lol
I've never been a big fan of packaging math into N-step categories.
Instructor: "Today, we're going to start by learning two-step equations; we'll save three-step equations for Monday. We'll wrap up next week with four-step and five-step equations."
Some student thinking: "God -- where does it end?"
Are there such things as 17-step Integrals? Maybe. But who's counting steps, now?
Rather than focusing on the number of actions to simplify this expression, I would prefer to see more emphasis placed on things like The Commutative Property of Addition and the concept of like-terms.
(p - 9) + 6
Three numbers are being added. They may be added in any order.
I would expect anybody who understands this to realize that those parentheses do nothing, they are no longer needed.
If we must itemize actions, then
Action 1: Remove parentheses
Action 2: Combine like-terms