Lexiles+&+Reading

 **Lexiles: Understanding, Finding, and Using Them to Find the Right Books for Your Reader** Collins students take the //** Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) Interactive **// , a computer-adaptive reading comprehension test, in October and May each year. After a student has completed the test (which usually takes 20-30 minutes), he receives a Lexile measure, or reading level, which can be used to find books that will match his reading ability. Below are the answers to several questions often asked about the Lexile Framework.

 ** What is a Lexile? **  A Lexile is a measure of the amount of challenge presented by a passage of text. A Lexile can also be used to measure a student's reading ability. When we know the Lexile measures for books, magazine articles or other text, and the Lexile measure for a student, we can help him to find reading materials that are not too easy or difficult, but just right for his reading ability.

 ** How does the Lexile Framework determine the reading level for a book, magazine article or other passage of text? **  The Lexile Framework combines measurements of the difficulty of the vocabulary (semantic difficulty) and complexity of the sentences (syntactic complexity) for a passage of text into a mathematical equation in order to determine the difficulty of that passage, and assign it a numerical level called a Lexile rating.

 ** What does the reader's Lexile measure tell a student, parent or teacher? **  The reader's Lexile measure is an indication of the difficulty level of text that the reader is capable of understanding. The Lexile measure is the difficulty level at which the reader can easily understand about 75 percent of the passage of text. This difficulty level is ideal for the student, who will be reading text within his "comfort level", but who will be challenged occasionally to stop and think about the meaning of a word or sentence in the text he is reading. When this occurs, the student enjoys the reading process a great deal more, fostering development of his reading skill as well as an increase in his desire to read. ** It is recommended that the student read at a level that is between 100 points below and 50 points above his personal Lexile score. **

** What does a Lexile measure look like? **  Lexile measures can range from below 0L to above 2000L, and a reader's Lexile measure is simply a number followed by "L". (The Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) Interactive assessment, used by Salem schools, offers a Lexile Scale range of 0L to 1700L.) Smaller Lexile measures indicate either easier text or more elementary reading skill.

 ** Should Lexile measures be used to determine a "grade level" at which a student is reading? **  The reading levels in any given classroom vary as much as the height, weight, emotional development and personalities of the students in that classroom. Just as their physical development differs, these students will develop differently as readers. Assignment of grade levels stigmatizes students whose reading skill may need more time to develop, and places unfair expectations on students whose reading abilities develop more rapidly. Assigning grade levels to students based on their Lexile measures, then, doesn't make sense. [1]

 ** What is the Scholastic Reading Inventory Interactive? ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;"> The <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**// Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) Interactive //** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;"> is a computer-adaptive reading comprehension test that assesses students' reading levels, assists teachers as they adjust their instruction strategies in order to meet their students' needs, and matches readers to text. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**// SRI Interactive //** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 121%;"> features a test item bank of more than 3,000 questions, including passages from authentic children's literature, both fiction and nonfiction, and excerpts from young adult and classic literature, newspapers, magazines, and periodicals.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;"> ** What Lexile ratings have been assigned to Collins Middle School Benchmark Books? **


 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Grade** ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Title** ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Author** ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Lexile** ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Grade 6 ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Freak the Mighty ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Philbrick ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">1000 ||
 * =  ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Westing Game ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Raskin ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">750 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Grade 7 ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Giver ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Lowry ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">760 ||
 * =  ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">The Outsiders ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hinton ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">750 ||
 * = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Grade 8 ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Out of the Dust ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Hesse ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">N/A ||
 * =  ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Crutcher ||= <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">920 ||

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**Where can teachers, students and parents find Lexile ratings for books, magazine articles and other resources?** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> Lexile ratings have been assigned to thousands of English and Spanish language books, according to MetaMetrics CEO and Developer Jack Spinner. Each week, another 200 books are analyzed, and assigned Lexile ratings. Spinner estimates that, at present, about six million magazine and/or journal articles have been assigned Lexile ratings. Lexile ratings information is also becoming more readily available in online book and magazine/journal databases and collections, including the resources below. Passwords needed to access these collections are available in the IMC, or by contacting Joanne O'Keefe, Library Media Specialist (joanneokeefe@salemk12.org ; (978)740-1229). <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**[|Middle Search Plus]** The **Middle Search Plus** collection offers the full text of 150 quality magazines for middle school students. Each full-text article included in the database is assigned a Lexile rating. The full-text information in this resource, which is updated daily, dates back to 1990. (//Please visit the IMC to obtain the user ID and password you will need to log in to// **Middle Search Plus**//.//) <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;">**[|NoveList Plus]** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">is a terrific resource through which readers can learn about books and authors. This searchable database includes information, including descriptions, suggested reading levels, assigned Lexile ratings, reviews from high quality magazines and journals, and links to related full-text articles and author web sites, about picture books, children's chapter books, young adult novels, and books for adult readers. **NoveList Plus** is updated monthly, and adds about 10,000 new fiction records, along with descriptions, reviews and other information, to the database each year. (//Please visit the IMC to obtain the user ID and password you will need to log in to// **NoveList Plus**//.//) <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> **[|The Lexile Framework for Reading]** Visit the Lexile website to learn more about the **Lexile Framework**, or to search for a Lexile measure for a particular book. Curious about the Lexile rating for a particular passage of text? Use the **<span class="wiki_link_ext">[|Lexile Analyzer] **, and obtain an estimated Lexile for it.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> **Other Information Sources** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> Schnick, Thomas, and Mark J. Knickelbine. //**The Lexile Framework: an Introduction for Educators**//. Durham, NC: MetaMetrics, Inc., 2000. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> Schnick, Thomas, and Mark J. Knickelbine. **//The Lexile Framework for Reading: a Guide for Parents//**. Durham, NC: MetaMetrics, Inc., 2001. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> ___ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: left;"> [1] Schnick, Thomas, and Mark J. Knickelbine. **//The Lexile Framework for Reading: a Guide for Parents//**. Durham, NC: MetaMetrics, Inc., 2001. pp. 25-26.