Lexile measures may seem new to you but they have been around for years. Based on over 20 years of research, Lexiles measure a book's difficulty and a reader's ability and use those measures in order to connect students with books that will continue to develop their reading skills.
There are two parts to the Lexile Framework:
1) Lexile measure--a number given to a book and a student. The book's Lexile measure (Lexile value) represents its difficulty. The reader's Lexile measure represents his or her reading ability. Both measures are represented by the letter L. Beginning readers read at about 200L.
2) Lexile scale--The range of readability levels for a reader based on his or her own measure. The entire scale goes from 200L (beginning readers) to over 1300L (high school and beyond). A student's individual scale extends about 50L above and 100L below his or her measure.
For example, a student who has a Lexile measure of 1000L (a typical middle school reading level) should be reading books that have a measure between 900L and 1050L. Anything below 900L will not provide the student with any challenge. Anything above 1050L may be too challenging.
The table below shows where students should be reading by grade level:
Grade
|
Lexile Measure
|
1
|
Up to 300L
|
2
|
140L to 500L
|
3
|
330L to 700L
|
4
|
445L to 810L
|
5
|
565L to 910L
|
6
|
665L to 1000L
|
7
|
735L to 1065L
|
8
|
805L to 1100L
|
9
|
855L to 1165L
|
10
|
905L to 1195L
|
11 and 12
|
940L to 1210L
|
How is a book measured?
Lexile measures are based on word frequency and sentence length, both shown by research to be strong predictors of a book's difficulty. MetaMetrics, the company that certifies Lexile measures, analyzes a book by scanning the entire text and analyzing word frequency and sentence length.
Word frequency is not the number of times a word appears in a book, but rather the frequency of the word in a body of 600 million words used by the Lexile analyzer. The more frequent the word appears in this body, the easier it is for students to comprehend. Rare words and more challenging words do not appear as frequently in the body and contribute to a higher Lexile measure for a book.
Sentence length contributes to a book's difficulty because longer sentences usually contain more clauses which communicate more information and ideas and relationships between them. Longer sentences also require a reader to retain more information in short-term memory leading to better comprehension when reading.
Sentences that use unconventional punctuation or spacing and text structures such as lists, poetry, and charts can affect a Lexile measure. Some books may have high Lexile measures, but their style and structure may not provide the quality of writing needed to increase reading ability. It is important for students who are not beginning readers to regularly read large sections of text (such as chapters) without interruptions from pictures or other stylized writing.
The word frequency and sentence length measures are combined into an algebraic equation resulting in a Lexile measure for a book. Books with longer sentences and words of low frequency result in higher Lexile measures. Books with short sentences and common words have low Lexile measures.
Students should receive their Lexile measure at school. You can find out more about Lexiles and find the Lexile measures of books at lexile.com.
Things to Consider
Lexile measures do not consider a book's content, theme, genre, style or quality. A book may be in a student's Lexile range, but may not interest the student or be comprehended easily. Choosing a book to read is more than just matching up Lexile measures, but they are a good starting point. Students should choose books that interest them but that are also within their Lexile range.
Examples of Popular Titles and Their Lexile Measures
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