About the Lexile Framework for Reading
The Lexile Framework for Reading is a proven way to measure an English language learner’s reading level and the difficulty of text. A Lexile® measure is a number followed by an “L” (for Lexile measure). There are two Lexile measures – a learner measure and a text measure. The Lexile learner measure is for a learner’s reading level. The Lexile text measure is for the difficulty of reading material. The Lexile® scale is like a thermometer for reading. It measures below 0L for early levels to above 1600L for advanced levels.
The Lexile scale is independent meaning that any assessment developer or content publisher can integrate the Lexile scale into their products. For example, multiple English reading assessments can report learner reading performance in Lexile measures and publishers such as OUP, Cambridge and Scholastic, can have their books measured as well. Lexile measures allow educators, parents and learners to know a learner’s reading level and to target text at their appropriate level.
Learners receive a Lexile learner measure after they take a Lexile reading test in school or through a reading programme. The learner’s Lexile measure marks the level of text he or she can read with 75 per cent anticipated comprehension. This is the level at which the learner can successfully read with the use of context clues and other comprehension strategies to fill in the gaps. While there are multiple ways to measure fluency and the fundamental components of reading, the Lexile Framework for Reading is unique in that it measures the outcome of a reader’s skills and the learner’s overall reading comprehension of real-world text, not just fluency and vocabulary knowledge. And because the comprehension rate can be adjusted based on level of challenge, the Lexile Framework is a perfect complementary tool for matching English language learners to texts and for monitoring their progress as they learn.
The learner’s Lexile measure establishes his or her Lexile range, which is 50L above to 100L below the learner’s reported measure on the Lexile scale. Educators can forecast the comprehension of students reading materials above or below their target range with the Lexile scale.
Lexile measures are:
✓ A measure of English text difficulty and reader level
✓ Complementary to qualitative schemes, like CEFR
✓ Scientific and objective
✓ Applied to English reading material
✓ For English language learners
Lexile measures are not:
☓ A measure of narrative complexity
☓ A measure of appropriate content
☓ An instructional programme
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