About Lexiles

Lexile measures defined

The Lexile Framework® forReading is a scientific approach to reading and text measurement, placing both readers and texts on a common scale. The Lexile Framework includes the Lexile measure and the Lexile scale. The Lexile measure is a reading ability or text difficulty score followed by an “L” (e.g., 850L). The Lexile scale is a developmental scale for reading ranging from below 200L for beginning readers and beginning-reading text to above 1700L for advanced readers and text. The Lexile Framework matches reader ability with text difficulty, allowing you to more effectively guide students to appropriate reading choices.

Managing reader comprehension

Lexile measures allow you to manage reader comprehension by connecting students with texts that are appropriately challenging. Matching a reader’s Lexile measure with a text with the same Lexile measure leads to an expected 75-percent comprehension rate—not too difficult to be frustrating, but difficult enough to encourage reading progress. You can further adjust anticipated comprehension by choosing more or less difficult texts within a student’s suggested Lexile range of 50L above and 100L below their Lexile measure. (To see how changing a Lexile measure of a text affects comprehension, try the Lexile calculator at www.Lexile.com.)

 Using Lexile measures in your library

· Labeling books with Lexile measures helps students find titles of interest at their appropriate reading level.

· Comparing students’ Lexile measures with the Lexile measures of the books and periodicals in your library helps you analyze and develop the collection to more fully meet the needs of all students.

 · Using the free Lexile Book Database (at www.Lexile.com) or “Find a Book” Web site (at www.lexile.com/findabook) to support book selection and create booklists within a student’s Lexile range helps you guide student reading selections.