How Lexile Fits with Text Complexity
With the advent of the Common Core Standards educators are being asked to consider text complexity as a part of their
focus on literacy. Text complexity is established by considering three factors, qualitative measures, the reader, and
quantitative measures. Qualitative measures look at the content of the text. Knowing the reader’s back ground
knowledge and purpose for reading a text is important to determining the difficulty of the text. The third measure of
text complexity, quantitative, is the most prescribed in the Common Core. It uses readability programs to measure the
difficulty of text by analyzing sentence length, word length, and vocabulary frequency. Lexile is the readability formula
used in Appendix A of the ELA Common Core.
Lexile is one of several readability formulas that are used in education. ATOS the readability formula for Renaissance
Learning, and DRP, Degrees of Reading Power are two other common readability formulas used in schools. All readability
formulas use syntax, vocabulary, word length, and sentence length to determine the level of difficulty of a text. Since
readability doesn’t take into account content or the reader, it shouldn’t be the only measure used to determine rigor.
Educators should be analyzing texts in order to match readers and text in light of a particular task.
Text rigor is increased when the reader is unfamiliar with the text structure and content. For example, The Grapes of
Wrath has a Lexile score of 630, a grade 2-3 reading range, due to the large quantity of dialog and simple sentences.
However, The Grapes of Wrath is in the grade 9-10 Appendix B Exemplar Texts due to the themes presented. Likewise,
readability can overstate the difficulty of the text. Captain Underpants and the Plot of the Preposterous Purple Potty
People has a Lexile score of 850, a grade 5 reading range due to a sprinkling of unusual vocabulary. However, the simple
plot and youthful theme of Captain Underpants makes it appropriate to a K-3 audience. Content can only be measured
by reading the text. Teachers should rely on trusted reviewers such as Horn Book and School Library Journal for
information about new or unknown texts.
The reader’s background and purpose for reading the text must also be considered. Reading for pleasure or to gain
information about topics of high interest has a direct effect on the ability of the reader to comprehend the text. While
reading text either of little interest, or on a subject in which the reader has little or no background will cause readers to
struggle with comprehension. Students need to be exposed to a variety of text structures to increase their ability to
comprehend content. When considering text, teachers need to ask, “Is there something in this text that will expand my
students understanding of text or the concepts presented within?”
Fresno County Office of Education · Instructional Technology Services
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Resources:
The Horn Book
School Library Journal
Supplement to Appendix A
Lexile
ATOS 2000 Chart
Readability and the Common Core’s Staircase of Text Complexity