Yes, I am jumping on my soap box (this will happen relatively often). I have been never been a fan of students identifying themselves through a number (hi, I'm a 760, can you find me a book?). But something happened recently at the school where I volunteer, and it inspired me to write this at this time.
Okay, first I guess I should explain what Lexiles are. They are a way of 'leveling' a book (yes, that's verbizing a word and I hate that, but I'm hoping my disdain comes through when I use that term) to let children and teen readers know what books they should be reading. Lexiles are based ENTIRELY on vocabulary. The more often an unknown or uncommon word shows up, the higher the Lexile score, the higher the score the more difficult the book is (according to the Lexile people, at least).
Back in the day when I worked for Addison-Wesley Publishing, we called these Readabilities. One of my jobs as a freelancer was to run readabilities on books. Let me tell you what that entailed.
I would choose random pages within the book (I don't remember how many) and type a paragraph into the computer. Back would pop up the unfamiliar or uncommon words with a score (a reading level). Content and context were not taken into consideration. Now, these WERE textbooks, so plot was not really an issue.
While I don't remember most of the books I ran readabilities on, I do remember one book that stood out as an example of how stupid these levels were. The book was a computer textbook. Given that this was 1984 (yes, I'm old) the readability program considered the word 'computer' to be an uncommon word, so every time the word 'computer' showed up in this COMPUTER textbook, it would bump up the reading level. Do we see a problem here?
Fast forward to now, when I am a professional booktalker, reviewer and evangelist for children's books (in a non-religious way).
When I give booktalks I always, ALWAYS insist on talking about Lexiles as part of my talk. The number of teachers and librarians who come up afterward to tell me they appreciate what I'm saying and that it supports their own feelings and knowledge as educators is overwhelming (and quite validating).
A couple of years ago I gave a number of booktalks at our local high school in preparation for summer reading. It was great fun and quite a few students came up to me and told me how much they enjoyed it (as did their teachers). I even heard from teachers this year that they had students who had been touched by those past booktalks.
So, this year I was getting ready to prep booktalks for the high school again and I checked in with the department chair to see which teachers would like me to come to their classrooms. Because of the objections of one teacher, I made sure that I was upfront with the chair about my insistence on including Lexile information in my talk (and that I would leave my opinions at the door).
(As a parenthetical comment, the objecting teacher agreed that Lexiles weren't great, but they gave teachers a starting point. My response was that that's the equivalent of a Geography teacher starting with a 3-D model of a flat Earth. If your tools are wrong, how are they useful?)
When I heard back from the department chair, I was told they could not use me if I made any disparaging statements about Lexiles because the district uses SRI and Read 180 programs, which rely on Lexiles to tell students what books they should be reading.
What is this dangerous information I want to share? Why are teachers and administrators afraid to have students know a fact about the program by which they are judged? I do not know. Keep in mind that I was not going to give my opinion, I was not going to use the term B.S. I was merely going to give information.
Are you ready for what they don't want me to tell their students? Here it is:
The Wee Little Woman is a board book by Byron Barton and has a Lexile of 1300
Moby Dick (yes, THAT Moby Dick) by Herman Melville has a Lexile of 1200. (in theory, the higher the Lexile the harder the book).
Oh, and the stunning, STUNNING book The Arrival by Shaun Tan has no Lexile because it is wordless (which does not mean that this book is not complex and thought provoking, sigh).
Shhh, don't tell the students.
My Bio
My name is Sharon Levin and I've been reviewing children's literature for 20 years. I founded and run the Bay Area Children's Literature List. My biggest passion (outside my family) is getting books into the hands of children and teens. My favorite thing is getting non-readers to realize that they're readers. I also LOVE t-shirts that have to do with books or literature. As soon as I figure out how to do it, I'll have a click through on the above picture so you can see my entire collection (and where to get them).
It sounds as if lexiles need to be exiled or completely re-vamped.
ReplyDeleteI'm so curious why THE WEE LITTLE WOMAN got a 1300. And do they re-look at books? In other words, a book in 1984 that was bumped up because it had the uncommon word computer--is that book then re-evaluated?
The more often an uncommon word shows up, the higher the level. Because 'wee' is not used often in the U.S. (it would be in Britain I would guess) every time it appears, the book goes up in score.
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DeleteAh, my above comment was deleted by me because I couldn't figure out how to edit it, sigh. Here's teh correct version:
DeleteHillary, I just read your second question (my sieve like brain strikes again). Are books re-evaluated? I honestly don't know. The book I worked on is completely out of date of course Keep in mind the textbook industry is quite the racket and they come out with new books every year at very high prices.
I did notice that The Old Man and the Sea is a 940 (much lower than Wee Little Woman) but the edition with the Harold Bloom introduction is a 1370 so that Lexile is influenced by the INTRODUCTION! Go figure.
I just too the lexile test today in sixth grade and I went down by 100, and its so stupid so does this mean im stupid?
DeleteNot at all. Lexiles are ridiculous and don't really show a comprehension of the reading material. Also, tests taken on computer (which many of these are) are often not an accurate view of someone's comprehension/abilities. Read what you want, read a lot, and enjoy it. :-)
DeleteThis is interesting - do you rmeber a few years back in the UK lots of authors were up in arms that the publishers wanted to print a recommended reading age on the back of books? I think they won. The argument against was the limitational nature it imposed on the kids by their own self selections (not wanting to be seen to read too young) but mostly by their parents.
ReplyDeleteFrom my experience the best way to create a 'reader' is to surround them with amazing books - all types and genres - graphic novels and cartoons to 'adult' (Moby Dick, Animal Farm etc.)
No labels just joy.
I LOVE Shaun Tan and use him all the time in my creative writing classes!
Oh, I LOVE THAT!!! I'm stealing that from you (is it stealing if I tell you first?) :-)
DeleteNo labels, just joy.
THANK YOU!
Institutional change is so hard. Good for you for not backing down on an important issue - that was so wrong of the department to reject your talk - sorry about that. You're right, words are such a one-dimensional way to measure meaning.
ReplyDeleteHmm...right. Readers do not need to understand the words in a text in order to understand the text. BTW, that's sarcasm.
DeletePay attention. Lexiles do not take content or context into account. Lexiles believe that Wee Little Woman is HARDER than Moby Dick because of the word Wee. I'm not saying words don't matter, I'm saying Lexiles do NOT judge a text correctly. Sigh. Try reading for COMPREHENSION this time (btw, that's snarkiness)
DeleteSo this is what happens when you get computers to read books. Next you'll have the computers writing books. :(
ReplyDeleteI can remember the sheer joy of discovering new words when I was a kid. I LOVED it when I came across a word I hadn't seen before. (I still do.) When I was working on Spellbinder and Midnight Gate I didn't compromise on word choice at all - I told the stories to myself, using the words I would use. The idea of somehow limiting access or making rules about what kids SHOULD read is simply appalling.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! There is such a joy in discovering a new word or concept.
DeleteFor those of you who haven't read Helen's books, you have quite a treat ahead of you. Helen's love of language comes through in her writing.
Librarians hate Lexiles and their bogus straightjacketing ways. I have a jillion examples of Lexile books gone wrong, though The Wee Little Woman/ Moby Dick is hard to top. My fave is Dem Bones, by Bob Barner, with a lexile of 1300 because at the end there is a list of the bones of the body. Exile Lexile!
ReplyDeleteCristina, that's a great example I didn't know that about the Bob Barner book. For those who don't know it, it's the old Knee Bone connected to the Thigh Bone song. I think Exile Lexile will have to be my next bumper sticker.
DeleteThank you for this, Sharon. In my other life, I am a school board member, a former board chair, who has been fighting this mentality since what feels like the last ice age. This is not how you teach children to love reading and books. This is not how you teach them to become lifelong learners. This is not rocket science. As a nation we are growing successive generations of nonreaders. Are we surprised by the dismal results? We will be run over by others and we will have earned it.
ReplyDeleteStepping down off my soapbox, now. Not.
Sharon, I so utterly agree with your anti-lexilism!
ReplyDeleteYikes! Using that word just blew the lexile ceiling on this comment. And yet somehow I don't think it'll be a comprehension obstacle for anyone.
I'm speaking here not only as a writer, but also as a teacher with 14 years' classroom experience in the States and around the world--and as a university teacher educator of 19 years' experience--and as a university English lecturer with 10 years' experience--and perhaps most significantly, as the husband of an amazing professor of reading and the father of three of the most book-loving people you'll ever meet.
We live in a culture that's still very quantitative. Lexiles give a comforting illusion of control when it comes to what is, after all, a very mysterious relationship--that between a reader and a text. Texts are complex, and readers are complex, and readers have the added complexity of always changing. On top of that, there's an x-factor involved in a reader's response to a particular text. So we simply can't predict in any thorough way which text is appropriate to which reader. I'm not saying teachers, librarians and parents shouldn't take a shot at matching kids with particular texts; that's a good thing to do, and it often works! But there's no formula for this.
Worse, some of the lexile-based programs encourage a weird sense of "quantitativeness" in kids; I often hear from teachers about kids choosing books, not based on interest, but on the book's numerical value in the program. This clearly works AGAINST the intrinsic motivation that's at the heart of becoming a reader.
I often do a presentation on this very topic for my education students, and it's an eye-opener for many of them, especially the telling anecdotes I've collected. I have a feeling that you and I say pretty much the same thing.
So keep on, Superwoman! There'll always be a Lexile Luther, but we can at least thwart some of his evil plans.
Tim, thank you so much for your well spoken and well thought out comments (I would love to hear your anecdotes that you teach your students).
DeleteI was talking about this with a friend and she said, "But why do you feel the need to say anything?" and I have two answers for that. One, I am a firm believer in the phrase, Silence is Condoning, and I don't want to be perceived as being in the 'Lexile camp'.
And two, I asked a teacher at the high school (before I published this blog) if s/he (keeping this anonymous) would like to hear my Lexile elevator speech (pretty much "Wee Little Woman 1300, Moby Dick 1200" that's it) and her/his response was, "No, I'm trying to drink the Koolaid at the moment." WOW. So this teacher equates Lexiles with poison, but is willing to pour it down his/her students' throats without their knowing the Koolaids' ingredients (to continue using his/her analogy)
THIS is why I will continue to rant PUBLICLY about Lexiles, because I truly believe it causes harm and to stand by quietly is wrong.
Keep evangelizing, Sharon. Your insights and passion are much needed in these muddling times. Lexiles -- bah. Never knew they even existed till now, and have been quite happy reading, writing, and sharing books with children.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Last year my then 10 year old did a Lexile test at home and I know why he has a lower score than his reading level - the questions ask about details he just doesn't pick up! He complains that the books in his level are boring & too easy. My younger son read the first Harry Potter book at 7, but didn't do too well on his Lexile test - and he reads the Macquarie Dictionary for fun :) (wonder what the Lexile level for that is....?)
ReplyDeleteThat is one of the other issues with Lexile and Accelerated Reader, is that kids are discouraged from reading outside their 'level' which is ridiculous. Don't let them identify themselves as a number and try your best to keep the teacher from doing that as well. Feel free to send anyone who gives you a hard time to this blog or to me. :-)
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ReplyDeleteHaving appreciated your comments about Lexile and the world of "leveled" reading, I thought I'd pass a link to this page along to the Lexile folks and invite a response. We'll see...
ReplyDeleteDid you hear anything? I haven't (maybe my blog is beyond their reading level). Yes, I'm snarky today (why should today be any different?)
DeleteHello Sharon, Have you looked at any of the Common Core Curriculum Maps published by Jossey Bass/Wiley? Just curious. We talk about CCCS all the time at Perseus, with our publishers, and with educators and librarians we know personally and professionally. Whatever CCCS is or isn't it definitely isn't No Child Left Behind which was all about teaching to the test. I am so relieved that it is behind us. Literature will always sell, but NCLB made it very difficult for nonfiction publishers. Love to talk with you offline about it sometime . . . Susan Mc
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DeleteHi Susan, I'm hearing mixed messages on the Common Core, but many of the teachers whom I greatly respect are not all that thrilled. One of the biggies is that it's being used before the teachers have received much training, which seems extremely short sighted to me. Another concern is the CCCS emphasis on text which does not sound like they're talking about books. I have purchased Diane Ravitch's REIGN OF ERROR and I'm going to hear her at Stanford on 9/30 (she's in Berkeley on 9/28, so Elise will catch her there). I know she doesn't like Common Core, so I'm interested in learning more.
ReplyDeletehow do i get a advance in English ever year but have a basic lexile score
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you why you're wrong, with three reasons: A, B, and C. A: If a word is too hard for a student, then we need Lexile to tell them whether that book is right for them or not. B: Let me just remind you that you are not the speaker for all the children in the world, and that the people who created Lexile are experts. C: Obviously The Arrival would get no Lexile, if it has no words whatsoever. Those are my reasons, reconsider your post.
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DeleteSharonApril 23, 2014 at 10:42 AM
DeleteI actually never said I was speaking for all the children, I offered facts as to why Lexiles are not a good way to judge a book. Under your reason A, we would suppose the board book by Byron Barton (The Wee Little Woman) was just right for a college sophomore and that Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea should be handed to 3rd graders. If you choose to see these as the right choice, then obviously, there is nothing I can do to change your mind, but I think you will find yourself in an odd position if you try handing The Wee Little Woman to college sophomores.
B. Well, already answered the part about not speaking for the children of the world, so let's address the other part. Um, how do you know the Lexile people are experts? Experts on what, child development? Brain science. As a person who used to run 'readabilities' on books (figuring out reading levels) I thank you for considering me an expert, but really, all I did was type in random paragraphs from a book into a computer program and the program would come up with a level for the book. I realized even then (this was 1984) that this was screwy. How did I come up with that? Well, one book I was running readabilities on was a computer textbook. However, the computer PROGRAM thought that computer was an unfamiliar word, so every time the word COMPUTER showed up in a COMPUTER textbook, the level got bumped up more. and YES, I am repeating what I put in my post (which I just realized, so that's why I deleted and reposted) but I was reacting to your comment and did not believe that you could know this information and still make the argument you were making. But then I just reread my post and realized it's in there, but perhaps you missed it, so here it is again.
C. Well, yeah, that's what I said, The Arrival gets no Lexile score. That means in many classrooms it will not be allowed, because students have to read books at her or his 'level' so a book with no Lexile is not considered worthwhile.
So, now it's your turn to reconsider my post.
I guess I should have my 8 year old read The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men and my 10 year old read Diary of a Whimpy Kid. Lexiles are crap. Writers write because they love words, stories and life. Trying to quantify that with a number is idiocy. Do you want to inspire readers or hamper them. My 8 year old loved Jurassic Park and I loved that he loved it. My 12 year old loved Matilda and I loved that she loved it. My 6 year old would only read nonfiction books about reptiles and amphibians, way above his reading level, but he struggled through them because he loved them. lexiles are bogus and should die a swift death. No writer who wanted to really write ever considered a lexile. I can just see Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Toni Morrison, or Margaret Atwood thinking, "gosh is this written at the right lexile level? Is it appropriate for the audience I'm writing for?" Yes, lexiles are stupid and need to leave the planet. They are the construction of corporate America who want yet another way to make a buck off the backs of our children.
DeleteAre you sure you have your facts straight?
ReplyDeleteYou claim that, "Lexiles are based ENTIRELY on vocabulary."
Yet MetaMetrics clearly states that, "The Lexile Analyzer evaluates two characteristics of a text: the frequency of its words and the lengths of its sentences."
Are you deliberately choosing to ignore this information? Do you have reason to believe that it is false?
Heaven cried.
DeleteThe rain was falling, and the ground was soggy; it was a gloomy day.
Okay, I stand corrected and I appreciate that you went and looked. I definitely did not leave it out deliberately, I probably just figured sentence length is also a bad measurement, so it actually strengthens my case. It explains further why The Old Man and the Sea ("There was a fish. It was a big fish." Yes, I'm being facetious, but that's pretty close) :-) is considered a 3rd grade book. Vocab and sentence length are ridiculous as the only evaluators of a text (again, see post example of Wee Little Woman vs. Moby Dick)
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting and making sure I have all the correct info!
I couldn't agree anymore!! I currently started reading moby dick and when I looked up the lexile score and saw that it was only in the 1200's. I was shocked. For kids in this time period to read this book and understand it fully is extremely difficult. Lexiles should not be how teachers rate their students abilities in literature.
ReplyDeleteHi Haley! Yes, isn't it amazing?!?!? And having Moby Dick be considered easier than The Wee Little Woman would be funny if it weren't so scary that so many teachers, schools, districts, depend on Lexiles when choosing, or having students choose, books.
ReplyDeleteLexile levels should be considered as just one of our tools in our toolbox. Lexile levels are a measure of the difficulty of the vocabulary in the text, as well as the sentence structure. If either of these are two difficult, comprehension will break down. That is not to say that students should not be challenged, but if a book is too hard, it should be considered as an instructional rather than an independent read. Students are recommended books that are in their Lexile RANGE. By the way,chapters within a book can have different Lexile levels and that is why a Lexile level cannot, and is not, determined by one or two sentences (i.e. your Old Man and the Sea reference) Please visit https://lexile.com/about-lexile/what-to-do-with-a-lexile-measure/lexile-by-chapter/ to learn more about lexile levels and how to use them with readers. Also, Haley mentioned that Moby Dick is only a 1200 Lexile. That level is at the upper end of Lexile measures and falls in the 11th-12th grade level or adult. For a reader to successfully read that book and to fully comprehend, the reader should be in a Lexile range of 1150-1300 or above. The highest Lexile measure according to Common Core State Standards is 1385.
ReplyDeleteSorry for late reply, I didn't see this until now.
DeleteI (obviously) completely disagree that Lexile is a useful tool at all.
You say: Lexile levels are a measure of the difficulty of the vocabulary in the text, as well as the sentence structure. If either of these are two difficult, comprehension will break down.
Well, The Tale of Peter Rabbit's Lexile puts it at a 5th grade level. Probably partially due to at one point the birds "implored him to exert himself."
I have yet to meet a child who, with the illustrations and context didn't understand what this meant.
I didn't say Lexile was from one or two sentences (given that I actually used to 'level' books myself, I do know better), but from many randomly selected sentences w/in a book. My point about Hemingway is that his sentences are short (those aren't real sentences, perhaps the word 'facetious' is outside your level?)
A poor tool is a poor tool. Let's not give Geography students a flat globe, and let's not judge books by Lexiles.
This statement is completely unreasonable. I'm in seventh grade and have a 1400 lexile, but I don't think I'd be able to read a book like Moby Dick. 1200 isn't very high in my opinion; many people I know exceed that. Moby Dick's low lexile does not exemplify its actual complexity. Many books, like Moby Dick, are more sophisticated than their vocabulary makes them appear.
DeleteI didn't know the meaning of Lexiles until I read this post. Nicely described. There are various types of leveling things within a book publishers and authors does in term to make it appropriate for readers comfortable readability.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Dr. Siner! I'm not sure what other leveling tools (and I really hate the word 'leveling' but can't think of anything better) publishers use. Do you know? For me, the best tool is a well read teacher or school librarian who knows the books and knows how to work with kids to find a good fit, and/or give THEM the tools to choose their books.(or ME, hire ME to consult! -this message was brought to you by the non-income earning book evangelist). :-)
DeleteOne other measure that we use to level books is the "guided reading" level. I'm curious what you think of guided reading levels.
DeleteYou are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
ReplyDeleteHee hee, you're my new best friend. :-)
DeleteNot sure if you're still reading these. I had a couple recent comments and when to respond to those and realized I missed this one. My apologies.
DeleteGuided reading levels are normally based on things like Lexiles. I don't like to see books leveled at all, especially when levels are often used against students and their book choices.
Hi I'm Tryn a 6th grader currently in excel ELA we took a Lexile test today and my Lexile was a 1435 (supposedly a 12th & 11th grade level) but they said don't read books with a Lexile that high, you might not get the concept, well duh I'm not going to understand literature from a 11th grade classroom but what was the point of telling me I can read those books if you said I cannot... I guess I can say I do in fact understand but some kids may not! The vocabulary may be completely different than concept... If the concept is for collage students but with a vocabulary for a 4th grader sure they can read it but a fourth grader would never truly get it
ReplyDeleteHi Tryn! I am so sorry I missed this comment until now. Thank you for your comment, you are a great example of why I don't like Lexiles. You are also a great example of why I say 'trust the reader'. You know what you can and can't comprehend and you also know that it's different for everyone.
DeleteThank you again! Also, would you please let me know what books you like that you think I should read? I always like to get suggestions from the intended audience.
Thanks!
This is absolutely terrible! The diary of a wimpy kid cabin fever was 1060! What is this? Are you really telling me a book aimed at third graders (no offense third graders) can really compare to books that actually deserve to be in the 1000s! I myself know people whom have "high lexile levels" whom when told to read a book in their lexile range don't even understand the text! So you're really telling me this is accurate?
ReplyDeleteIt IS terrible!! And, when I see kids at the bookstore who want to read a book and their parent says it's not the right level, I just want to cry.
DeleteLexile levels really bum me out! How can one base their level of knowledge based on an unreliable system that cannot truely test one's level of understanding?
ReplyDeleteSorry everyone, that was way too much spacing! ☺️��
DeleteHee hee, no apologies necessary. :-) And I completely agree with you, this is not a system to be trusted or used.
DeleteYou know something? This system is also wrong because of it's wrong lexile measurments, but also because it limits students! So your telling me students with a low lexile should have literally 1000s of books to read and students with a high lexile so few books to choose from! I'm telling you I was told to find a book for my "high lexile" so i did, but literally that was the worst thing ever! I couldn't find an interesting book to read that fit my lexile level and books that I love and I consider high reads are considered "child's play" to lexile.com! So, in the end my philosophy has veeen and will always be to just read what you love. As long as you read regulary and continue reading you can't go wrong. Developing a love for reading is key! It will take you far! But i do strongly encourage you to check out lexile.com and check out some of those injustices for yourself! ��
ReplyDeleteHOORAY!! I love your passion!
DeleteThis ***** system (sorry, thank goodness for those stars, huh?) should be bannned from schools! I'm telling you this is a very horrible idea that we shouldn't follow! Who's with me, huh guys?
ReplyDeleteI am! I am!! Feel free to share this column (with attribution please) with all the teachers in your life. :-)
DeleteI feel like lexile.com and their stupid reading levels are ruining my book dreams! *sighs* i hate this s--t system!
ReplyDeleteRemember the good old days when we were able to read literally anything as long as you were reading you were doing a good thing! That's how it should be not the way it is now! How can someone say this is a good system! I'm telling you let's ban this, let's protest! Let's stand for what's right!
ReplyDeleteLet's give this stupid system a "shock to the system"! Ha ha, Billy Idol reference, hmm my man! Sorry got distracted, anyway we need to stop this bulls--t and teach our children the real way of learning! So they can have the same passion for reading as we did! Many students don't like reading because it's been ruined for them! We need to introduce them to the "golden years" of reading! Ha ha, David Bowie reference, sorry!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to tell every young person i know to read what they like to read just like i did and do! Hopefully, they feel as inspired and connected to books as i did when i was younger and as i still continue to feel every time i crack open a book!
ReplyDeleteRead books every one it'll change your life!!!!!!! Just for a little while turn off the television and open a good book! The internet and all this technology is frying kids brains and steering them away from what's important! If you ask a kid what they do in their free time they say something like twitter or whatever! And the answer is never read, reading is both fun and beneficial! Don't get me wrong you can do what you like, even i sometimes like to post on facebook, but you should'nt let it take control over you! You should also do other things with your life as well! And don't forget about things as important as reading!
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to good old reading? Anyone remember that kids' show reading rainbow? Hmm, taught me a lot when i was younger!
ReplyDeleteOh! I used to love that show!
Delete"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.... The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin
ReplyDeleteI came across this quote a few days ago and i barely remembered this today! I thought this was so beautiful that i wanted to share with all of you who love and care about reading books just as much as i do!
BOOKS!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLife without books is no life at all!
ReplyDeleteSorry, i need to stop now! I've been hogging up all the space! What if others want to post something, but they can't because of me, sorry! I'm done really!
ReplyDeleteYou made my day!!! I love your passionate posts (and rock lyrics) THANK YOU!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy 13 year old seems to spend more time looking for a book in his lexile level than he does actually reading. Our middle School is run by lexile Nazis and have made reading such a miserable experience my kid has lost all interest. Thanks lexile
ReplyDeleteI wish we could all fight this.
DeleteLexile is damaging to readers. It is seriously flawed and useless. Ban it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the seventh grade,my lexile score was 1595, which seemed pretty accurate to me, but in the sixth grade,my lexile had been 1473 one time and 1472 the next, which confused me, so I believe you on this.
ReplyDeleteThe next test, I got a 1471, which again was inconsistent.
DeleteAs I am going through my classroom library and assessing books, it took me only a few books to realize the Lexile Rating is an absolutely worthless way of determining readability for my fourth grade class. I cannot believe this idea has stuck so long. It is meaningless.
ReplyDeleteIt is SO FRUSTRATING and such a huge disservice to students. Feel free to share this article (with attribution please) as widely as you would like. :-)
DeleteStill used in the Common Core States, about 24 but down from 45 states. And the Lexile is one of several rating schemes now codified in CEDS the Common Education Data Standards Project, designed to put a computer code on anything and everything bearing on education so --don't you know--all learning can be computer-driven by algorithms that put you at the right reading level. The Lexile is in CEDS but so are other readability scales. CEDS is also doing its work so it will fit with similar work being done internationally. Tech-driven education will be standardized to the nth degree.
ReplyDeleteWhich is heartbreaking, isn't it? It's not how good teachers want to teach. And, don't get me started on Common Core (heavy sigh)
DeleteThank you for your comment
I wish someone could come to my school and address this - the district is obsessed with the word "Lexile" - I feel like yelling "The Emperor has no clothes!"
ReplyDeleteAre you in the S.F. Bay Area? I'll come to your school and give my talk, plus booklists (yeah, I charge, but there are a lot of giveaways).
DeleteAlso, feel free to share this article (with attribution, please) with anyone in your district.
Thank you for fighting the good fight!
what is the highest lexile you have heard of a student having? mine is 1506 and i am not sure how i rank?
ReplyDeletewhat is the highest lexile you have heard of a student having? mine is 1506 and i am not sure how i rank?
ReplyDeleteI made my way through Barnes and Noble today and i saw the most outrageous thing ever! it was a child no more than 11 searching for a book, and her mother limited her to such a small section because of her lexile level. How horrible, i thought, just let the child read for god's sake! any book she reads will be beneficial to her as long as it's appropriate, and not Fifty shades of grey, that's more of a book for us, am i right ladies!
ReplyDeleteHoney, i completely agree with you. I myself have a daughter who's 14 years old, she came home one day and she told me that her teacher told her she couldn't read the book i bought her because her lexile level was too low. I was angry, i've never limited any of my children that way, and i have 4. so i went down to her school and i told the teacher to allow her to read what she likes as long as it's age appropriate, and of course they complied. after that they never hassled her ever again.
ReplyDeleteHey, i know what you're saying. My little boy Austin was also told not to read his favorite book, what the hell is that! Damn, that teacher hasn't seen what she has coming for her!
ReplyDeleteSup yall! i can't wait until this system has reached it's end!
ReplyDeleteDo you still inspire reluctant or non-readers to read? I need you!!!!!! (I teach 8th grade intensive reading to kids who hate reading for a variety of reasons.) I'm a 28 year veteran teacher, 24 of those were in special education with students who had learning disabilities mostly reading disabilities.
ReplyDeleteOh...not sure how blog stuff works...you can reach me at dallenkrug@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm a 7th grader who loves to read and write and my class just recently took the SRI. Personally I have always liked the SRI because it gives me a list of book that, if i choose to, I can go read. I agree that perhaps it could be more in depth and focus on things other than vocabulary but I do enjoy taking it. This may spurr from me always trying to beat my last lexile score, but that just makes me want to try harder and learn new words. The last time we took it I went from 1428 to 1506, and yet my teacher said nothing. I dislike that they praise kids who go up say, 50 point because they originally had a bad score but those of us that go up just under a hundred points and have the highest scores in the grade are not praised at all, then we get disdainful looks from other kids and we are referred to as "nerds" even though some of us, such as myself, are athletes, bookworms, artists, and so much more.
ReplyDeleteSorry for kind of ranting, but there are things that I agree and disagree with in this post.
Lexiles, while a useful metric for assessing reading difficulty, shouldn't be the sole measure of a reader's ability. 5 Best Chrome They don't capture nuances like comprehension or interest.
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