December 8, 2014 Dear OUSD Families and Caregivers,

As you know, we have been transitioning over the last two years to the new Common Core State Standards. Adopted in August, 2010, these standards are benchmarked against international standards and help our students to become prepared for success in College and Career.

With the transition to the Common Core State Standards, there have been some adjustments to one of the measuring sticks we use to determine your child’s growth in reading ability. That measurement tool is called the “Scholastic Reading Inventory” or “SRI’” for short.

The SRI is taken 2 or 3 times per year. Your child has already taken it once. Your child’s SRI test results will be given as a “Lexile” score – a number between 100L and 1700L. The higher the Lexile score, the more advanced your child’s reading skills. This year the SRI Lexile performance ranges used to indicate if a student is reading “at, above or below” grade level expectations are higher than the ranges used last year. Given the higher expectations, you may notice a change in your child’s Lexile performance band. These Lexile score ranges reflect the Lexile level a student should have by the end of the school year in order to be on track for college. Please see below for the new performance band ranges:

Common Core Aligned SRI Performance Bands

Lexile Score Ranges Updated on September 2014

Grade Multiple Years

Below Grade Level 1 Year Below Grade Level At Grade Level Above Grade Level

K N/A BR BR to 189 190 and above

1 BR BR to 189 190 to 419 420 and above

2 BR to 189 190 to 419 420 to 519 520 and above

3 BR to 419 420 to 519 520 to 739 740 and above

4 BR to 519 520 to 739 740 to 829 830 and above

5 BR to 739 740 to 829 830 to 924 925 and above

6 BR to 829 830 to 924 925 to 969 970 and above

7 BR to 924 925 to 969 970 to 1009 1010 and above

8 BR to 969 970 to 1009 1010 to 1049 1050 and above

9 BR to 1009 1010 to 1049 1050 to 1079 1080 and above

10 BR to 1049 1050 to 1079 1080 to 1184 1185 and above

11/12 BR to 1079 1080 to 1184 1185 to 1386 1387 and above

Beginning Reader (BR) = 0 to 99

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Helping students stay on track to meet these more rigorous 21st

Century College and Career

Readiness expectations is priority number one. As you know, a student’s ability to read well in all academic subject areas such as Math, Science, and History, is critical to becoming college and career ready. The reference table above shows the new SRI Lexile ranges in relation to grade level. The green and blue columns show the SRI Lexile range required to meet college and career readiness expectations by grade 11. You can help your child stay on track by finding books that match his/her reading Lexile level. The online "Find a Book" feature available at www.lexile.com is a handy tool to find books by Lexile level. It is easier to choose appropriate books at the library or bookstore when you know which books match your child’s SRI Lexile range. For example, the first Harry Potter book’s Lexile level is 880L. When reading by him/herself, your child will benefit from reading a book that is within his/her SRI Lexile range. The reading range is from 100L below to 50L above your child’s current Lexile level/score. The Harry Potter book, at 880L, would be most appropriate for children reading from 830L to 980L.

However, please do not sacrifice high interest, challenging reading materials for the sake of

easy readability. Read parts of narrative text together and discuss topics such as characters and

motivation. Encourage your child to choose a variety of non-fiction text also such as

biographies or science articles. Taking the time to read together allows you to ask questions

and clarify confusing parts of the text.

If you would like more information about the shift in district reading expectations, your child’s

SRI Lexile score or how to help your child read better, please feel free to contact your child’s

teacher or principal.

Sincerely,

Ramona Burton

Director of State and Local Assessments

 Tilden Education Center, Room 10   4551 Steele Street, Oakland, CA  94619      Testing@ousd.k12.ca.us  Page 2 of 2