Upping the Ante of Text Complexity in the Common Core State Standards

TLDR

The Common Core Standards for English Language Arts align grade‑level bands with explicit text‑complexity expectations, accelerating reading demands from grades 2–12 to bridge the gap between high‑school and college‑level texts. The article investigates the theoretical and empirical support for three assumptions underlying the acceleration of text complexity in grades 2–3, focusing on the first step of the CCSS staircase as a critical developmental juncture. The authors analyze patterns in American reading achievement and instruction to assess how increasing the first step of the CCSS staircase could affect students. Their analysis suggests that raising the first step of the CCSS staircase has far‑reaching consequences for reading development and instruction.

Abstract

The Common Core Standards for the English Language Arts (CCSS) provide explicit guidelines matching grade-level bands (e.g., 2–3, 4–5) with targeted text complexity levels. The CCSS staircase accelerates text expectations for students across Grades 2–12 in order to close a gap in the complexity of texts typically used in high school and those of college and career. The first step of the band at second and third grades is examined because it marks the entry into the staircase and a critical developmental juncture. In this article, we examine the theoretical and empirical support for three assumptions that underlie the acceleration of text complexity in Grades 2–3. Then we identify patterns in American reading achievement and instruction to illustrate the potential and far-reaching consequences of an increase in the first step of the CCSS staircase.