What are those Lexile numbers that appear on articles in INFOhio's EBSCOhost periodical indexes and SIRS Discoverer? The Lexile Framework for Reading ^® is rapidly becoming the most widely used method of determining the readability level of a book or magazine article. Lexile's motto is matching readers to text. By checking an article’s Lexile rating, a teacher or librarian can determine the level of reading difficulty and use this information to help students select the appropriate resources. The Lexile Framework is also used to rate many textbooks, standardized tests and software programs. The Lexile Scale ranges from 200L for beginning readers to over 1700L for advanced texts. While the Lexile Scale lists the average grade level for a particular range, this may not reflect a student’s actual reading ability or comprehension level.

Chart source: EBSCO Publishing.

Why are more resources using the Lexile Framework? The No Child Left Behind Act has increased accountability for ensuring that students are reading on grade level, so it is critical to have a national standard. Many states have adopted the Lexile Framework as part of their reading curriculum. Both Baker & Taylor and Ingram are adding this score to their book records.

How does the Lexile Framework help educators? The Lexile Framework is a national standard, not a grade level determined by individual publishers. Districts can select textbooks based on the ability level of the students in a class, librarians can purchase books on subjects at a wide range of readability, and students can select periodical articles at their own level or challenge themselves. In addition, this rating helps teachers differentiate instruction by selecting resources at the appropriate level of reading and comprehension for individual students.

The Lexile Web site has a wealth of helpful resources for teachers and librarians. From the main page, click on the red Educators bar for several useful resources.

Free Lexile Resource Kits – This section contains several printouts for administrators, parents, teachers and librarians. There is an excellent overview and history of the Lexile Framework, fact sheets, statistics and much more.

Lexile Book Database – Search tens of thousands of books to find just the right book! Search by Title, Author, Keyword or (of course) Lexile level. This is a great resource to help “match readers to text.” In addition to the titles and Lexile number, this resource shows a picture of the book jacket, gives an overview of the story, copyright information and lists any awards the book has won. This is an excellent resource for all librarians!

Lexile Analyzer – Upload any text, from unrated materials or even student or teacher writings, to measure the Lexile level. This is a free resource, however users must create a username and password.

Lexile Calculator – Use this feature to determine two things: the degree to which a student with a particular Lexile range will comprehend a textbook or the Lexile score a child would need to comprehend a specific text. Textbooks on all subjects from major publishers are listed.

Lexile Power Vocabulary – This section contains vocabulary-building worksheets for a few hundred titles with pronunciation, definition and examples of the vocabulary found in that book. It also includes a vocabulary quiz and answer sheet.

Lexile Reading Pathfinders – This feature helps librarians, teachers and parents find books at the appropriate reading level on a wide range of pathfinder series and topics such as the American Girl series, Extreme Sports, Library of Famous Women or Learning about Dogs.

Across the top menu bar you can also visit the Store for Lexile charts, click on FAQs for answers to questions you may still have or find out about their National Conferences and Professional Development opportunities.

INFOhio Resources and Lexiles

At present, two of INFOhio's Core Collection of Electronic Resources are assigning Lexile ratings: