LEXILES FOR LEARNING: An Overview Developed by the Houston Independent School District Department of Library Services

Questions To Be Answered Why do I need to know about Lexiles? What are Lexiles? How do I determine the Lexile level of text or students? How can I use Lexiles to help my students?

What is “reading”? Reading is a process in which information from the text and the knowledge possessed by the reader act together to produce meaning. Text + Reader = Meaning

The Lexile Tool uses the same scale to measure the student’s ability to read and the text being read.

Lexile Table Grade Level Reader Measures Text Measures (Lexile Range) 1up to 300L200L to 400L 2140L to 500L300L to 500L 3330L to 700L500L to 700L 4445L to 810L650L to 850L 5565L to 910L750L to 950L 6665L to 1000L850L to 1050L 7735L to 1065L950L to 1075L 8805L to 1100L1000L to 1100L 9855L to 1165L1050L to 1150L 10905L to 1195L1100L to 1200L L to 1210L1100L to 1300L

P-16 Reading Growth Expectations TPRIDARSAT/ACT

Using Lexiles to determine student comprehension

Success Rates for Readers of Similar Ability with Texts of Different Readability Reader Ability` Text Readability Text Titles Expected Success 1000L 500L 750L 1000L 1250L 1500L The Magic School Bus Inside the Earth (Cole) The Martian Chronicles (Bradbury) The Reader’s Digest The Call of the Wild (London) On Equality Among Mankind (Rousseau) 96% 90% 75% 50% 25% Stenner, Stone

Reading in the Workplace

Lifelong Reading CD-DVD Player Instructions (1080L) Microsoft Windows User Manual (1150L) GM Protection Plan (1150L) Installing Your Child Safety Seat (1170L) Federal Tax Form W-4 (1260L) Application for a student loan (1270L) Medical Insurance Benefits Pkg. (1280L) Aetna Health Care Discount Form (1360L) Source: Dr. William R. Daggett, CCSSO Summer Institute Presentation, July 2003

Lexiles CAN: Gauge student reading level to a standard Monitor student reading growth Match text to reading ability

Lexiles CANNOT: Account for interest level Measure background knowledge Indicate developmental appropriateness

How do I determine the Lexile level of my students or text?

S cholastic R eading I nventory (SRI) A quick 30 minute test, paper or computer, purchased from Scholastic which can give you a lexile level on a new student, one that did not take the test, or can be used as a mid-year snapshot for any student.

Lexiles and TAKS Data Student AStudent B Promoted to next grade Passed TAKS reading Reads 200L below grade level Reads 100L above grade level Indicates need for intervention Indicates need for acceleration

Lexiles and TAKS Data Student CStudent D Not promoted Did not pass TAKS reading Did not pass TAKS reading Reads 400L below grade level Reads 40L below grade level Indicates need for intense intervention Indicates need for minimum intervention

LIBRARIAN’S EXPERTISE + LEXILES =IMPROVED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Appropriately matched books that are engaging and challenging Improved reading success and enjoyment Positive growth in reading proficiency and motivation Effectively managed differentiated instruction

TEACHER’S EXPERTISE + LEXILES =IMPROVED STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Differentiating Instruction Matching class work to students’ reading ability Positive growth in reading proficiency and motivation Effective communication with parents about lexiles and reading growth

How can I use Lexiles to help my students?

Library Services Provides Access To Online Resources From Home It's not always easy to find online resources that can help students with their schoolwork. That's why HISD's Library Services Department makes a variety of resources available. Now teachers, staff, students and parents can access these resources from home! When these resources are accessed from a computer located on an HISD network, you will not need a login ID or password.

To access the online resources from home, a login ID and password are required. For login ID and password information, you may contact: Your school librarian, or call Library Services at You will be able to find magazine articles, maps, timelines, graphs, photos, charts, and all sorts of other educational materials to help students get the most from their coursework

A list of resource links and details on what each provide is located on the Library Services Department Web site: Online Resources. You may find a link to these resources in the Parent Information Channel.Online ResourcesParent Information Channel

Lexiled Databases EBSCO Grolier Online ProQuest Thompson Gale Leveled Database NetTrekker Within the HISD network passwords are not needed. You will need them for Home Access. Username: houstonisd Password: dynamos

Communicating with Parents Don’t get too focused on numbers – ranges are important. Give examples of books and other text materials. Talk about where the student is now, but also where they are going!

Communicating with Parents Emphasize that The Lexile Framework does not address: –interest, –age appropriateness, –text support, or –text quality. –It looks only at text difficulty – books –should always be previewed.

Communicating with Parents Finally, explain that The Lexile Framework is a tool for matching readers with appropriately challenging text, not a reading program.

FUTURE Automation system enhancements –Library management –Student management Customized reading growth charts Differentiated reports, Aprenda, Stanford, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, Scholastic Reading Inventory Increased databases with Lexile feature –EBSCO –ProQuest –Gale –NetTrekker –Grolier Individualized Summer Reading Lists designed to grow the reading ability of our students.

Lexiles will be available to you on Chancery Class schedules will contain the lexile score for each of your students Get Snapshot Lexile Scores on students throughout the year for the students who did not take TAKS or Stanford and additional data points for those that did FUTURE