Three Free & Easy Tools to Support Tiered Reading in Your Classroom
Author: Tiffanie Zaugg; info@ciddl.org
Educational policies in the United States mandate all learners have access to a general education curriculum (Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), 2015; Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), 2004). Additionally, ESSA and IDEA require learners with disabilities to demonstrate proficiency in comprehending text. Recent data shows that 3rd-grade through 12th-grade students who receive special education services range from 11.7-18.8 percent proficient with reading (United States Department of Education, 2021). Therefore, making reading content accessible to all learners in the classroom is critical. But how can educators provide access to grade-level content for learners needing reading and comprehension support?
Using the 245 pages book “Where the Red Fern Grows,” I will walk you through how using three free resources; ChatGPT, Rewordify, and Textcompactor can support tiered reading in the classroom.
Step 1: Ask ChatGPT to summarize a book.
ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. It uses machine learning algorithms to understand natural language and provide responses to questions or prompts given by users. The purpose is to assist with various tasks, including answering questions, providing information, and generating text on multiple topics.
Step 2: Copy and paste your text from ChatGPT, or other text that you want the complexity changed, into the yellow box on Rewordify.
Rewordify changes the text complexity of difficult words in English. Enter a sentence, paragraph, whole chapter, or website URL into the yellow box at the top of the page. Click the box that says “Rewordify text” and you'll instantly see the complexity of the text change. The words highlighted in yellow are the words the complexity has changed. Rewordify also offers learning activities for the learners to learn the words changed. This scaffold may be the only change your learner needs. However, if the learner needs more scaffolding, add Textcompactor. Text leveling provides materials for instruction with simplified vocabulary and sentences that are not as complex as materials written on grade level. It is essential to ensure the content aligns with the original materials and meets the expectations of the grade level standards (Iowa Department of Education, 2019).
Step 3 (if needed): Copy and paste the text from Rewordify into textcompactor. Drag the slider to the percentage for the passage summary.
Textcompactor allows you to paste text in the box and choose what percentage you want the text summarized. It can summarize from 0-100%. Read the summarized text to determine if your summary is correct.
Textcompactor allows you to paste text in the box and choose what percentage you want the text summarized. It can summarize from 0-100%. Read the summarized text to determine if your summary is correct.
How easy was that? A few copies and pastes and now you have three different levels of support for grade-level content text for your classroom. The possibilities are endless.
While new and innovative technology such as ChatGPT has caused many educators to become concerned about the quality and integrity of students’ work. Educators can not ignore ChatGPT’s power to foster a more equitable learning experience for students with disabilities. Reframing our beliefs about machine learning has opened up opportunities for developing reading supports that are accessible and efficient for the 21st-century inclusive classroom.
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Resources
Iowa Department of Education. (2019). DeterminingSupportsForLearningAndPerformance-2019-05-28v2.pdf. Des Moines Iowa.
United States Department of Education. (2021). 42nd annual report to Congress on the implementation of the individuals with disabilities education act. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/department-submits-the-43rd-annual-report-to-congress-idea
Zaugg, T. (2019, March). Supporting all learners: A look at text complexity. Leveling the Playing Field. Cedar Falls, IA.