core State Standards

* The K-1 suggested Lexile range was not identified by the Common Core State Standards and was added by Kansas.

** Taken from Accelerated Reader and the Common Core State Standards, available at the following URL: http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004572117GKC46B.pdf

Where do we find texts in the appropriate text complexity band?

Choose an excerpt of text from Appendix B:

We could….

Use available resources to determine the text complexity of other materials on our own.

A Four-step Process:

Determining Text Complexity

QuantitativeQ

Reader and Task

4. Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band.

3. Reflect upon the reader and task

considerations.

2. Analyze the qualitative measures of the text.

1. Determine the quantitative measures of the text.

Measures such as:• Word length• Word frequency• Word difficulty• Sentence length• Text length• Text cohesion

Step 1: Quantitative Measures

The Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity:

This document outlines the suggested ranges for each of the text complexity bands using:

1. Lexile Text Measures

---or---

2. ATOS Book Levels (Accelerated Reader)

Let’s imagine we want to see where a text falls on the quantitative measures “leg” of the text complexity triangle, using either the Lexile text measures or the ATOS book level (or both).

For illustrative purposes, let’s choose Lois Lowry’s 1989, Number the Stars.

Finding a Lexile Measure for Text: http://www.lexile.com/findabook/

Number the Starsby: Lowry, Lois

It's 1943 Copenhagen and the Jews of Denmark are being "relocated," so

Annemarie Johansen's best friend, ...

670L Number the Starsby: Lowry, Lois

For texts not in the Lexile database, consider using the Lexile Analyzer: http://www.lexile.com/analyzer/

• Registration is required (free) http://www.lexile.com/account/register/

• Allows user to receive an “estimated” Lexile score

• Accommodates texts up to 1000 words in length

• Texts of any length can be evaluated using the Professional Lexile Analyzer—educators can upgrade to this tool for free by requesting access http://www.lexile.com/account/profile/access/

Additional Resources for Lexile Measures:

•Overview video http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-video/

•“What Does the Lexile Measure Mean?” http://lexile.com/m/uploads/downloadablepdfs/WhatDoestheLexileMeasureMean.pdf

•“Lexile Measures and the Common Core State Standards”http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-measures-and-the-ccssi/

Finding a ATOS Book Level for Text: http://www.arbookfind.com/

For texts not in the AR Bookfinder database, consider using The ATOS Analyzer: http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/atos/

• No registration is required (however, you must provide an email address to receive results)

• Three methods of analysis are available:

1. ATOS for Books – for submitting complete text of a book

2. ATOS for Books with Estimated Word Count – does not require full text, just three 150-word passages

3. ATOS for Text– works well for short, full-text submissions (short stories, magazine/newspaper articles, etc.)

Additional Resources for ATOS Book Level Measures:

•Accelerated Reader Websitehttp://www.renlearn.com/ar/

•“Accelerated Reader and the Common Core State Standards” http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004572117GKC46B.pdf

Lexile Text Measure:

ATOS Book Level:

In which of the text complexity bands would this novel fall?

K-1 100L – 500L* 1.0 – 2.5

2-3 450L – 790L 2.0 – 4.0

4-5 770L – 980L 3.0 – 5.7

6-8 955L – 1155L 4.0 – 8.0

9-10 1080L – 1305L 4.6 – 10.0

11-CCR 1215L – 1355L 4.8 – 12.0

Kansas Common Core Standards

Remember, however, that the quantitative measures is only the first of three “legs” of the text complexity triangle.

Our final recommendation may be validated, influenced, or even over-ruled by our examination of qualitative measures and the reader and task considerations.

Step 2: Qualitative Measures

Measures such as:• Levels of meaning• Levels of purpose• Structure• Organization• Language conventionality• Language clarity• Prior knowledge demands

The Qualitative Measures Rubrics for Literary and Informational Text: http://

www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605

The rubric for literary text and the rubric for informational text allow educators to evaluate the important elements of text that are often missed by computer software that tends to focus on more easily measured factors.

Because the factors for literary texts are different from information texts, these two rubrics contain different content. However, the formatting of each document is exactly the same.

And because these factors represent continua rather than discrete stages or levels, numeric values are not associated with these rubrics. Instead, four points along each continuum are identified: high, middle high, middle low, and low.

How is the rubric used?

And how would Number the Stars fair when analyzed through the lens of the Literary Text Rubric?

ATOS Book Level:

From examining the quantitative measures, we knew:

But after reflecting upon the qualitative measures, we believed:

QuantitativeQ

Reader and Task

Our initial placement of Number the Stars into a text complexity band changed when we examined the qualitative measures.

Remember, however, that we have completed only the first two legs of the text complexity triangle.

The reader and task considerations still remain.

Step 3: Reader and Task

Considerations such as:•Motivation•Knowledge and experience•Purpose for reading•Complexity of task assigned regarding text•Complexity of questions asked regarding text

Step 3:Reader and Task Considerations

Questions for Professional Reflection on Reader and

Task Considerations: http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605

The questions provided in this resource are meant to spur teacher thought and reflection upon the text, students, and any tasks associated with the text.

The questions included here are largely open-ended questions without single, correct answers, but help educators to think through the implications of using a particular text in the classroom.

Step 4: Recommended Placement

Recommended Placement

After reflecting upon all three legs of the text complexity model we can make a final recommendation of placement within a text and begin to document our thinking for future reference.

ATOS Book Level:

Based upon all the information—all three legs of the model—the final recommendation for Number the Stars is….

Grades 2–3 Text Exemplars.............................................................................................. 37

Stories........................................................................................................ 37

Gannett, Ruth Stiles. My Father’s Dragon................................................. .37

Averill, Esther. The Fire Cat....................................................................... .37

Steig, William. Amos & Boris....................................................................... 38

Shulevitz, Uri. The Treasure........................................................................ 38

Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells....................................................... 38

MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall................................................ .38

Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge: The First Book of Their Adventures......39

Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms................................................................40

LaMarche, Jim. The Raft...............................................................................40

Rylant, Cynthia. Poppleton in Winter.............................................................40

Rylant, Cynthia. The Lighthouse Family: The Storm......................................41

Osborne, Mary Pope. The One-Eyed Giant

(Book One of Tales from the Odyssey)...........................................................41

Silverman, Erica. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa......................................................42

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS

English Language Arts&Literacy inHistory/Social Studies,Science, and Technical Subjects

Appendix B: Text Exemplars and

Sample Performance Tasks

Template for Text Complexity Analysis and Recommended

Placement Form

The one-page template provides an opportunity to record the thinking involved in recommending the placement of a specific text into a text complexity band.

Keeping a record of such analysis and thinking might be useful documentation in the case that any questions arise in the future.

59Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605

GROUP MATERIALS:

Take the book from your folder and use the forms in the text complexity packet to determine a complexity band for that text. Work as a table group and fill out each form.

Step 1: Quantitative Measure (Lexile or ATOS) is found on the sticky note inside the cover.

Long Range Goal:1. What is one complex text, possibly chosen from Appendix B of the Common Core

around which we can build a unit this semester?

2. What will we do less of in order to make room for the time it will take to read this text closely?

3. Which portions of the text should we focus on?

4. Which portions should we ask students to re-read multiple times?

5. What role can independent reading play in this unit for students who struggle to access the central text on their own?

6. What other supports will we need to provide for these students?

7. When was the last time I was challenged by a text?

8. What did I do to handle/ manage/ work within that frustration?

•Read to see what more they can find and learn as they re-read texts again and again

•Read material at own level to build joy of reading and pleasure in the world

•Be persistent despite challenges when reading; good readers tolerate frustration

•Ensure students are engaged in more complex texts at every grade level

•Engage students in rigorous conversation

•Provide experience with complex texts

•Give students less to read, let them re-read

•Use leveled texts carefully to build independence in struggling readers

•More time on more complex texts

•Provide scaffolding

•Get kids inspired and excited about the beauty of language

•Ensure that complexity of text builds from grade to grade.

•Allow and encourage teachers to build a unit in a way that has students scaffold to more complex texts over time

•Allow and encourage teachers the opportunity to share texts with students that may be more complex

•Allow and encourage teacher to use leveled texts carefully to build independence in struggling readers

Shift 3:

Staircase

Complexity

We will resume in 12 minutes.

Shift 1: Balance of Literature and Informational Text

I can balance the amount of literature and informational text in my classroom.

What is Shift 1?Balance of literature and informational text (K-5) -50% of information text by 4th grade

Students read a true balance of informational and literary texts. Elementary school classrooms are, therefore, places where students access the world – science, social studies, the arts and literature – through text. At least 50% of what students read is informational.

Anchor StandardsR.I 1-10R.L 1-10

3. What are the implications for my classroom/school as we implement Shift 1?

Why is Shift 1 so important? “80% of text adults read is informational, 80% of text read in

school is literary.” National Geographic School Publishing 2003

Informational texts have a variety of formats, most of which are different from literary texts.

Reading informational texts requires different reading strategies and apply those strategies differently

Informational Texts and literary text are written and read for different purposes.

Nonfiction Text Structures

Description Compare/Contrast Cause and Effect Chronology/Sequence Procedural Persuasive Question/Answer Problem/Solution

Signal Words Point the Way…

Text Structure & Signal Words

Description/ Hierarchical List

Cause & Effect

Compare/Contrast

Problem/Solution

Question &Answer

Sequence

For instanceFor exampleFurthermore

Such asAlso

To begin withMost important

AlsoIn fact

In additionAnd to

illustrate

SinceBecause

This led toOn account of

Due toAs a result of

For this reasonConsequentially

Then…so…Therefore

In like mannerLikewiseSimilar to

The difference between

As opposed toAfter allHoweverAnd yet

ButNeverthelessOn the other

One reason for the…

A solutionA problem

WhereThe question isOne answer is

Recommendations include

HowWhenWhatNextWhyWho

How manyThe best estimate

It could be thatOne may conclude

UntilBeforeAfter

FinallyLastly

First…last…Now…thenOn (date)At (time)

First, secondMeanwhile

Not long afterinitially

• the features that identify nonfiction writing;

• the selective way nonfiction is read according to the reader’s purpose;

• the ways organizational features such as indexes, content pages, glossaries and headings help the reader access the text;

• the specialized language and language structures used to convey information;

• how visual literacy such as photographs, diagrams, maps and charts combine with written text to convey information;

• how information in captions and labels combines with running text to convey information;

• strategies for using prior knowledge and experience to engage in inquiry

To become effective readers of informational texts, students need to understand:

Shift 1: Fiction and Non-Fiction

Use the cards at your table to complete the sort!

Literary Informational

F a ir y T a les

R e a lis tic ta les

T r ic kste r ta les

P o u rq u o i ta les

C u m u lativ e ta les

E p ics

L e ge n ds

F a b les

M y th s

T a ll ta les

TraditionalFolktales

S c ien c e F iction

F a n ta sy

Fantasy

H isto ric a l F ic tion

R e a lis tic F ic tion

R ealism

F ic tion

R e c re a tion

M a th em a tics

S cie nce

A r ts

L a n gu a ge

H e a lth

S o cia l S tu d ie s/Issues

Informational

M e m o ir

A u to b iog r a p hy

F ic tio n aliz edBiography

A u the n ticBiography

B iography

N on-F ic tion

L it er at ur e

1. Use the chart paper at your table to generate a list of informational texts types that you can use in your classroom.

2. Include a short description of how you will use it.

“ If we include more informational text in early schooling, we put children in a better position to handle the reading and writing demands of their later schooling. We would like to see a day when children “read to learn” and “learn to read” from the earliest days of schools and throughout their school careers.”

- Nell Duke

•Build background knowledge and exposure to the world through reading

•Apply strategies to reading informational text

•Provide students equal #s of informational and literary texts

•Ensure coherent instruction about content

•Teach strategies for informational texts

•Teach “through” and “with” informational texts

•Scaffold for the difficulties that informational text present to students

•Ask students, “What is connected here? How does this fit together? What details tell you that?”

•Consider and inventory of informational text in your building.

•Consider purchasing equal amounts of informational and literacy text to students

•Ensure teacher accountability for building student content knowledge through text

•Provide opportunities for PD and co-planning for teachers to become more familiar with informational texts

Shift 1:

Balance of Literature

Informational Text

Shift 3: Staircase of Complexity

I can use three measures to analyze text complexity.

What is Shift 3?Staircase of Complexity

In order to prepare students for the complexity of college and career ready texts, each grade level requires a “step” of growth on the “staircase”. Students read the central, grade appropriate text around which instruction is centered. Teachers are patient, create more time and space in the curriculum for this close and careful reading, and provide appropriate and necessary scaffolding and supports so that it is possible for students reading below grade level.

Anchor StandardR10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Specifically, within reading standard #10:

Anchor Standard:

R.CCR.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Example Grade-level Standard (2nd grade and 4th grade):

RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature,

including stories and poetry, in the grades 2–3 text complexity

band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of

the range.

RI.4.10 By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts,

including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding

as needed at the high end of the range.

Text Complexity

SoSo……

What do the Common Core Standards mean by text complexity?

What is a text complexity band?

How do we ensure the texts our students are reading are in the appropriate text complexity

83Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?Source: Kansas State Department of Education http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?tabid=4605tabid=4605

Overview of Text Complexity

Text complexity is defined by:

ive2. Qualitative measures – levels of meaning,

structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader.

Quantitative

1. Quantitative measures – readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software.

Reader and Task

3. Reader and Task considerations – background knowledge of reader, motivation, interests, and complexity generated by tasks assigned often best made by educators employing their professional judgment.

K-1 100L – 500L* 1.0 – 2.5

2-3 450L – 790L 2.0 – 4.0

4-5 770L – 980L 3.0 – 5.7

6-8 955L – 1155L 4.0 – 8.0

9-10 1080L – 1305L 4.6 – 10.0

11-CCR 1215L – 1355L 4.8 – 12.0

Common Core State Standards

Where do we find texts in the appropriate text complexity band?

Choose an excerpt of text from Appendix B:

We could….

Use available resources to determine the text complexity of other materials on our own.

A Four-step Process:

Determining Text Complexity

QuantitativeQ

Reader and Task

4. Recommend placement in the appropriate text complexity band.

3. Reflect upon the reader and task

considerations.

2. Analyze the qualitative measures of the text.

1. Determine the quantitative measures of the text.

Measures such as:• Word length• Word frequency• Word difficulty• Sentence length• Text length• Text cohesion

The Quantitative Measures Ranges for Text Complexity:

This document outlines the suggested ranges for each of the text complexity bands using:

1. Lexile Text Measures

---or---

2. ATOS Book Levels (Accelerated Reader)

Let’s imagine we want to see where a text falls on the quantitative measures “leg” of the text complexity triangle, using either the Lexile text measures or the ATOS book level (or both).

For illustrative purposes, let’s choose Lois Lowry’s 1989, Number the Stars.

Finding a Lexile Measure for Text: http://www.lexile.com/findabook/

Number the Starsby: Lowry, Lois

670L Number the Starsby: Lowry, Lois

For texts not in the Lexile database, consider using the Lexile Analyzer: http://www.lexile.com/analyzer/

• Registration is required (free) http://www.lexile.com/account/register/

• Allows user to receive an “estimated” Lexile score

• Accommodates texts up to 1000 words in length

• Texts of any length can be evaluated using the Professional Lexile Analyzer—educators can upgrade to this tool for free by requesting access http://www.lexile.com/account/profile/access/

Additional Resources for Lexile Measures:

•Overview video http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-video/

•“What Does the Lexile Measure Mean?” http://lexile.com/m/uploads/downloadablepdfs/WhatDoestheLexileMeasureMean.pdf

•“Lexile Measures and the Common Core State Standards”http://www.lexile.com/using-lexile/lexile-measures-and-the-ccssi/

Finding a ATOS Book Level for Text: http://www.arbookfind.com/

For texts not in the AR Bookfinder database, consider using The ATOS Analyzer: http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/atos/

• No registration is required (however, you must provide an email address to receive results)

• Three methods of analysis are available:

1. ATOS for Books – for submitting complete text of a book

2. ATOS for Books with Estimated Word Count – does not require full text, just three 150-word passages

3. ATOS for Text– works well for short, full-text submissions (short stories, magazine/newspaper articles, etc.)

Additional Resources for ATOS Book Level Measures:

•Accelerated Reader Websitehttp://www.renlearn.com/ar/

•“Accelerated Reader and the Common Core State Standards” http://doc.renlearn.com/KMNet/R004572117GKC46B.pdf

ATOS Book Level:

In which of the text complexity bands would this novel fall?

K-1 100L – 500L* 1.0 – 2.5

2-3 450L – 790L 2.0 – 4.0

4-5 770L – 980L 3.0 – 5.7

6-8 955L – 1155L 4.0 – 8.0

9-10 1080L – 1305L 4.6 – 10.0

11-CCR 1215L – 1355L 4.8 – 12.0

Kansas Common Core Standards

Remember, however, that the quantitative measures is only the first of three “legs” of the text complexity triangle.

Our final recommendation may be validated, influenced, or even over-ruled by our examination of qualitative measures and the reader and task considerations.

Measures such as:• Levels of meaning• Levels of purpose• Structure• Organization• Language conventionality• Language clarity• Prior knowledge demands

The Qualitative Measures Rubrics for Literary and Informational Text: http://www.ksde.org/Default.aspx?

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