Lexile-to-Grade correspondence

There is no direct correspondence between a specific Lexile measure and 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 the same level. The Lexile Framework for Reading is intended to match readers with texts at whatever level the reader is reading.

MetaMetrics has studied the ranges of Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures at specific grades in an effort to describe the typical Lexile measure of students and the typical Lexile measure of texts of a given grade level. This information is for descriptive purposes only and should not be interpreted as a prescribed guide about what an appropriate reader measure or text measure should be for a given grade. Data for the reader measures came from a national sample of students. Data for the text measures came from collections of texts found in various grade-level classrooms. The table below shows the middle 50% of reader measures and text measures for each grade. The middle 50% is called the interquartile range. The lower number in each range marks the 25th percentile of readers or texts and the higher number in each range marks the 75th percentile of readers or texts. It is important to note that 25% of students and texts in the study had measures below the lower number and 25% had measures above the higher number.

Typical Reader and Text Measures, by Grade

Notice that there is considerable overlap between the grades. This is typical of student reading levels and texts published for each grade. In addition, the level of support provided during reading and reader motivation have an impact on the reading experience. Students who are interested in reading about a specific topic (and are therefore motivated) often are able to read text at a higher level than would be forecasted by the reader’s Lexile measure.

Although a student may be an excellent reader, it is incorrect to assume that he or she will comprehend text typically found at (and intended for) a higher grade level. A high Lexile measure for a student in one grade indicates that the student can read grade-level-appropriate materials at a very high comprehension rate. The student may not have the background knowledge or maturity to understand material written for an older audience. It is always necessary to preview materials prior to selecting them for a student.

It is important to note that the Lexile measure of a book refers to its text difficulty only. A Lexile measure does not address the content or quality of the book. Lexile measures are based on two well-established predictors of how difficult a text is to comprehend: word frequency and sentence length. Many other factors affect the relationship between a reader and a book, including its content, the age and interests of the reader, and the design of the actual book. The Lexile measure is a good starting point in your book-selection process, but you should always consider these other factors when making a decision about which book to choose.

The real power of The Lexile Framework is in matching readers to text—no matter where the reader is in the development of his or her reading skills—and in examining reader growth. When teachers know Lexile reader measures and Lexile text measures, they can match their students with the texts that will maximize learning and growth.