Professional Development, MetaMetrics ®, Inc. The Lexile Framework for Reading: A Web Session for Georgia Educators

Session Agenda Georgia and the Lexile Framework Web site Information Where can the Lexile measure be found? Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests Georgia High School Graduation Tests What is the Lexile Framework for Reading? A unified scale: the importance of a single metric Instrument independence Two underlying concepts

Session Agenda (continued) Determining text characteristics Using the Lexile Framework Improving reading ability Features and benefits Preventing summer loss Find-A-Book Considering context

Georgia’s Use of the Lexile Framework Learn about this instructional tool Use Lexiles to support effective instruction Identify Lexile measures common to your grade level Identify Lexile ranges of texts used in your classroom Use Lexiles to guide differentiated instruction

The Lexile Framework is NOT: A reading program A test or method of assessment Educational software

What is the Lexile Framework for Reading?

The Lexile Framework for Reading is: An educational tool that links text and readers under a common metric – the Lexile. A tool to allow educators to forecast the level of comprehension a reader may be expected to experience when reading a particular text. A commonly used reading measure: Over 28 million students receive Lexile scores through commercial and state assessments. Over 100,000 books and tens of millions of articles have Lexile measures.

The Lexile Scale Lexile measures typically range from below 200L for beginning readers to above 1700L for advanced readers. Text below 200L represents beginning-reading material. A student’s Lexile measure of 0L or below is coded BR, signifying ‘Beginning Reading’. The Lexile scale applies to both reader level and text difficulty. The Lexile scale can be used to monitor reading growth over time.

Where can I find the Lexile measure? A student’s Lexile measure can be found on the individual student report of the Criterion- Referenced Test in Reading (CRCT) for grades 1 – 8 and the Georgia High School Test in English Language Arts (GHSGT) for grade 11. More information on a student’s Lexile measure based on the CRCT and GHSGT scale score is available on the Georgia Department of Education’s Web site at:

Where can I find the Lexile measure?

The Lexile Framework offers: A common system of measurement which, once linked, allows applicable reading assessments and reading instructional programs to report in Lexiles. A single metric used to describe reader level and text readability.

Two Underlying Concepts Text Readability Reader Ability

The Big Ideas: The Lexile Framework is a unified scale. The Lexile scale provides a single metric for reporting reader level and text readability.

Text Characteristics that Influence Readability Syntactic Complexity Sentence length is a powerful indicator of the syntactic complexity of a piece of text because they typically contain more clauses and, therefore, more information. Longer sentences are more complex and require more short-term memory to process. In the Lexile Framework, the length of a sentence is used as proxy or indicator.

Text Characteristics that Influence Readability Semantic Difficulty Semantic difficulty is the probability that an individual will encounter a word in familiar text and thus be able to infer its meaning. Less familiar words impede reading fluency and affect comprehension. In the Lexile Framework, word frequency is the frequency of a word in MetaMetrics’ corpus of written text (which contains over 600 million words).

Building Reading Ability: Targeted Text: Practice reading skills with text a student can comprehend. Strengthen reader ability by reading matched text. Increase text difficulty as reader ability and comprehension increase.

Managing Comprehension Readers may experience frustration when… Text readability is 100L+ above their Lexile level. Readers may experience ease when… Text readability is L below their Lexile level. Readers may experience growth when… Text readability is within their Lexile range. General Reading Recommendation: Targeted text range of 100L below to 50L above the student’s Lexile level Note: This range may vary based on text type, reading context and purpose, reading strategies and support, and reader motivation.

Why Choose Lexiles? Common language Unification of measurement Predictive ability Match reader to ‘targeted’ text

Why Choose Lexiles? Features & Benefits : School Level: Monitor growth Skillfully classify and manage materials and textbooks Make well-informed, data-driven instructional decisions Effectively communicate with parents

Why Choose Lexiles? Features & Benefits : Classroom Level: Targeted instruction Link to standardized assessments CRCT (grades 1-8) GHSGT (grade 11) Differentiate instruction across content areas Provide additional resources

Why Choose Lexiles? Features and Benefits : Student Level: Measure their own growth Match themselves to appropriate text Engender a love of reading

Lexiles and Differentiation How can I increase learning/growth for all students? Matched text Scaffolding Accessible instructions Tiered assignments/homework

Georgia’s Lexile Web Page Information about Lexiles and their relation to the Criterion-Referenced Test in Reading and the Georgia High School Test in English Language Arts can be found at:

Go to the free Web site Lexile.com to search for books in your child’s Lexile range

Entwisle, Alexander and Olson (1997) In a random sample of 800 Baltimore public school students: Children from families of high and low socioeconomic levels made equivalent gains on math and reading during the school year. Achievement of students from low-income families either fell or stagnated during summer. Summer Learning Research

James S. Kim (2006) As part of a Project READS randomized field trial: Low-income students made summer gains when reading materials were: In students’ selected area(s) of interest. Reader level and text difficulty were matched to the reader’s level using Lexiles. Students experienced gains comparable to those made in summer school.

Enter a Student’s Reading Level

Enter a Student’s Interests

A Student Chooses Books Click “Look it up” to see if a book is in the local library Add books to your BookBag as you search

Look-up Books in the Local Library You can see if the book is in the libraries closest to you

A Custom Reading List  Print your BookBag and take it to the library or bookstore

Limitations of Lexile Measures What Lexile measures do not address Text Characteristics  Age-appropriateness of Content  Text Support  Text Quality Reader Characteristics  Interest and Motivation  Background Knowledge  Reading Context and Purpose

Components of The Lexile Framework for Reading Lexile Map Lexile Analyzer ® Linking Test Test of Reading Development

Georgia’s Lexile Map

Lexiles can empower: Teachers: by helping them know more about their students by informing their efforts to differentiate instruction by providing access to text resources that support their students Students: by connecting them to “accessible” text by allowing them to measure and celebrate their own growth as readers Families: by making it possible for them to participate in their child’s reading development

Go to the free Web site Lexile.com to search for books in your child’s Lexile range

References Burmouth, J.R. (1996). Readability: New approach. Reading Research Quarterly, 7, 79 – 132. Klare, G.R. (1963). The measurement of readability. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press.

References Entwisle, D.R., Alexander, K.L. & Olson, L.S. (1997). Children, schools, and inequality. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Kim, J.S. (2006). Effects of a voluntary summer reading intervention on reading achievement: Results from a randomized field trial. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. 28(4).

Contact Information Georgia Department of Education Standards-Based Learning Division: Pamela Smith, Director of Academic Standards and Instructional Services 404- Assessment Division: Melodee Davis, Program Manager, Assessment Research and Development 404 MetaMetrics Inc. Professional Development: Jason Turner Manager, Professional Services The Lexile Framework for Reading Heather Koons Research Associate