College and Career Readiness: Through the Lens of Lexiles (2023)

Gina Massengill, M.Ed., Coordinator, VDOE Region 5 TTAC @ JMU

Regardless whether a student aspires to postsecondary education, a job, the military, or just to be an informed citizen, the reading ability required is likely to be higher than what is typically required in high school based on texts that are widely used in this country (Williamson, 2004).

Have you ever thought about what the reading demands are for your students beyond high school? Or better yet, do you feel that they are equipped to meet the demands of what they are required to read as citizens, employees, post-secondary education learners, and/or in their personal activities? Would you like to have valuable understanding into your student’s readiness for these reading demands, like to predict the level of comprehension they need to experience success with these texts, and have a valuable tool for teachers, parents, and students that connects your students reading ability level and how difficult those texts are with a common measure? The Lexile® Framework for Reading, a scientific approach to reading measurement that matches readers to text, provides this.

What is a Lexile Measure?

• A standard score developed by MetaMetrics®
• Include two kinds of measures: the Lexile reader measure and the Lexile text measure. Students receive a Lexile reader measure as a score from a reading test – it describes his or her reading ability. Books and other texts receive a Lexile text measure from a software tool called the Lexile Analyzer – it describes the book’s reading demand or difficulty (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, 2012)
• Lexile measures are included in the Stamdards of Learning (SOL) score reports
• A score interpreted as the level of book that a student can read with 75% comprehension - 75% comprehension is the level identified by experts as offering the reader a certain amount of comfort and yet still offering a challenge
• The most widely adopted reading measure in use today
• Available for tens of thousands of books and tens of millions of articles
• Available by all major standardized test to report student scores in Lexiles
• Part of reading and testing programs at district, state, and federal levels (Williamson, 2004).

What is the Lexile Scale?

• Lexiles typically range from 200 for beginning readers to 1700 for advanced readers
• Lexile text below 200 represents beginning-reading material, and a student’s Lexile score may have a number in the 100s or the code of BR. BR is a code that stands for Beginning Reading.
• Applies to both reader ability and text difficulty
• When reader and text measures are the same, the student is expected to read with 75% comprehension
• Can be used to track reading growth over time
  (Georgia Department of Education, 2012)

What are the reading demands of the post-secondary world according to Lexile Measures?

Median Text Measures (Williamson, 2004):

• 11th/12th grade (LA/SS textbooks): (1090L)
• GED Test Materials:(1060L)
• SAT/ACT Test Materials:(1180L)
• Military (training/field manuals): (1180L)
• Citizenship (newspapers, voting, jury): (1230L)
• Workplace (Daggett study materials): (1260L)
• Postsecondary - first two yrs. (textbooks): (1355L)
• University (1395L)
• Community College (1295L)

Newspapers (Daggett, 2003):

• USA Today (1200L)
• Associated Press (1310L)
• Chicago Tribune (1310L)
• Wall Street Journal (1320L)
• Washington Post (1350L)
• NY Times (1380L)
• Reuters (1440L)

Personal Reading - Citizen Reading Materials (Williamson, 2004):

• CD-DVD Player Instructions (1080L)
• GM Protection Plan (1150L)
• Microsoft Windows User Manual (1150L)
• Installing Your Child Safety Seat (1170L)
• Federal Tax Form W-4 (1260L)
• Application for Student Loan (1270L)
• Medical Insurance Benefit Package (1280L)
• Aetna Health Care Discount Form (1360L)

Entry-level Occupational Reading Materials - Career Clusters (Daggett, 2003):

• Agriculture/Natural resources(1270-1510)
• Architecture/Construction(1210-1340L)
• Arts/AV Technology/Communications (1100-1190L)
• Business and Administration(1210 – 1310L)
• Education and Training(1320-1370L)
• Health Science (1260-1300L)
• Hospitality and Tourism(1230-1260L)
• Human Services(1050-1200L)
• Law and Public Safety(1420-1740L)
• Manufacturing(1200-1310L)
• Retail/Wholesale Sales and Service (1180-1270L)
• Scientific Research/Engineering(1190-1250L)
• Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (1170-1350L)

An examination of K–12 texts using Lexile levels reveals a gap of 65L to 230L between the demands placed on high school seniors and the difficulty of postsecondary texts. Texts required for many postsecondary pursuits fall within a Lexile range of 1200L to 1400L, while the text complexity of typical high school textbooks for grades 11 and 12 is about 1050L to 1165L. This research provides valuable insight into the apparent disconnect when high school graduates encounter college and career texts. To put this gap in perspective, a 250L difference between reader ability and text complexity can cause a drop from 75-percent comprehension to 50-percent comprehension. This means that high school seniors who can successfully read twelfth-grade texts may enter college or the workplace several months later and encounter texts that result in less than 50-percent comprehension (Williamson, 2008).

How are your colleagues using Lexile levels to prepare students?

Linda Freeman, Speech Language Pathologist, Culpeper County Public Schools, VA
As a speech language pathologist (SLP), access to Lexile scores has helped me to understand how my students are functioning on unstructured reading tasks. It has also helped to give me focus in how to help teachers address students language/reading needs within the classroom. I can take a handout or lecture, scan it into Lexile.com and get a Lexile equivalent. With that information, I can share with teachers how easy or difficult it would be for regular education students (performing above, at, or below grade level expectations) and special education students to decode that information. We can then work together to alter presentation of materials to enhance student understanding.

Testing is conducted three times a year at both the middle school and high school to monitor progress with all students. A team consisting of teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and the SLP reviews the data from each testing session. Additional data such as grades, attendance, discipline, and SOL testing is also reviewed. After some initial trial and error, we are now able to get a good picture of which students need reading intervention, strategy intervention, or enhanced classroom instruction. Meetings can be time consuming for all involved, but careful review helps to ensure proper placement for all students.

It seems that having access to Lexile information has affected everyone within the school. Teachers are now very aware of the ‘crack’ students. Meaning those students who participate in class, get average grades, and are too high for traditional reading intervention, but who are clearly not reading at grade level. There is new focus to try different things to get these kids over the hump.

As an SLP, my school involvement has grown exponentially. Initially, I really didn’t understand how I would be able to do anything different to help the ‘regular ed’ students within the classroom. Eventually, I came to realize that the SLP does possess a different skill set that CAN enhance classroom instruction. It’s not about the subject matter for me, it’s helping students learn how to ‘take apart’ a question in any environment, use context clues to help learn vocabulary or unfamiliar words, and think through problems to help increase their understanding of higher level material.

Sandra Bennett, High School Science Teacher, Culpeper County High School, Culpeper County Public Schools, VA

Being introduced to Lexile scores through the Content Literacy Continuum™ (CLC) has really helped my students and lowered my frustration level as well. I write my own lab background and instructions for labs and for one particular lab I could not understand why my students were struggling so with the pre-lab questions. These all had answers in the background write-up. What was the problem? Then we had professional development (PD) on Lexile scores and how to interpret our Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) scores using them. I used my lab background to check the level on the website and was shocked to learn that I was writing at about a 1700 level while my students’ average was around 1000.

The problem was immediately obvious. I had learned that the score was based on sentence length, use of complex words, repetition of words and such, so I decided I would try and bring the level down to one that was appropriate for the students I was teaching. It took several tries to do it but I made two versions at two different levels: 1200 and 1000. The information is the same. The concepts are covered. There was such a change in the responses I was getting from my students when they used the “newer” versions. Students were answering questions completely and “getting it.” All it took was a bit of effort to use shorter sentences, repeat some of the definitions, and decrease the sentence complexity and both my students and I were happier.

I used the higher-level lexile score version in my honors class and the general students used the one that is a bit less complex. I even took it one more step and created a lower score for one of my students who had a very low level. No one had to know they weren’t doing exactly the same work as everyone else since the papers appeared to be the same.

Since that first time, I routinely check whatever I write or use to make sure that I am challenging my students but not expecting them to read at levels far beyond their present one. We do SRI testing three times a year so it is easy to check where my students are and adjust as needed.

Cathleen Beachboard, 6th Grade English Teacher, Floyd T. Binns Middle School, Culpeper County Public Schools, VA

Everyday in the classroom I use Lexile levels toprovide scaffoldingfor reading assignments, to help students choose books, and to make my classroom a place where reading flourishes. In the past, I found getting students to read daunting and forcing grade level material on them was not helping the matter. No one would ever walk into a shoe store and ask for a “sixth grade shoe.” Shoes are fitted according to each person and not all shoes will fit the same student. As I’ve learned, the same is true with books. No “sixth grade book” meets the needs of all sixth grade students because students are at various stages of development and knowledge in sixth grade.By knowing students’ Lexile scores, I as a teacher have the ability to match students to reading materials that appropriately challenge, but do not frustrate, each student.

Through the use of Lexiles, studentscan be monitored for their reading progress and matched to instructional materials at their level. When students read comfortably they are excited about reading and it encourages them to read more.By adapting the content I found out studentsare not only able to understand the material better, but theyare growing in leaps and bounds in the area of reading comprehension. The most amazing thing is that students not onlyare starting to get excited about reading, butthe individualized instructionis causing students Lexiles to increasequickly and dramatically. Students who were below basic in readingare quickly becoming grade level readers and I finally feel like Iam truly helping my students succeed. Lexiles are the key to helping readers.

One of the most successful things I have done with the Lexiles in my class is used the students Lexile scores to motivatestudents to read more. I show students the giant chart of professions from the real world like doctors, lawyers, scientists, etc. and the average Lexile for each profession. Students quickly get motivated by this real world data to do better in reading. Students then set goals for themselves and start pushing themselves to read more material.

Lexiles really push the individualized education each student needs to succeed. Lexiles help differentiate instruction and provide scaffolded support for each student. With Lexiles and content to back up the student’s level, success is inevitable for the student.

What resources are available to help implement the Lexile framework in the classroom?

Virginia Department of Education Web site http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/index.shtml

The Lexile Framework for Reading: A Web Session for Educators
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/educators/educator_session_skin.swf

Virginia Lexile Framework Map http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/resources/lexile_framework_map.pdf

Parents Guide to Lexile Framework for Reading http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/at_home/parents_guide.pdf

Lexile Find A Book, Lexile Analyzer, and Lexile Calculator
www.Lexile.com

Lexile Framework Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.lexile.com/faq/

References

Daggett, W.R. (2003). Achieving reading proficiency for all. Rexford, NY: International Center for Leadership in Education.

Georgia Department of Education. (2012). Lexile framework for reading. Retrieved December 18, 2012, from http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Assessment/Pages/Lexile-Framework.aspx

The Lexile Framework for Reading. (2012). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved December 18, 2012, from http://www.lexile.com/faq/.

Virginia Department of Education. (2012). Lexile framework for reading: Information for educators. Retrieved December 18, 2012, from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/scoring/lexile/educators/index.shtml.

Williamson, G.L. (2004). Student readiness for postsecondary options. Durham, NC: MetaMetrics.

Williamson, G.L. (2008). A text readability continuum for postsecondary readiness.Journal of Advanced Academics,19 (4), 602-632.