Aligning TextEvaluator ® Scores With the Accelerated Text Complexity Guidelines Specified in the Common Core State Standards

Abstract

The TextEvaluator ® text analysis tool is a fully automated text complexity evaluation tool designed to help teachers, curriculum specialists, textbook publishers, and test developers select texts that are consistent with the text complexity guidelines specified in the Common Core State Standards. This paper documents the procedure used to align the TextEvaluator reporting scale with the Common Core text complexity scale and provides score ranges for use when placing texts into grade bands. Three evaluations of the proposed score ranges are reported: one implemented with respect to the set of 168 exemplar texts provided in Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards, one implemented with respect to a set of 10 career texts, and one implemented with respect to a set of 59 texts selected from textbooks assigned in first‐year, credit‐bearing college courses. Results suggest that the proposed ranges can help users determine an appropriate grade band placement for any text that has been evaluated by TextEvaluator , including informational, literary, and mixed texts. Report Number: ETS RR–15–21