Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

From Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

A Blog by Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and Dr. Howard Margolis

Are Lexiles flawed? Limited, but not flawed. The problem is not Lexiles, but how some schools use them.

What Are Lexiles?

Lexiles are scores produced by a readability formula that analyzes text (e.g., passages, articles, books) for the length of sentences and the frequency with which words generally occur. Longer sentences, with rarer words, words readers rarely see, are considered more difficult to understand than shorter sentences with words readers often see.

Limitations

As far as this goes, Lexiles are fine. They can help librarians and teachers get a rough idea about the difficulty of materials for hypothetical groups of children. But they cannot tell anyone if a particular article or book is appropriate for a particular child, especially a struggling reader.

The reason is simple: Lexiles do not know the struggling reader. They don’t know his likes and dislikes, his background, his oral language abilities, his decoding and sight word abilities, his reading fluency, his anxiety levels, his independent work habits, his energy level, and, and, and….

Here’s what some recent literature says about Lexiles:

• Estimating readability is not an exact process. Lexile … reading levels are merely guidelines for making good choices. Unfortunately, they give us the impression of being more precise than they actually are. Moreover, they do not account for the needs of a particular small group. (Walpole & Mckenna, 2009, p. 101)
• Results indicated that none of the readability estimates [including Lexiles] were significantly related to [words read correctly per minute] …. These findings replicate and extend previous research suggesting that estimates of passage difficulty based on readability estimates are not related to students’ oral reading performance, and students’ readings of passages are a better gauge of passage difficulty than are readability estimates. (Ardoin et al., 2010, p. 282)

The Bottom Line

Consider Lexiles one piece of information that can help identify appropriate reading materials, but by themselves cannot. Do not accept, as correct or absolute, statements that your child’s Lexile score shows he should read books at Lexile level 451 (roughly mid-2^nd grade).

If your child struggles with reading, and his school says he needs to read books at Lexile level 451, ask for impartial, corroborating information, such as his independent, instructional, and frustration levels on an informal reading inventory, samples of his orally reading books at the 451 Lexile level, and the enjoyment he gets from reading these books.

References

Ardoin, S. P., Williams, J.C., Christ, T. J., Klubnik, C., Wellborn, C.. Examining readability estimates’ predictions of students’ oral reading rate: Spache, Lexile, and Forcas. School Psychology Review, 2010, Vol. 39 Issue 2, p277-285.

Walpole, S., & Mckenna, M. C. (2009). How to plan differentiated reading instruction. New York: The Guilford Press.

Howard Margolis © Reading2008 & Beyond

www.reading2008.com

howard@reading2008.com

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Special Needs Talk Radio Network: It’s On The Air

The new Special Needs Talk Radio network (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/ ) is on the air. Each of its six shows is dedicated to improving the lives of children and youth with special needs and their families.

Staring September 12, Dr. Gary G. Brannigan and I will host Maximizing Your Child’s Potential (Mondays, 9 PM – 9:30 PM EST, http://specialneedstalkradio.com/maximizing-your-childs-potential).

Over the next few months, our guests will include:

• Dr. Steven Lange, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Helping Children Overcome Sleep Problems
• Dr. Richard Selznick, Cooper University Hospital, Helping the Shut-Down Learner
• Dr. John Pellitteri, City University of New York, Strengthening Your Child’s Emotional Intelligence
• Dr. Tim Rasinski, Kent State University, Overcoming Problems of Reading Fluency
• Dr. Nancy Padak, Kent State University, Helping Your Children Overcome Reading Problems
• Dr. Richard Boon, University of Georgia, Helping Teenagers Improve Their Reading
• Dr. Erica Lembke, University of Missouri, Monitoring Your Child’s Progress
• Dr. Patrick McCabe, Mercy College, Developing the Confidence of Struggling Learners
• Staci Greenwald, Special Education Attorney, The Pro’s and Con’s of Public and Private School Programs
• Dr. J. Richard Gentry, Educational Consultant, Raising Confident Readers: Birth and Beyond

If possible, look at the Special Needs Talk Radio’s website (http://specialneedstalkradio.com/). See how its lineup of experts can help you help the children and youth you care about