73.020 - Examinations of the Construct of Challenge: Readers, Texts, and Tasks

Session Type: Working Group Roundtable

Abstract

Standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) focuses on students’ ability to read texts of increasingly more challenging levels of complexity as they move through the grades. CCSS writers based the accelerated text levels on growth-curve modeling of a historical dataset, rather than on research or theory as to what constitutes appropriate levels of growth and challenge for readers of different levels. To date, theoretical frameworks and empirical work on when, how, for whom, and under what conditions texts can or should be challenging has been sparse. This roundtable brings together scholars who are conducting research on issues related to text challenge with the goal of increasing theoretically grounded research and theory for use in policy and practice.

Sub Unit

• Division C - Learning and Instruction / Division C - Section 1a: Literacy

Chair

• Elfrieda H. Hiebert, TextProject

Papers

• Does Text Challenge Level Matter? A Research Synthesis - Steven J. Amendum, University of Delaware; Kristin Conradi, North Carolina State University

• How Do Text and Task Interact to Form Complexity? - John P. Sabatini, ETS; Tenaha P. O'Reilly, ETS; Laura Halderman, Educational Testing Service

• Investigating Effects of the Complexity of Leveled Texts on Student Comprehension - Yukie Toyama, University of California - Berkeley; Alexandra N. Spichtig, Reading Plus/Taylor Associates

• Examining Beginning Readers' Word Knowledge: What's Easy? What's Hard? - Rick Chan Frey, Mustard Seed N.D.C.; Elfrieda H. Hiebert, TextProject