Bending the Text Complexity Curve to Close the Gap

Prior research has identified a gap between the reading demands of high school and those of postsecondary endeavors (Williamson, 2008).
When considered in the context of the K-12 text continuum (Koons & Williamson, 2012), this implies that a different text complexity trajectory
is needed to close the gap that characterizes the present text complexity continuum in relation to postsecondary text demands. What should
this new “aspirational” or “stretch” text complexity trajectory look like? Two questions are relevant to reducing the high school/postsecondary
text complexity gap:
1. How should the gap in text complexity be apportioned across the K–12 continuum?; and
2. What policy actions could be taken to affect gap closure?

The objective of this research bulletin is to present a “stretch” text complexity trajectory that aligns with postsecondary text demands.