What is a Lexile Score?

As a Reading/Language Arts teacher, I feel that it is important for any reader, especially important for all readers to understand the appropriate Lexile level for reading.  I have gone back through my blog in order to label each title with the appropriate Lexile Level for each book that I have read or will be reading.  A Lexile level is given to represent a person’s reading ability or the difficulty of a particular text. 

Each year, all students are tested at the beginning of the year in order to see what their Lexile Measure is after a summer without school.  The understanding a Lexile score is especially important for teachers and parents.  While most Reading teachers are taught about the complexity of a Lexile score, very few others know how they are used, or that they exist at all.

The reason that Lexile scores are given, is so we are able to see at which grade level students should be reading, while showing their actual leveled Lexile grade equivalency.   When we are able to know how low students reading abilities are, we are able to employ specific strategies in order to help them improve.  Throughout the year, we continue to test students to see if their Lexile scores improve over time.  By checking regularly, we are able to adjust our lessons, strategies, and suggestions for the improvement of our students' reading abilities.

In order to help everyone to better understand how the Lexile scores are used, I will use an example based on my own 8th grade class.  Review the chart below to better acquaint yourself with the basic Lexile Measures and how they match up to grade levels.

Typical Text Measures, by Grade

Grade	Text Demand Study 2009 25th percentile to 75th percentile (IQR)	2012 CCSS Text Measures*
1	230L to 420L	190L to 530L
2	450L to 570L	420L to 650L
3	600L to 730L	520L to 820L
4	640L to780L	740L to 940L
5	730L to 850L	830L to 1010L
6	860L to 920L	925L to 1070L
7	880L to 960L	970L to 1120L
8	900L to 1010L	1010L to 1185L
9	960L to 1110L	1050L to 1260L
10	920L to 1120L	1080L to 1335L
11 & 12	1070L to 1220L	1185L to 1385L

 

 

 

As you can see, an average 8th grader should be reading with a Lexile score of 1010L-1185L.  As a teacher of Intensive Reading students, I have students that read anywhere from a 450L to a 850L.  Because many of my students range from a 2nd grade to 6th grade level, my students are working towards a goal of a 1010L in order to be on grade level.  I will spend the school year helping my students to improve their reading abilities while teaching them grade level information so they do not fall behind. 

There are many reasons why Reading, General Content Area, and parents should understand Lexile scores when teaching/helping an student.

Reading Teachers:

Using Lexile levels will help to improve the content of lessons, and help to set and measure goals throughout the year.

General Content Area teachers:

Using Lexile levels will help these teachers to understand the abilities of their students when reading the complex text in their classrooms.  Accommodations or different strategies should be employed in order to guarantee the success of their students.

Parents:

When choosing a book for your child, it is wise to know what their Lexile score is in regards to their grade level abilities.  You can ask your child's reading teacher for this information.  Lexile levels are available for almost all books, especially Young Adult literature. 

 

References

Lexile-to-Grade Correspondence . (n.d.). The Lexile Framework for Reading. Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/

The Lexile Framework for Reading. (n.d.). The Lexile Framework for Reading. Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://lexile.com/

What is a Lexile® Measure? . (n.d.). The Lexile Framework for Reading. Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://lexile.com/about-lexile/lexile-overview/