READABILITY OF THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS 11-CCR TEXT EXEMPLARS: A TEXT SEQUENCE REFERENCE GUIDE by Jenell A. Carapella A Master’s Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Education Department of Curriculum and Instruction State University of New York University at Fredonia Fredonia, New York August 2012 Abstract For a smooth transition, secondary students must be equipped with the skills to navigate and comprehend texts associated with college and career readiness. Educators are concerned that a gap in text complexity may cause some students’ lack in readiness. Although many factors play a part in students’ comprehension of a text (e.g. readability, the purpose for reading, and motivation), readability statistics may predict comprehensibility. This research used the Flesch- Kincaid and SMOG readability formulas to evaluate the readability grade levels of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) 11-CCR text exemplars. Results indicate that CCSS texts were, on average, within the expected grade level band, informational texts are more complex than literary texts, and the Flesch-Kincaid readability formula evaluates the texts as less complex, on average, than the SMOG formula. The results informed the development of the Text Sequence Reference Guide that rank orders all 34 CCSS 11-CCR grade level texts according to their relative complexity. This reference guide may prove useful when developing an English Language Arts curriculum that aligns with the new standards. Keywords: readability, Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG, Common Core State Standards ii Table of Contents Project Certification Page………………………………………………………………………….i Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………ii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………………iii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..1 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………..….…10 Methodology…………………………………………………………………………………......31 Results……………………………………………………………………………………...…….48 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………………….….63 References……………………………………………………………………………...……...…81 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………….…...87 iii READABILITY OF THE COMMON CORE 1 Readability of the Common Core State Standards Grades 11-CCR Text Exemplars: A Text Sequence Reference Guide In order to effectively prepare the United States of America’s next generation to be well equipped with the knowledge and skills to compete at the global level, the educational standards in every state must be equally rigorous. The education provided to our students must meet the evolving needs of each individual as well as prepare all students to be college and career-ready. Whether planning to attend post-secondary education, beginning a career in the United States Military, or entering the workforce, the education all students receive throughout their years in school must prepare them for the challenges they will inevitably face. In an effort to standardize the education in the United States as well as increase the level of rigor within public education curricula, the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSS) was developed and adopted by many states. Prior to the Common Core State Standards, each state developed its own standards and assessments. Currently, the New York State Education Department utilizes the Board of Regents, a group of 17 professionals who work within of sub-committees and work groups to oversee all educational activities in the state including the New York State Learning Standards and Regents Examinations. The current chancellor of the Board of Regents is Merrill H. Tisch and the vice chancellor is Anthony S. Bottar. Because each state created and adopted its own set of standards as well as assessments, there is a wide variety in what students are expected to learn as well as little common ground for best practice development between state lines. The Common Core Standards provide teachers as well as parents a common understanding of what students need to learn in order to be college and career ready. Ideally, the standards may help to open a READABILITY OF THE COMMON CORE 2 dialogue about curricula and best practices as well as create opportunities for states to pool resources and collaborate on supporting materials and assessments. The Common Core State Standards Initiative was coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), The National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM). The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) has allowed teachers the opportunity to provide specific, constructive feedback on the standards as well (“Common Core State,” 2012). Furthermore, the standards were developed with the help of teachers, school administrators, and other experts, to provide a consistent framework to prepare students for the demands associated with post-secondary education, the military, and the world of work (“NYLearns.org,” 2012). The Common Core State Standards Initiative was established in 2007 in order to promote “content-rich liberal arts education in America’s K–12 schools” (“NYLearns.org,” 2012). Essentially, “the standards” were created with the goal that all students will be college or career ready by the end of grade 12. The group of educators and other professionals responsible for the standards seek to create curriculum tools and also “promote programs, policies, and initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels that provide students with challenging, rigorous instruction in the full range of liberal arts and sciences” (“NYLearns.org,” 2012). Ultimately, the standards represent another push to improve public education of the United States in order to create a workforce that is to complete in a global society. Both the CCSSO and the NGA Center required that the standards possess the following four qualities: a) All standards must be research and evidence-based, b) they are aligned with the expectations found at the college and career levels, c) they are rigorous in nature, as well as d) READABILITY OF THE COMMON CORE 3 internationally benchmarked. It is important to mention that these standards are not static and are subject to change according to emerging research and other evidence-based practices. The CCSSO, NGA Center, as well as the active body of professionals who created the standards assert that achieving mastery of the standards will indicate that a student is college and career ready in a “twenty first century, globally competitive society” (“NYLearns.org,” 2012). This information was enough to convince the New York State officials as well as other states’ officials that the standards were the best option for meeting the educational needs of our students. In April 2009, New York State Governor David Paterson and former Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) along with forty- nine states and territories to develop these standards (“History,” 2008). On September 21st, 2009, the NGA Center and CCSSO released the first official draft of the college- and career- readiness standards and asked for a period of public feedback ending on October 21st, 2009. The Board of Regents discussed New York’s involvement in the Common Core State Standards Initiative process and the impact on New York State at their October 13th, 2009 full board meeting (“History of,” 2008). By the 2012-2013 school year, it is expect that all English Language Arts and Mathematics instruction be aligned to the new Common Core State Standards (“Common Core,” 2012). At the present, this may be a major shift in instructional practices for some teachers while other teachers may already be teaching according to the Common Core State Standards. The Common Core™ Curriculum Mapping Project was developed by teacher and for teachers in order to effectively meet some newly emerging curriculum development needs. This proprietary curriculum mapping service can be found online at: www.commoncore.org/maps. It is operated by the Common Core, Inc. and is funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. READABILITY OF THE COMMON CORE 4 Changes from Previous Framework Porter, McMaken, Hwang, and Yang (2011) inform that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) was not directly involved in creating the standards; however, developing and adopting a common set of standards is included among the criteria in the scoring rubric used to grant awards in the Race to the Top competition. In addition, the USDE recently awarded three hundred and thirty million dollars in Race to the Top funds to two consortia, representing the majority of states, to help develop assessments aligned with the common standards. The SMARTER Balanced Assessment Coalition, representing 31 states, received one hundred and sixty million dollars, and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, representing 26 states, received one hundred and seventy million dollars (12 states are members of both consortia). These researchers set out the measure how much change will take place between the current framework and the Common Core standards as well as describing the nature of the changes. One conclusion drawn from this research indicates that "the new standards represent substantial change from what states are currently requiring in their standards as well as what they are testing. The standards are marginally more focused in mathematics but this pattern is not present in the English