The Ladder of Text Complexity

I've been reading Lucy Calkins et. al's Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement, and as a result have been pondering the image of a ladder to help me understand complex text.

First, let me underscore why the CCSS ELA standards emphasize complex text: Reading Between the Lines, a report released by ACT in 2006, suggested that students who struggle with the reading portion of the ACT test don't lack skills (identifying main idea, comparing/contrasting, etc.), rather the ability to comprehend complex text. As a teacher of English Learners, this makes complete sense to me. When I get the data reports from the practice standardized tests, my administrators encourage me to break down the test items into standards and reinforce skills based on the questions students do poorly on. Wanting to be an adequate steward of data, I comb through the graphs, looking for areas of weakness, but I often have trouble finding discernible patterns based on skills. What I do notice, though, are reading passages that the kids bomb. I'm pretty sure my students get the concepts. They just don't always understand the grade level text they are being asked to read independently, or maybe they don't always understand the language of the question.

Here's an example I will never forget: My first year teaching English Learners, I did a series of in depth lessons on pronouns with a group of 4th graders. We memorized pronouns, their cases, their numbers, and even used the word "antecedent"in speaking when referring to the relationships between pronouns and nouns. Students individually wrote explanations for proper pronoun use and applied their learning about pronouns to their writing. Then, when they took the practice standardized test, they tanked. When we reviewed the questions following the assessment, a student shyly raised his hand and asked "Mrs. McClain, what is the word wom?" The student pronounced the word as if it rhymes with mom. He did not know the word whom, and therefore had no clue how to answer the question "To whom does pronoun he refer?"

You can drill the skills until you and your kids are blue in the face. If they can't read complex text independently, they will not do well on reading standardized tests.

So now comes the tricky question-- the politicized and complicated question that I am still not so certain about. How do we get students who are reading below grade level to the point that they can INDEPENDENTLY read complex grade level texts? What is the magic bullet? Do we revisit gaps in foundational phonics and phonemic awareness skills? Do we rehearse repeated readings of texts so that students learn what it feels like to be fluent readers? Do we use leveled readers so that students can get practice at their "just right"level, encouraging them to make a goal to climb the levels as quickly as possible? Do we offer texts in multiple languages to support native language comprehension? Do we try to find texts that match student interests to increase their daily reading time? Do we invite parents for family literacy training? Do we work with community partners to host book give-aways and promote summer reading programs?

I'm thinking the answer is yes. I've tried all of these things, and many of them simultaneously, and most of them have worked a little bit. I've heard professors and trainers from both sides of the reading polemic explain the research that shows why their method of teaching reading is superior and their philosophy must be followed with fidelity. I've learned a lot from each of them, and tried a little of everything. I'm not sure who 100% correct, but I have a feeling it is both and neither.

So now I'm just a little nervous about the bold assertion from the PARCC draft of model content frameworks (2011) that "A significant body of research links close reading of complex test--regardless if the student is a struggling reader or advanced--to significant gains in reading proficiency..." Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited about introducing complex texts to my students who read below grade level, especially when paired with accountable talk. I do think these practices will help my students become more proficient readers. But I'm not buying that complex texts will be a magic bullet. I'm not quite ready to throw the Elkonin boxes and Rigby readers out with the bathwater. We want students to escalate the ladder of reading complexity as quickly as possible, but it is unrealistic to expect them to just jump a wall.

At the same time, by constantly keeping low performing kids at their "just right" level, we limit their exposure to advanced vocabulary and text structures, putting them even further behind their peers who read proficiently or above grade level.

So now I'm struggling with the specifics of balancing independent level text with grade level complex text, and I am pretty certain it will be about as easy as nailing jello to a wall. But here are the things I want to keep in mind as I trial and error my way through it:

-Kids need to be engaged in productive struggle... pushing them enough that they aren't bored, but supporting them enough that they aren't completely discouraged.

-Work that is done at grade level needs to be scaffolded so that struggling readers can access it. Reading aloud, reading the same texts multiple times, sequencing texts on the same topic according to complexity, and engaging in accountable talk are all strategies to help students access material that is beyond their grasp.

-Work that is done at students' independent reading level needs to be done INDEPENDENTLY.  Scaffold these texts, and you make yourself a crutch. Students can use individually leveled texts to practice common core skills independently: identifying main ideas/themes, summarizing, making inferences, isolating key details, using context to infer vocabulary meanings, and integrating knowledge  from multiple texts.

-Students need ample time to practice. The key to becoming a proficient reader is to practice reading often. Do less talking so kids can read more. Encouraging reading outside of class time by tapping into student interests and promoting extracurricular reading through summer programs or book clubs go a long way.

-Writing and reading are inextricable. Do less talking so kids can write more.

What do you think, world wide web? What has your experience and/or research taught you about teaching struggling readers to become proficient readers?