Addressing CCSS Anchor Standard 10: Text Complexity

To meet the demands of the Common Core State Standards, specifically Anchor Standard 10 in reading, teachers need to understand the quantitative tools used to determine text complexity as well as the ways in which text complexity can be determined qualitatively. As noted in the Common Core State Standards, there are a number of factors that contribute to text complexity beyond sentence length, average number of syllables, and frequency of unfamiliar words. We explain the four categories of qualitative text complexity and then provide excerpts from teachers collaborating to determine text complexity and plan instruction accordingly.