Lexiles
"Using technology to promote the
use of Lexiles in a school reading
plan. "
www.lexile.com
MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics, a privately held
educational measurement
company, develops
scientifically based measures
of student achievement that
link assessment with
instruction, foster better
educational practices, and
improve learning by matching
students to materials that
meet and challenge their
abilities.
This presentation…
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Affirms all materials and resources used in
conjunction with the Lexile name are
copyrighted by and the sole property of
MetaMetrics.
Recognizes the value of using Lexiles for
instructional purposes.
Attempts to demonstrate ideas and
resources used in conjunction with Lexiles.
MetaMetrics’ products and services focus on improving
teaching and learning in grades K-12, enabling educators
to use students’ scores from classroom and state
assessments to:
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Achieve instructional and curricular objectives
Match students to targeted materials that meet and challenge their
individual abilities
Differentiate instruction and manage comprehension, across
content areas and grades
Track growth and set achievable goals
Map day-to-day progress to desired results on high-stakes tests
Communicate with school administrators and parents about
students’ progress and goals
Meet federal, state and district requirements for student
performance and growth
…from www.lexile.com
MetaMetrics’ user base includes:
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State Departments of Education
State-wide and/or local schools and districts
Parents and students
Instructional consultants
Educational researchers
Publishers
Test development companies
Academic measurement groups
Why Should We Care About Reading?
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Life’s Demands for Literacy
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Continuing Education
Workplace
Citizenship
Lifelong Reading
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CD-DVD Player Instructions (1080L)
Microsoft Window User Manual (1150L)
GM Protection Plan (1150)
Installing Your Child Safety Seat (1170L)
Federal Tax Form W-4 (1260L)
Application for a student loan (1270L)
Medical Insurance Benefits Pkg. (1280L)
SAT (1330L)
GED (1060L)
What are Lexiles?
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A Lexile is a standard unit for measuring
the comprehensibility of text
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Semantics (meaning)
Syntax (sentence structure)
A Lexile measure or range can also be
assigned to a student
Overall Goal of Lexiles is to…
… create Text Accessibility, a marriage
between student ability and text level so
that students can access content
information.
Lexiles Do Not Address
• Student interest
• Age-appropriateness
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Text support
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Quality of text
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Prior Knowledge
Determining a Student’s
Lexile Range
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Independent Reading
Range of difficulty should be . . .
50 Lexiles above to 100 Lexiles below
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Instructional Reading
Range of difficulty should be . . .
50 to 150 Lexiles above
The Lexile Framework
The Lexile
Analyzer
The Lexile Map
Linking
Technology
Lexiled
Reading
Assessments
The Lexile Analyzer
Scan text into electronic format
Edit text
Examine words
Examine sentences
Calculate Lexile measure
Review text and Lexile measure
The Lexile Map
Linking Technology - Lexile
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The Lexile Book Database
The Lexile Analyzer
The Lexile Calculator
The Lexile Multiple Measures Calculator
The Lexile Book Database
Click
educators
Lexile Book Database
Click Lexile Book
Database
Textbook Details
Book Search
Lexile Book Database
Book Search by Title
1. Enter Title
3. Click
Search
2. Sort by
Lexile and
Select
Results
per page
Search Results
Click on a
title to view
details
Book Details
Search by Author
2. Sort by
Lexile and
Select
Results per
page
1. Enter
Author
3. Click
Search
Search Results: 32 Books 590L – 960L
Search by Lexile Range
and Keyword
Enter Lexile
Range:
450-1200
Enter
Keyword:
life cycles
Search Results
Click here
Letters in the
Lexile measure?
Explanation of Lexile Codes
Advanced Book Search
Click here
Book Type Options
Drop down
menu
Developmental Rating Options
Drop down
menu
Find A Book with Lexiles
Find A Book with Lexiles
650
Find A Book with Lexiles
X
Find A Book with Lexiles
Find A Book with Lexiles
Go to www.lexile.com
Click
educators
Creating Documents for the
Online Analyzer
1.
2.
3.
Create a text document
Save the document as “text only” (*.txt)
You are now ready to use the online
analyzer to determine the Lexile measure
of the text
Saving Documents to Analyze
You must
save your
document as
Text Only
Lexile Analyzer
Click Lexile
Analyzer
Sign In
You must
register
first
Registration is Easy
Lexile Analyzer
Click Browse…
to find your file
Insert the Document
Locate your
document
Double click
on the
document
Analyze the Text
The document
is inserted
Click Analyze
The Results
Lexile Calculator
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Can forecast comprehension
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Identifies the relationship between the reader and the text
Predicts how well the reader will comprehend the material
in the text
Can perform the following calculations:
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The rate at which a student is expected to comprehend of
the text
The reading ability a reader is expected to need in order
to comprehend the text at a specific level
Forecasted Comprehension Rate
Lexile Calculator
1.00
0.80
0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
-1000 -750
-500
-250
0
250
Reader - Text (in Lexiles)
500
750
Forecasted Comprehension Rate
Lexile Calculator
1.00
0.80

0.60
0.40
0.20
0.00
-1000 -750
-500
-250
0
250
Reader - Text (in Lexiles)
500
750
Lexile Calculator
Formula for the X axis:
Reader measure – Text measure =
Lexiles
Examples:
Reader (1230L) – Text (890L)
= 340 L
Reader (890L) – Text (1230L)
= -340 L (difficult)
(easy)
Calculation for X Axis
1230
- 890
340
890 Reader
- 1230 Text
-340 Lexile difference
Note: The Lexile difference can be a
positive or negative number
Forecasted
Comprehension Rates
Reader measure – text calibration = O Lexiles
75% comprehension rate
Reader measure – text calibration = -250 Lexiles
50% comprehension rate
Reader measure – text calibration = +250 Lexiles
90% comprehension rate
Lexile Calculator
Click here
Access the Lexile Calculator
Click here
Calculating Expected
Comprehension Rate
1. Select grade level
2. Select top button
3. Enter Lexile range and Submit
Forecasted Comprehension
Blue bar indicates
comprehension
range
Titles in Book Bag
Scroll down to
view Book Bag
Titles
Calculating Required Lexile Measure for
Selected Comprehension Rate
1. Select grade level
2. Select bottom button
3. Enter comprehension range and Submit
Lexile Measure Required to Meet
Comprehension Rate
Blue bar indicates
required Lexile
measure
Linking Technology - Assessments
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NWEA (MAP)
Scholastic Reading Inventory
PACT (grades 3-8)
Overview
One important aspect of student success is the
ability to read grade-level material. NWEA
Reading assessments provide an accurate
indication of a student's reading ability. Educators
use this score, in conjunction with DesCartes, to
identify appropriate reading instruction. Because
districts can test up to four times a year, teachers
can measure and monitor reading growth
accurately throughout the year.
Features
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Provide both a Lexile score and reading RIT scores.
Allow teachers and parents to identify books and curriculum
materials that are appropriately challenging for students.
Leverage the Lexile Framework to match texts to a student's
reading ability. Texts are evaluated for difficulty based on two
parameters: word complexity and frequency, and sentence
length.
Maintain individualized student data year after year;
educators can easily track the growth of a student's reading
level over time.
Practical Application
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Identify a student's individual reading level.
Match a learner's reading level with fiction, non-fiction, and
instructional materials spanning thousands of books and
millions of articles.
Track a student's reading comprehension over time and set
goals accordingly.
Forecast whether a reader will be able to easily comprehend the
material.
Set and track goals for independent reading.
Plan for disparities between student reading comprehension
levels and the readability of assigned materials.
Easily create customized reading lists for individual students.
Scholastic Reading Inventory
How SRI Works
Scholastic Reading Inventory functions as
a quick "reading physical" at all stages of a
student's academic career, from Grade 1 to
Grade 12. Use SRI at all levels to pretest at
the beginning of the school year, and test
again at intervals throughout the year to
measure reading growth and determine
needs.
1. Select Book
2. Take Quiz
Get Reading List
Get Teacher Reports
Browse by Level
PACT
User’s Guides, Score Reports, and Brochures
 Copies of the 2007 PACT Score Report User’s Guide should have arrived
in districts by August 23, along with the Individual Student Reports (ISRs),
student labels, and paper copies of reports ordered by the district. Also
included in this shipment were copies of the updated PACT brochure:
“PACT Facts for Students, Parents, and Educators” for distribution to the
parents of students tested with PACT. New for 2007 is “The Lexile
Framework for Reading – Map of Literature Titles.” Sufficient copies were
provided for schools to send one map home with each ISR. The User’s
Guide, “PACT Facts” brochure, and Lexile map can also be accessed from
the PACT Web page: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/offices/assessment/pact/.
 Lexile measures have been added to the 2007 ISRs and district data files.
The Lexile measure, consisting of a range of scores for each student, is
reported in the ELA section of each ISR. Lexiles and their use are
described in the User’s Guide, on the back of the ISRs, and on the reverse
side of the Lexile maps.
Linking Technology - Resources
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Destiny
DISCUS
EBSCO
ProQuest
Questia
Newsbank
School Site
Catalog – Search by Lexile
Select the Search Strategy
Hit(s)
Power Search
Discus – Your Information Place
Databases Supporting Lexile
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SIRS Knowledge Source
SIRS Discoverer
Grolier Online
Thompson Gale sources
Which Thomson Gale products support
Lexiles?
Academic ASAP
Academic OneFile
Canadian Periodical Index (CPI.Q)
Computer Database
Educator’s Reference Complete
Expanded Academic ASAP
General Reference Center
General Reference Center Gold
Health Reference Center Academic
Informe
InfoTrac Custom Journals
InfoTrac Custom Newspapers
InfoTrac OneFile
LegalTrac
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center
Professional Collection
PowerSearch
Student Resource Center Bronze
Student Resource Center College Edition Expanded
Student Resource Center Gold
Student Resource Center Silver
Student Resource Center Silver Health Module
Where Do Lexiles Appear?
When enabled in the supported databases,
Lexiles are displayed as part of the citation
on the tabbed results list for documents
from magazines, academic journals and
news sources, where available. They also
appear at the top of the Lexiled document
itself.
Academic OneFile
Search – Carbon footprint (850-1050L)
Three Ways to Apply Lexiles to
Lexiled Databases
1.
2.
3.
Use the Lexile Reading Level Drop
Down Box
Enter Lexile Reading Score
Use Field Codes (lx 800-1100)
1. Use the Lexile Reading
Level Drop Down Box
Enter topic and select
a Lexile range
Search Results
Number of
Articles
Lexile
measure
2. Use the Lexile Reading
Score Box
Use hyphen
before or after
the Lexile
Note:
Hyphen before the Lexile limits
the search to material at or below
that Lexile
Hyphen after the Lexile limits the
search to material at or above
that Lexile
Search Results
Number of
Articles
Lexile
measure
Choose a New Database
Choose
Database
Health Source Database
Select Health
Source
3. Use Field Codes – Range
Enter topic and
Lexile range
lx 800-1100
Formula for Lexile Range:
“and lx Lexile-Lexile”
Search Results
Number of
Articles
Lexile
measure
Field Codes – Maximum
Enter topic and
Lexile maximum
lx -1100
Formula for Lexile Maximum:
“and lx -Lexile”
Search Results
Number of
Articles
Lexile
measure
Field Codes – Minimum
Enter topic and
Lexile minimum
lx 1100Formula for Lexile Minimum:
“and lx Lexile-”
Search Results
Number of
Articles
Lexile
measure
Linking Technology - Creativity
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At this past year’s Lexile Conference in Orlando, FL, I was
fortunate to get to many presentations, as well as have the
ability to speak with colleagues from around the county.
These are some of the ideas I came away with from the
conference. I hope to be able to put some of these ideas in
place this year. We are already working on some. I suggest
that joining the SCASL listserv and participating in the online
dialog would be an excellent method to share what work’s
and what doesn’t! I apologize for not be able to identify who
shared these ideas with me…I don’t assume to take any
credit for them.
Linking Technology - Creativity
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Summer reading / enrichment programs
Creating Lexile learning packets
Adding lexiled documents to school
databases
Supplemental Lexile Portfolios for
Textbooks
Summer reading / enrichment programs
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Review materials
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Advanced readings
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Items from a variety of assessments
Information not thoroughly learned
Fundamentals of new learning
Required readings or review of concepts
Transitional (i.e. leaving 5th - entering 6th grade)
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Collaborative efforts between teachers to increase
learning
Basics of new curriculum or standards
Creating Lexile learning packets
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Plans / directions for activities
Timelines / rationale for learning
Reading resources / activities
Simple assessments to gage learning
Activity to demonstrate learning that has
occurred
Adding lexiled materials
to school databases
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Teachers / Library Media Specialists
identify appropriate resources
Prepare persistent hyperlinks / collaborate
with public libraries, etc.
Provide instructions for searching and
retrieving resources
Maintain consistent records
Supplemental Lexile Portfolios
for Textbooks
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Develop collaborative instructional teams
(i.e. grade level, subject area, or interdisciplinary approach.)
Determine scope or resources (Lexile
levels, media formats)
Collect, review, and create electronic
bibliography (DVD, CD, Website…)
South Carolina – Social Studies –
Grade 6
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GR6 - 6-3.2.
Explain the development of English
government and legal practices, including
the principles of the Magna Carta, its effect
on the feudal system, and its contribution
to the development of representative
government in England. (P, H)
850L – 1150L
The Making of the Magna Carta
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Junior Scholastic
March 22, 1999
5 pages
Presents a play depicting the making of
Great Britain’s Magna Carta under King
John of England in the 1200’s
500L
Survey of the Magna Carta
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Book – Events of the Middle Ages
© 2002
3 pages
Discusses the Magna Carta, the charter
signed by British King John in 1215 which
outlined the feudal privileges…
770L
The Meaning of the Magna Carta
since 1215
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History Today
September, 2003
7 pages
Considers how and why the Magna Carta,
the great charter of liberty granted by King
John in 1215 that placed the English king
under the law…
1350L
Magna Carta: Exemplification of
1215
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Article taken from Events of the Middle Ages
2002
10 pages
Reproduces the translation of the Exemplification
of 1215, the Magna Carta, also called the Great
Charter, from the original Latin. Abuses of power
…
1550L
Thanks!
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David Bell
Coordinator, Horry County Schools
Conway, SC
(843) 488-6802