LEXILES :: INFORMATION FOR PARENTS
LEXILES :: INFORMATION FOR PARENTSYour role as a parent is critical to the learning success of your child. Studies show that children who read outside of school - and who grow up in reading environments - study better and perform better on tests. But just as not all shoe sizes fit children of the same age, not all children read at the same rate or level. We want to help you understand the Lexile Framework ® for Reading and how various assessments are using it to further reading education in public schools, and how you can use it to encourage your child's reading successes at home.
In North Carolina, what assessment is used
to get a Lexile measure?
The Lexile Framework for
Reading, commonly referred to as the Lexile Framework, has been
linked to the North Carolina End-of-Grade (NCEOG) Tests of Reading
Comprehension and Mathematics. The NCEOG tests are administered
each spring to students statewide in grades 3 through 8.
Why did the North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction put Lexiles on the NCEOG Tests?
North Carolina was the first state to report student Lexile
measures as a supplemental measure on its standardized testing
report. Now, teachers can contact their county or district testing
coordinators for a roster of their students' Lexiler measures. This
provides an additional resource to educators to enable them to
personalize reading instruction, and to be able to better
communicate the reading needs of students to parents.
What is the Lexile Framework for
Reading?
Simply put, the Lexile Framework for Reading is a tool that can be
used to describe the difficulty of texts (readability) and the
reading level your child (reading ability).
What information will be on my child's
report?
In North Carolina, the Parent/Teacher Report provides information
on your child's performance on the North Carolina End-of-Grade
(NCEOG) Tests of Reading Comprehension and Mathematics. The
information on the left side of the report describes your child's
performance on the reading test and provides his or her Lexile
Score. The right side of the report describes your child's
performance on the mathematics test. You can view a sample student
NCEOG report online. This PDF includes callouts that help explain
the different parts of the parent/teacher report. If you have
questions regarding your state's specific report, your child's test
scores, his or her progress in school or local policies related to
the use of test results, contact your child's teacher or the
guidance counselor at your childs school.
What is the Lexile Scale?
The
Lexile ® Scale is a developmental scale. There is not
an explicit bottom or top to the scale, but rather two anchor
points on the scale that describe different levels of reading
comprehension - beginning reading and workplace text.
The Lexile Scale is a valuable tool for parents because it allows you to track your child's progress over time. For example, books like "Arthur and the Recess Rookie" (370L), "Arthur Goes to Camp" (380L) and "Arthur, Clean Your Room!" (370L) fall within the Lexile Range of a typical second grader. These books have shorter sentences and words appear frequently. Conversely, books in the "Harry Potter" series (all of which measure 880L), "Little Women" (1300L) and "Don Quixote" (1410L) contain longer sentences and more complex words.
What does a Lexile measure tell me about
what my child can read?
When reader and text measures match, the reader is "targeted." This
is the basis for selecting text that is targeted to a reader's
reading ability. Targeted readers report competence, confidence and
control over the text. When a text measure is greater than a
reader's measure, comprehension drops dramatically, and the
subjective experience is one of frustration, inadequacy and lack of
control. Conversely, when a reader's measure exceeds a text
measure, comprehension goes up dramatically, and the reader
experiences total control and automaticity.
The Lexile Framework for Reading is a useful tool in designing and managing successful reading experiences for developing readers. The Lexile Framework is not a panacea, and is not the only important consideration. The child's interests, parental views on what constitutes age-appropriate material and teacher's instructional aims are also vital issues in managing a reader's growth. It is important to remember that a child's Lexile measure isn't a measure of his or her intelligence. The Lexile Framework is designed to match a students' reading ability (wherever it falls on the scale) with a text's readability (likewise, wherever it falls on the scale) for optimal reading success and enjoyment.
How do I find books that will help my
child?
Once you obtain a Lexile measure that describes your child's
reading ability, use this information to search the Lexile Titles
Database to find books that are similar to the student's reading
level. This database contains over 30,000 fiction and non-fiction
titles that have been analyzed. On the search screen, we recommend
that you use a Lexile range that is maybe 100L below your child's
measure to ensure that he or she has a successful reading
experience (e.g., if your child has a 880L measure, use a range
that begins with 780L). On the detailed search screen, you can
enter keywords to find books that match his/her interests. In
addition, you can go to your local public library. Most public
libraries have access to Follett, EBSCO and Bigchalk, and can
search for article abstracts with Lexile measures. The key here is
to get your child reading - the Lexile Framework can help you
locate books that he or she is interested in reading.
How do grade levels and Lexile levels
relate?
Lexile levels do not translate specifically to grade levels. Within
any classroom, there will be a range of readers and a range of
materials to be read. In a fifth-grade classroom, there will be
some readers that are far ahead of the rest, and there will be some
readers that are far below the rest. To say that some books are
"just right" for fifth graders assumes that all fifth graders are
reading at the same level. What MetaMetrics tries to do with the
Lexile Framework is to match readers with texts at whatever level
the reader is reading. Just because a student is an excellent
reader does not mean that he or she would comprehend a text
typically found at a higher-grade level. Without the background
knowledge, the words would not have much meaning. A high Lexile
measure for a grade indicates that the student can read grade-level
appropriate materials at a higher comprehension level. In the
classroom, if a teacher is doing a lesson on the solar system, he
or she can suggest additional readings at a variety of levels.
Therefore, each child can read additional books, and both
below-grade and above-grade readers can find appropriately
challenging material.
What types of materials have been given a
Lexile measure? Will more be added?
Many different
types of materials have been analyzed. The Lexile Titles Database
is a collection of over 30,000 titles, each of which has been
assigned a Lexile measure. This free database contains a search
engine that permits you to search for texts by keyword, title,
author, Lexile range and other criteria. With this collection, you
can search for specific titles based on your child's Lexile
measure, and use keywords of interest to your child, knowing that
the selections will challenge developing readers with new
vocabulary and syntax without frustrating him or her unduly. Newly
Lexiled titles are continually added to the database.
Resources for Parents
MetaMetrics, Lexile, Lexile Framework, Lexile Analyzer and the Lexile symbol are U.S. trademarks of MetaMetrics, Inc.