> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.learningcommons.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Purpose Clarity

> Evaluate how clearly a text states its purpose to inform, persuade, or explain, and whether intent is explicit, implied, or masked, for grades 3-12.

[Evaluator last updated August 27, 2026.](#evaluator-release-history)

<EarlyAccess isBreaking={false} />

## Overview

The Purpose Clarity evaluator assesses how clearly a text communicates its central purpose – whether it is to inform, persuade, explain, describe, or entertain.

The evaluator analyzes whether a text's intent is explicitly stated, indirectly hinted at, or masked (e.g., text may present as neutral information, but be building a persuasive argument).

## At a glance

|                      |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| :------------------- | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Supported grades** | 3–12                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **Rubric**           | [Student Achievement Partners (SAP)](https://learnwithsap.org/) ↗'s [Qualitative Text Complexity Rubric for Informational Text](https://learnwithsap.b-cdn.net/app/uploads/2026/04/Qualitative-Text-Complexity-Rubric-Informational.pdf) ↗ (Purpose)   |
| **Model used**       | Gemini 3 Flash preview (`gemini-3-flash-preview`) with temperature of 0 <Note>The evaluator was built and validated using this specific model and temperature. Other configurations will produce different results and may have lower accuracy.</Note> |

## Getting started

Follow the [Quickstart](/evaluators/getting-started/quickstart) to start using this evaluator:

| Access method             |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| :------------------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Evaluators playground** | [View in Platform](https://platform.learningcommons.org/apps/evaluators/playground) ↗                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **SDK**                   | [TypeScript](https://github.com/learning-commons-org/evaluators/blob/main/sdks/typescript/src/evaluators/text-complexity/ela-reading/purpose-clarity.ts) ↗                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **Other**                 | [Python notebook](https://github.com/learning-commons-org/evaluators/blob/main/evals/text-complexity/ela-reading/purpose-clarity/example_notebook.ipynb) ↗<br /><br />Prompts: [`system.txt`](https://github.com/learning-commons-org/evaluators/blob/main/evals/text-complexity/ela-reading/purpose-clarity/system.txt) ↗ and [`user.txt`](https://github.com/learning-commons-org/evaluators/blob/main/evals/text-complexity/ela-reading/purpose-clarity/user.txt) ↗ |

## Inputs

| Input           | Description                                                                        | Required |
| :-------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------- |
| **Text**        | Informational text to evaluate<br />10 - 10,000 words (\< 1,200 words recommended) | Yes      |
| **Grade level** | Allows grade-specific complexity guidance                                          | Yes      |

## Output

| Field                | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| :------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Complexity score** | Purpose complexity level:<ul><li><strong>Slightly complex:</strong> Purpose is explicitly stated, clear, concrete, and narrowly focused</li><li><strong>Moderately complex:</strong> Purpose is implied, but easy to identify based upon context or source</li><li><strong>Very complex:</strong> Purpose is implicit or subtle but fairly easy to infer; more theoretical or abstract than concrete</li><li><strong>Exceedingly complex:</strong> Purpose is subtle and intricate, difficult to determine; includes many theoretical or abstract elements</li><li><strong>More context needed:</strong> The passage is too short to determine its purpose. A longer portion of text or different text is needed.</li></ul> |
| **Reasoning**        | High-level summary of why the text is at this complexity level for the target grade                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Details**          | Individual complexity factors driving the rating, how they manifest in the text, and how they affect the text's purpose clarity                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |

## Interpreting results

High or low complexity scores are not inherently good or bad. A higher complexity score simply indicates a text that requires more interpretation by readers.

<Info>
  **Example:** A "Very complex" or "Exceedingly complex" text may be ideal if
  the instructional goal is identifying implicit or persuasive intent. However,
  that same text may not be a good fit if the instructional goal is content
  comprehension.
</Info>

## Evaluator release history

| Date            | Changes              |
| --------------- | -------------------- |
| August 27, 2026 | Minor prompt updates |
| May 7, 2026     | First release        |

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