1. Lexile Measures and the Lexile Framework for Reading An Introduction For Teachers and Parents DPS Media Services Department

2.  An educational tool created by MetaMetrics, Inc. that links text and readers under a common metric, Lexiles  Provides a common scale for measuring text difficulty and reading ability  Allows educators to predict the level of comprehension a reader is likely to achieve with a particular text  Helps match students with texts at an appropriate level of difficulty The Lexile Framework for Reading:

3. Text Characteristics that Influence Readability  Syntactic Complexity Number of words per sentence  Semantic Difficulty Frequency of occurrence of individual words

4. Durham Public Schools Lexile Map  Created by DPS Library Media Coordinators and MetaMetrics  Provides samples of text from a variety of books at each Lexile level found in most DPS media centers  Distributed to all students at end of school year  On display in every DPS media center  Additional maps available upon request

5. Interpreting Lexiles  A Lexile measure for either text or reader is a number, typically from 200 to 1700, followed by an L  Lexile measures do not directly translate to grade levels. About 50% of students in a particular grade will read higher or lower than the Lexile ranges in the following slide:

6. Approximate Grade Correlations

7. 75% is the “right amount of challenge”  A student’s Lexile measure is the level at which he/she can read with moderate success (about 75% comprehension)

8. Why 75% Comprehension? Years of MetaMetric research suggests that at 75% a reader …  can have a successful reading experience without frustration or boredom, and  be sufficiently challenged to improve

9. Managing Comprehension  Readers can experience frustration when… Text readability is 100L+ above their Lexile level  Readers can experience ease when… Text readability is 50-100L below their Lexile level  Readers can 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.

10. Lexiles Score Information  The Lexile Framework ® for Reading, has been linked to the North Carolina End-of-Grade (NCEOG) Tests of Reading Comprehension and Mathematics.  The test is administered each spring to students statewide in grades 3 through 8.  Principals can access students’ Lexile measures and print reports through the PAPA testing portal, Roster folders at http://papa.dpsnc.net/testing/default.aspx and provide these reports to teachershttp://papa.dpsnc.net/testing/default.aspx  Parents can access students’ Lexile measures on EOG Parent/Teacher Report which is mailed or sent home at the end of the school year.

11. Locating Other Appropriate Reading Materials  Destiny Library Manager, the online catalog in every Durham Public School, provides the Lexile level of each book for which a Lexile level has been published  Access your school’s online catalog at http://destiny.dpsnc.net, or see the following slide: http://destiny.dpsnc.net

12. Destiny Library Manager search screen

13. Other DPS e-Resources that Utilize Lexiles

14. Additionally, visit http://www.lexile.com/findabook

15. Lexile Analyzer: www.lexile.com (Click “Educators,” then “Tools”www.lexile.com

16. Final Notes:  Lexile measures do not in any way indicate the maturity level of material content. Always consult your school library media specialist for recommendations of age-appropriate materials.  For more information on the Lexile Framework for Reading, go to http://www.lexile.com