How to find a book at your reading level

Third and fourth graders at Bennett have learned how to search for "just right" books in the library catalog. Students' test scores from last spring were converted into a Lexile score.  Students were then taught how to use a Lexile filter while searching for books on the library catalog, so only books at an appropriate reading level were returned. Students new to Bennett were taught how to find the Lexile level of a book they thought was just right and then use that number to search for new books.  Students were surprised to find out that many picture books had higher Lexile scores than some chapter books. Searching by Lexile level offers students a fast and easy way to find books that will help them grab their interest and improve their reading.

Stop by to learn how to search for books this way!

From a longer article:

What Are Lexiles?

"Lexiles have become the most widely accepted reading measurement in use today; renown as the most accurate way of matching readers to suitable text. Developed by MetaMetrics, Inc., a Lexile is a scientifically-based reading measurement that can be used to match a patron's reading ability to the overall difficulty of a specified text."

How Are Lexiles Measured?

"Using MetaMetrics' Lexile Analyzer software, titles are measured based on word frequency (semantic difficulty) and sentence length (syntactic complexity); the resulting Lexile value is numeric, rated on a scale between 0 and 2000. Generally, the larger the Lexile measurement, the more complex the sentence structure—as well as the frequency with which difficult words are used.  A reader's Lexile level indicates that they are expected to have a 75% comprehension score for a title with the same Lexile measurement. For example, a reader who has a Lexile measurement of 840 should be able to comprehend at least 75% of a title that also has a Lexile measurement of 840."

If you'd like to read more, follow this link: http://www.companioncorp.com/mediawiki/index.php/Lexile