NM PED 2026 Literacy and Humanities Summer Conference

Text complexity remains one of the most misunderstood aspects of literacy instruction, as many educators rely solely on Lexile levels to determine appropriate texts for students. Because this limited approach often restricts access to grade-level content and perpetuates achievement gaps, understanding how to comprehensively evaluate text is essential for college and career readiness.

In this session, Student Achievement Partners will share the research base for text complexity analysis. You will explore the three-dimensional framework that evaluates quantitative measures, qualitative features, and reader and task considerations. Using practical tools and rubrics, you will examine how structure, language, knowledge demands, and meaning interact to create complexity. You will partner with colleagues to practice using qualitative analysis tools on authentic instructional materials and leave with strategies for designing scaffolds that provide all students access to grade-level complex texts. By the end of the session, you will be equipped to build student capacity through the thoughtful selection and support of challenging, high-quality texts.