Lexile Measures and the Lexile Framework for

Reading

An Introduction For Teachers and Parents

DPS Media Services Department

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:

Text Characteristics that Influence Readability

Syntactic Complexity• Number of words per sentence

Semantic Difficulty• Frequency of occurrence of individual words

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

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:

Approximate Grade Correlations

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)

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

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 levelNote: This range may vary based on text type, reading context and purpose,

reading strategies and support, and reader motivation.

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 teachers

Parents can access students’ Lexile measures on EOG Parent/Teacher Report which is mailed or sent home at the end of the school year.

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:

Destiny Library Manager search screen

Other DPS e-Resources that Utilize Lexiles

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

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

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