The Lexile® Framework for Reading evaluates reading ability and
text complexity on the same developmental scale. When an assessment is
linked with the Lexile Framework, students’ test scores immediately
become actionable.
Developed by
MetaMetrics in Durham, North Carolina, The Lexile
Framework is based on more than 20 years of research funded by the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The distinct
approach to measuring readers and texts has resulted in Lexile adoptions
by departments of education in nearly half the states and school
districts in all 50 states.
More information about the Lexile Framework can be found at
Lexile.com.
What is a Lexile Measure?
A Lexile measure is a valuable piece of information
about either an individual's reading ability or the complexity of a
text, like a book or magazine article. Lexile measures also forecast how
well a reader will comprehend a text. Recognized as the standard for
matching readers with texts, tens of millions of students worldwide
receive a Lexile measure that helps them find targeted readings from
more than 100 million articles, books and websites that have been
measured.
There are two Lexile® measures: the Lexile reader measure and the
Lexile text measure. A Lexile reader measure represents a person’s
reading ability on the Lexile scale. A Lexile text measure represents
the complexity of a text on the Lexile scale. When used together, Lexile
measures help a reader choose a book or other reading material that is
at an appropriate level of complexity and can predict how well a reader
will likely comprehend a text at a specific Lexile level. For example,
if a reader has a Lexile measure of 1000L, he will be forecasted to
comprehend approximately 75 percent of a book with the same Lexile
measure (1000L). The 75-percent comprehension rate is called “targeted”
reading.
Today, Lexile measures are recognized as the most widely used
reading metric. Lexile measures connect learners of all ages with
resources at the right level of challenge and can monitor their progress
toward state and national learning standards. Lexile measures range
from below 200L for emergent readers and text to above 1600L for
advanced readers and text.
Lexile Measures in Kentucky
Students in grades 3-8 will receive a Lexile measure from the
Kentucky K-PREP Tests of English Language Arts.
Additionally, local school systems may access over 50 popular
reading assessments and programs that report out Lexile measures. Click
here for a
complete list.
Students, parents and educators can access Lexile-measured texts
through the
Kentucky Virtual Library. The State Library Online
Database provides access to an abundance of online newspaper and
magazine articles that match readers’ Lexile range.
Using Lexile Measures to Assess Transition Readiness
The goal of the Kentucky Academic Standards (KAS) is to ensure
that students are ready for college and career after high school. Lexile
measures were included as one of the quantitative measures of text
complexity in the
Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards for
English Language Arts & Literacy in History/ Social Studies,
Science, and Technical Subjects. An important factor for readiness is a
student’s ability to read and understand texts of steadily increasing
complexity as he or she progresses through school. The Lexile Framework
provides valuable insights into student readiness by measuring both the
complexity of college and career texts and a student’s ability to
comprehend these texts.
This initiative offers the following
overlapping Lexile bands (or Lexile ranges, as defined by Common Core)
to place texts in the following text complexity grade bands.
Lexile Text Ranges to Guide Reading for Transition Readiness
For grade 1, the reader measures, mid-year 25th percentile to 75th percentile are BR12OL to 295L, for grade 2, they are 170L to 545L, for grade 3, 415L to 760L, for grade 5, 770L to 1080L, for grade 6, 855L to 1165L, for grade 7, 925L to 1235L, for grade 8, 985L to 1295L, for grade 9, 1040L to 1350L, for grade 10, 1085L to 1400L, and for grades 11 and 12, they are 1130L to 1440L.