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The Lexile Framework:
A Tool for Matching the Difficulty of Text with the Comprehension Level of the Reader

What are Lexiles?

What are Lexile scores based on?

What are some examples of Lexile scores?

How is a student's comprehension level matched to a Lexile?

How can I find the Lexile score of a book?

What are Lexiles?

The Lexile Framework for Reading, developed by MetaMetrics, uses one scale to provide measurements of both the difficulty of a particular piece of text and the comprehension level of a particular reader.  The Lexile Scale typically ranges from 200L to 1700L, though scores may occasionally fall below and above that range.  200L is considered beginning reading level.  1200L is considered workplace-level text. 

What are Lexile scores based on?

The Lexile score for a piece of text is determined by two factors:

1. Word Frequency

• How often are commonly-used words used?
• Based on a corpus of hundreds of millions of words used in a variety of contexts
• Takes into account the likelihood that a reader will have had previous contact with the words used

2. Sentence Length

• Based on the number of words per sentence

      Both non-fiction and fiction prose can be accurately Lexiled; poetry, free-form writing, and outlines are among the types of writing that cannot be accurately Lexiled due to their lack of sentence structure. A Spanish version of the Lexile Framework is also available.

Examples of Lexile texts:

How is a student’s comprehension level matched to a Lexile?

Students can be matched to a Lexile score through a variety of testing methods.  Tests such as the Scholastic Reading Inventory, the TerraNova assessment series, and the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measures of Academic Progress provide Lexile score information for each student who takes one of these tests.  The Idaho standardized test, the ISAT, is an Idaho-specific version of the NWEA’s MAP test; therefore, Lexile scores are available for students in every Idaho district. 

            A student’s Lexile score is represented by a range of 150 points.  The bottom one hundred points represents the level at which the student is able to read independently.  The top fifty points represents the student’s instructional reading level, a level at which the student is likely to need assistance and guiding.  The point between these two ranges, one hundred points from the bottom and fifty points from the top, represents the level at which the student is reading with 75% comprehension.

 How can I find the Lexile score for text?           

Once a student’s Lexile range is determined, the Lexile Database can be used to find appropriate text.  The database, available to all at www.lexile.com, contains information on tens of thousands of books and articles, with more being added regularly.  The Lexile database can be searched using Lexile score, title, author, and key words.  Using this database, a teacher can identify a list of books about the same topic or by the same author but that represent a variety of reading levels that can be matched to his or her students.  The Lexile website includes many other resources and tools for teachers including activities for many of the Lexiled books and a monthly newsletter describing best practices.           

The Lexile Analyzer, a tool on the Lexile.com website, allows a teacher to assess the approximate Lexile level for text that isn’t in the database.  This tool can be used, for example, to asses the Lexile for text on a website so that the teacher can identify sites that are an appropriate reading level for student use.

         Directions for using the Lexile Analyzer

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