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College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards Appendix A: Research behind the standards and a glossary of terms Appendix B: Text exemplars illustrating complexity, quality, and range of reading appropriateness Appendix C: Annotated samples of student writing at various grades Reading Informational Text Reading Literature Foundational Skills Writing Speaking & Listening A necessary component of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers. Enables students to read, understand, and respond to informational texts. Enables students to read, understand, and respond to literature. Develops the skills of informational, argumentative, and narrative writing as well as the ability to engage in evidence based analysis of text and research. Focuses students on communication skills that enable critical listening and effective presentation of ideas. PA Common Core Standards English Language Arts & Literacy PA Common Core – Reading and Writing for Science and Technical Subjects 6-12 (Draft) PA Common Core – Reading and Writing for History and Social Studies 6-12 (Draft)

Quantitative Qualitative Reader and Task

1.Quantitative Measures – Readability and other scores of text complexity often best measured by computer software. 2.Qualitative Measures – Levels of meaning, structure, language conventionality and clarity, and knowledge demands often best measured by an attentive human reader. 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. Overview of Text Complexity 11

Measures such as: Word length Word frequency Word difficulty Sentence length Text length Text cohesion Step 1: Quantitative Measures Quantitative Measure 12

Step 2: Qualitative Measures Measures such as: Layers of meaning Levels of purpose Structure Organization Language conventionality Language clarity Prior knowledge demands Cultural demands Vocabulary Quantitative Measure 13

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 Quantitative Measure 14