Technology Exploratorium http://www.lexile.com/

1. Technology Exploratoriumhttp://www.lexile.com/ By: Chrissy McHugh

2. The Features and Capabilities of using Lexile.com • A lexile is a measurement of a reader’s comprehension or of a book. • It determines the best books for a specific reader. • The length of sentences and word fluency help to determine how well a student will comprehend the given text. • Lexile level is determined by educational measurement company MetaMetrics. • Each given lexile will target students to achieve 75% comprehension rate within their lexile.

3. The Features and Capabilities of using Lexile.com (Part 2) • All lexile scores are recorded to the nearest 10 and range from 200L-1700L. • There is a list at http://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/ of grade level lexile equivalents. • Many state or standardized tests tell lexile scores. (also some reading series)

4. How can Lexile.com be used in formal and informal educational settings? • Lexile.com can help teachers organize their books in the classroom so that students can easily find appropriate materials. • This resource can allow teachers to locate texts that are appropriate for small group reading instruction or based on individual student need. • Parents can use this tool to help their children continue to read appropriate texts over the summer. • Parents or tutors can use the preferences tools to help determine other books a child would be interested in. • Lexile.com links to publishers who can display texts, which is helpful for struggling or advanced readers.

5. Benefits of using Lexile.com • Free!! • This tool helps to match readers with the most appropriate texts. • Parents and teachers can access this tool from home. • It evaluates a large variety of texts for readers ranging from preschool to graduate school. • Many publishers have links on Lexile.com. • This site allows teachers to use differentiation in the classroom.

6. Benefits of using Lexile.com (Part 2) • The site allows teachers and parents to compare one student to the suggested averages. • Using the site can aid teachers in organizing their classroom libraries. • Lexile.com allows instructors to see texts 100 points below and 50 points above the student’s level as appropriate texts to be used in instruction. • Themed lists can be created based on student interests.

7. Benefits of using Lexile.com (Part 3) • There is also a Spanish book search tool. • Upon searching for a book, you may also see a summary, awards and related categories. • After selecting a book, you can enter the reader’s lexile level to determine how much of the book the reader will comprehend. • A student or teacher can create a reading list based on lexile. • You can also link from the text to local libraries or Barnes and Noble to obtain a copy of the book.

8. Drawbacks of using Lexile.com • Lexile.com does not report on the quality of the text we are about to place in our student’s hands. • Lexile.com does not tell teachers or parents how age appropriate a text might be. • Teachers will have to be careful of how they use the material obtained from this tool so that no stigma in the classroom is associated with lexile level. • Not all schools administer assessments that yield lexile level scores. However, there is still a way to use Lexile.com. Just enter books your student/child is successful in reading and compare the lexile scores to other books. • There does not appear to be a way to get recommended books based on ones previously read.

9. References MetaMetrics, Inc. (2011). The lexile framework for reading: Matching readers with text. Retrieved from http://www.lexile.com/