Lexile Measures Help Teachers Use BOOKR Class to Match Students with Books
With its newest app launch on July 1st, BOOKR Class has not only doubled the number of books, but also added many new features. One of these is the implementation of the Lexile® Framework for Reading, which has proven to be a useful tool for educators, administrators and parents in all 50 U.S.states and 180 countries worldwide.
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Beginning on the 1st of July, BOOKR Class implemented a new Lexile tool to help teachers identify students’ reading levels, so that they can assign the best books for them – narrowing options without limiting choices.
What is Lexile?
Lexile was developed by MetaMetrics®, an educational assessment and research company in Durham, North Carolina. The initial research for Lexiles was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The company identified a significant difference in how traditional readability formulas assess text difficulty compared to how words are actually read and comprehended by children at different ages and stages of development.
More than just scores, Lexile measures are a tool for educators to help personalise instruction and an easy-to-understand measure that can be discussed with parents and other stakeholders. The Lexile Framework places both the student and texts on the same developmental scale to match the learner with appropriate reading resources at each student’s ability level.
Lexiles represent what readers can comprehend based on their actual reading abilities rather than on arbitrary judgments about their grade-level or age. Lexile measures are not predicted probabilities of future reading performance, nor should they be viewed as limitations on what readers can learn.
Lexiles are always shown as a number followed by the letter “L.”The Lexile Frameworkis a developmental scale ranging from beginning learner measures below 0L (at most BR 400L) to above 1600L for advanced abilities. The higher the learner’s Lexile measure, the greater their ability to read and comprehend text in English.
If the student’s measure or level (we recommend not to use the word ‘score’, so students get motivated to level up) is 150L, it means that the student is possibly capable of reading and understanding a text with a 150L measure. It doesn’t mean that the student will only be able to understand texts marked with 150L though. The Lexile measures shown for titles are approximations that reflect typical Lexile levels of students who will enjoy them most.
Lexile Measurement in BOOKR Class
The BOOKR Class Library app is aligned with the Lexile Framework for Reading. In order to determine a student’s Lexile Measure, BOOKR Class app now features a free Lexile test for students as a placement test.
Upon first opening the library app, students have the option to fill out this Lexile assessment consisting of 30 short tasks that depict their level of English proficiency. Based on their score, the app will allocate them a corresponding BOOKR level. You can also find a note of the level in the Teacher’s Dashboard so you can use it as a guide for further assignments.
Placement test results are one of the factors that determine the book recommendations in the Library ( alongside interests and assigned books by the teachers) . Educators can also use Lexile® as a way to measure student progress because Lexile leveling gives an objective measure that can be repeated any time in the app.
Lexile Assessment is also a great tool for differentiation, as you can assign books with similar topics and vocabulary at different levels – a huge support for educators.
How to Find the Right Books for Students
We all know it is not always easy to find reading materials for students (especially language learners) that provide sufficient challenge to advance their reading skill development, but are also not so difficult that they discourage reading.
Starting with a student’s Lexile measure is a great tool for finding the Lexile of the book and forecasting the comprehension rate – see the example below –
Lexile measures provide a scientific approach for matching students with ability-appropriate texts.
When a student measure and a book measure are the same, the match is estimated to be ideal for the learner. The target range that is suggested for a learner is 100L below the student measure and 50L above, so learners with 500L would probably be able to comprehend and enjoy a book measured between 400L and 550L.
If the Lexile measure of the student is much higher than that of the book, this might suggest that it will be too difficult for the learner. If the Lexile measure is much lower than that of the book, it might not help them further develop their reading ability or get bored while reading it.
Choosing the right BOOKR Class books my Lexile Measures
If you’re wondering how to find the Lexile level of a book, it’s a straightforward process in the BOOKR Class Library app. You can easily discover a book’s measure by navigating to the Books tab, where you have the option to filter and order the books by Lexile Measure.
This feature allows you to efficiently select books that align with your students’ individual Lexile Measures and assign them directly to the appropriate students.
By tailoring the reading materials to their specific levels, you can effectively support their reading skill development and ensure they are presented with engaging and suitable content.
What Lexile scores do the BOOKR Class levels correspond with?
The benefits of this system are numerous and include the ability to provide an accurate assessment based on what readers comprehend rather than relying on arbitrary judgments about grade-level or age. If you want your learners to have better access to quality materials at appropriate reading levels but don’t know where to start, contact us! We’ll be happy to walk you through how our app works and show you why using Lexiles makes it easier for educators like yourself.
