tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7719550.post5504720581817178843..comments2023-11-13T04:55:40.769-05:00Comments on Tuttle SVC: The Text Complexity Question Is Not About MeTom Hoffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08577165613934129833noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7719550.post-30221234755351197902012-08-20T10:51:17.574-04:002012-08-20T10:51:17.574-04:00Yeah, I know that wasn't the clearest post.
...Yeah, I know that wasn't the clearest post. <br /><br />I'm not an expert on the voluminous reading research, but it seems pretty unlikely that anything as simple as "just make the kids read grade level texts all the time" is going to turn out to be the answer. Or, for that matter, the opposite.<br /><br />The whole thing seems like an intra-literacy business knife fight to me.Tom Hoffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08577165613934129833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7719550.post-14445313773422850902012-08-20T10:20:16.184-04:002012-08-20T10:20:16.184-04:00I tend to agree with you on this whole text comple...I tend to agree with you on this whole text complexity question (if I understand your point well enough).<br /><br />1) The tests are grade level tests so its pretty hard to believe that anyone thinks they are going to demonstrate results/success spending all of their time assigning reading at a lower level.<br />2) The goal is grade-level texts and this has obviously always been clear. I mean what the hell does grade-level text mean if not "this is where we think a student should be to maintain pace with what is expected going forward".<br />3) It's probably true that some methods are better at assuring grade-level performance than others. That may mean that you're better off exposing kids to far more difficult texts straight through; it may mean ramping them up using texts that are "just-right". I don't know the answer, but this seems like an empirical question that we can just wait and see the results of. Even once (or if) the question is answered, its not clear to me that standards should address this (as opposed to curriculum, education, and PD which is where specific pedagogy may be more appropriate).<br />4) Isn't grade-level just about typical performance at typical rates for a typical student kind of thing? Expectations are really just the prediction for the most typical case (at least in my mind). So to me, it's all nonsense anyway. With a good CAT that's not limited by a stupid restriction about grade-level content, you can be more precise about keeping track of kids on their individual trajectories which may be faster or slower at different points of literacy attainment. The red flag shouldn't be "atypical", it should be "near the point of being so atypical that catching up is too rare".Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09055620401368296463noreply@blogger.com