Career Standards and Assessment Services (CSAS) Menu

Q1. What is a Lexile measure?

Answer:

There are two types of Lexile® measures: the Lexile reader measure and the Lexile text measure. Students in grades 3-8 and high school receive a Lexile reader measure from the Kansas Reading Assessment. Books and other texts receive a Lexile text measure from a software tool called the Lexile Analyzer - it describes the book's reading demand or complexity.

When used together, these measures can help match a reader with reading material that is at an appropriate difficulty, or help give an idea of how well a reader will comprehend a text. The Lexile reader measure can also be used to monitor a reader's growth in reading ability over time. Lexile measures help readers grow, and help parents and teachers monitor progress toward state and national proficiency standards.

When a Lexile text measure matches or is in the range of a Lexile reader measure, this is called a targeted reading experience. The reader will encounter some level of difficulty with the text, but not enough to get frustrated. This is the best way to grow as a reader - reading text that's not too hard but not too easy.

Q2. Where can I receive a Lexile measure?

Answer:

Students in grades 3-8 and high school receive a Lexile reader measure from the Kansas Reading Assessment. Contact your local school district to receive a copy of your student's report.

There are more than 50 popular reading assessments and programs that report out Lexile measures. Click here.  When you receive your Lexile measure from a test, try not to focus on the exact number. Instead, consider a reading range around the number. A student's Lexile range, or reading "sweet spot," is from 100L below to 50L above his or her reported measure.

Use this range in our “Find a Book, Kansas" tool.

Q3. How can I use my Lexile measure?

Answer: Lexile measures are a great way to find great books for a reader, but they can help teachers, librarians and parents do so much more. 

Educators use Lexile measures to customize their instruction to their students. Using Lexile measures, educators connect students with instructional resources that match their individual reading ability. When it comes to reading material, over 150,000 fiction and nonfiction books, tens of millions of articles and hundreds of web sites have Lexile measures, and these numbers grow every day. Educators can target and differentiate instruction with Lexile measures.  

Librarians use Lexile measures to support classroom teachers and enhance instruction, connect readers with books they not only can read but will want to read, and assist parents in knowing how best to support their young learners. Some librarians even arrange their collections to suit the ability levels and ranges of their patrons, so readers can know how a book relates to their reading ability before they pull it off the shelf. 
  
Parents use Lexile measures to help their children with homework and school reading, and to guide their children in picking leisure reading. When parents know their child's Lexile measure, they know how to challenge independent readers and help struggling readers. 

Q4. What is the relationship between grade equivalents and Lexile measures?

Answer: There is no direct correspondence of a specific Lexile measure to a specific grade level. Within any classroom or grade, there will be a range of readers and a range of reading materials. For example, in a fifth-grade classroom there will be some readers who are ahead of the typical reader (about 250L above) and some readers who are behind the typical reader (about 250L below). To say that some books are "just right" for fifth graders assumes that all fifth graders are reading at about the same level. The Lexile Framework for Reading is intended to match readers with texts at whatever level each individual reader is reading. 

With that said, there is a more detailed explanation and a chart available that shows Lexile ranges from actual test scores across the nation in each grade. Please keep in mind, the "Reader Measures" column of this chart is not to be taken as recommended ranges. This is simply where young readers are reading. And know that students scored above and below these ranges as well -- the ranges in the table are the middle 50% of students in each grade.

Q5. What is a reader's Lexile range?

Answer:

A person's Lexile range is a suggested range of texts that a reader should be reading. The Lexile range for a reader is from 50L above his or her Lexile measure to 100L below. If a student attempts material above their Lexile range, the text may challenge the student and his or her ability to construct meaning from the reading experience may decrease. Likewise, material below a reader’s Lexile range will provide him or her with little comprehension challenge.

Q6. What if my book hasn't been measured?

Answer:

If you can't find a book on Find a Book, Kansas then MetaMetrics hasn't measured it yet. MetaMetrics does not choose the books that get measured. MetaMetrics measures books at a publisher's request. New books are measured daily and hundreds of books are added to the website every month. 

If you're interested in knowing the Lexile measure of a book that has not been measured, please contact the marketing or editorial divisions of the book's publisher or complete the Request a Lexile Measure for a Book form. MetaMetrics uses the information from the form to let publishers know which books the public wants measures for, however the publisher must still submit the book to receive a Lexile measure.


You may also get an estimated measure for an unmeasured book by using the Lexile Analyzer on a portion of the book, according to our sampling guidelines. Please know, though, that an estimated Lexile measure will likely differ (perhaps even substantially) from the actual measure of the entire book.

Q7. Can I get Lexile measures in my library?

Answer: The Kansas State Library provides a wealth of resources using Lexile measures at http://www.kslib.info/librarians/eor.html.

Many popular catalog automation partners provide a service to integrate Lexile measures into your school library. Click here for a complete list.
You can also integrate Lexile measures into your library's online catalog and book search by using the free Lexile Book Database.

Lexile Overview Video: This six-minute animated video on the basic concepts and uses of the Lexile Framework for Reading is the perfect resource for educators and parents who are new to Lexile measures.

Fact Sheets: Informational resources are available for parents, educators, and librarians/media specialists.

FAQs: Answers to commonly asked questions about Lexile measures.

Lexile Measures and Grade Levels: Chart showing the typical range of readers and texts by grade level.

Lexile Measures at School: Classroom ideas and applications to help educators differentiate instruction for all readers in various situations.

Policy Briefs: These policy briefs encompass research on a variety of educational issues, such as closing the achievement gap, next-generation assessments, and college-and career-readiness. The policy briefs explore potential ways to address these critical issues by focusing on education as the foundation of student success and the stepping stone to social and economic growth in our country.

White Papers: White papers are offered on many educational topics.

Research Briefs: Research briefs encompass studies and findings on a variety of educational issues, such as personalized learning platforms, text complexity, and college- and career-readiness.

Case Studies: A variety of case studies are provided concerning subjects like improving reading achievement and motivation, summer reading, and writing.

Lexile Webinars: These free Lexile webinars are offered on a monthly basis.

“Find a Book, Kansas”: This book-search tool (www.lexile.com/fab/kansas) enables individuals to build custom reading lists based on a Lexile range and personal interests and to check the availability of books at the local library.

“Find a Book, Kansas” resources available for download include:
“Find a Book, Kansas” Instructional Flyer
FAQs for Librarians
FAQs for Parents

Lexile Book Titles Database: The database is comprised of over 130,000 literary and informational titles with Lexile measures. The database is offered free of charge to educators.

Lexile Analyzer: This tool enables registered Lexile.com users to analyze text and generate a Lexile measure. This tool is free for educators.

Lexile Multiple Measures: Information to help when dealing with two different Lexile measures for a single reader.

Lexile Map: The Lexile map provides a graphic representation of literary and informational texts matched to appropriate levels of reading ability. An 8.5x11 version and an 11x17 version of the Lexile map are available for download.

Lexile Codes: Lexile codes provide more information about developmental appropriateness, reading difficulty, and common or intended usage of books.

Lexile by Chapter Guides: Explore the text complexity within a book by providing Lexile measures for every chapter in the text. Each guide includes a graph and table displaying the Lexile information to help educators, parents, and students better understand where the peaks and valleys of complexity reside within a text.