Text Complexity Analyser & Scaffold Designer

What This Skill Does

Evaluates a text across three dimensions of complexity — quantitative (sentence length, vocabulary frequency), qualitative (structure, levels of meaning, knowledge demands), and reader-task (the interaction between the text's demands and the specific readers and purpose) — and generates a tailored set of before, during, and after reading scaffolds that address the specific complexity challenges identified. Unlike readability formulas alone (which only measure quantitative features), this analysis considers whether the text has implicit meaning that requires inference, whether it assumes background knowledge students may lack, whether its structure is familiar or unfamiliar, and whether the vocabulary demands are primarily Tier 2 (academic) or Tier 3 (technical). AI is specifically valuable here because text complexity is multi-dimensional — a text can be quantitatively simple but qualitatively complex (a poem with short sentences but deep figurative meaning), and scaffolds must target the ACTUAL complexity, not just the reading level number.

Evidence Foundation

Shanahan et al. (2012) analysed text complexity progression and established that effective text selection and scaffolding requires a three-dimensional model: quantitative measures (word frequency, sentence length, text length), qualitative dimensions (levels of meaning, text structure, language conventionality, knowledge demands), and reader-task considerations (the specific readers' background knowledge, motivation, and the purpose of reading). Relying on quantitative measures alone (e.g., Flesch-Kincaid) produces misleading results — Hemingway's prose scores as "easy" on readability formulas despite being qualitatively complex. Hiebert (2012) identified specific actions teachers can take to address text complexity, emphasising that scaffolding should target the specific complexity dimension that presents the greatest challenge — vocabulary scaffolding for a text whose complexity lies in structure is mismatched support. Fisher & Frey (2012) developed a practical framework for increasing rigour in reading through appropriate scaffolding: not simplifying the text, but providing the supports students need to access complex text. Beck et al. (2013) demonstrated that vocabulary instruction is most effective when it focuses on Tier 2 words (high-utility academic words that appear across subjects) rather than Tier 3 words (technical vocabulary specific to one subject), and when words are taught in context with multiple exposures. Graves & Graves (2003) established the Scaffolded Reading Experience model: before-reading activities (activating prior knowledge, building background, pre-teaching vocabulary), during-reading activities (guiding questions, think-alouds, text annotations), and after-reading activities (discussion, writing, application).

Input Schema

The teacher must provide:

• Text description: What students will read. e.g. "Chapter 3 of 'Holes' by Louis Sachar — approximately 1,200 words, narrative fiction with dual timelines" / "A BBC Bitesize article on photosynthesis — 500 words, informational text with diagrams" / "An extract from a Year 10 History source booklet — a primary source letter from a WW1 soldier, approximately 300 words"
• Student level: Year group and reading level. e.g. "Year 7, mixed ability — reading ages range from 9 to 14"
• Reading purpose: Why students are reading. e.g. "To identify how Sachar uses the dual timeline to create suspense" / "To extract the key stages of photosynthesis for a summary diagram" / "To infer what life was like in the trenches from a primary source"

Optional (injected by context engine if available):

• Text extract: A short extract for more precise analysis