Do You Know the Reading Level of Student Texts and Handouts?

I’m a firm believer that teachers need to know the reading level of the materials they use in the classroom. So often, the materials we use in our classrooms are much higher than the grade level we are teaching and, more importantly, higher than the reading level of our students.

Huge Discrepancies in Reading Levels

Recently, I’ve found huge discrepancies between Lexile scores, DRA’s (Developmental Reading Assessment) and Readablity formulas such as Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and Fry. When I asked a reading specialist to explain the difference at a conference recently, she evaded the question by telling me (and the audience) to simply pick one and stick to that one. I disagree.

Awareness of Reading Levels is Important

If there are “years” differences between a Lexile score, a DRA and the Flesch/Flesch–Kincaid Readability formula, it is my opinion that we should be aware of all of them and question why there is a discrepancy. Why? Because they measure different things and consequently give clues to student reading ease or difficulty.

Choosing Appropriate Materials Using Reading Level as One Indicator

The varied formulas measure different aspects of reading, so therefore, they can’t be compared. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. Also, knowing the reading level of the materials we use with our students guides us in using text that is ability appropriate. Without this awareness, how can we choose appropriate texts for our students and meet their individual reading needs?

Readability Formulas

SMOG Readability Formula

The SMOG formula is a recommended and tested method for grading the readability of written materials. The method is quick, simple to use and particularly useful for shorter materials, e.g., a study’s information pamphlet or consent form. To calculate the SMOG reading level, begin with the entire written work being assessed and follow these steps:

1. Count off ten consecutive sentences near the beginning, in the middle, and near the end of the text. If the text has fewer than 30 sentences, use as many as are provided.
2. Count the number of words containing three or more syllables (polysyllabic), including repetitions of the same word.
3. Look up the approximate grade level on the SMOG conversion table below:

The website of G. Harry McLaughlin, who created the SMOG formula, can be found here: http://webpages.charter.net/ghal/SMOG.htm. The site includes a SMOG calculator.

When using the SMOG formula:

• A sentence is defined as a string of words punctuated with a period, an exclamation mark, or a question mark. Consider long sentences with a semi-colon as two sentences.
• Hyphenated words are considered as one word.
• Numbers, which are written, should be counted. If written in numeric form, they should be pronounced to determine if they are polysyllabic.
• Proper nouns, if polysyllabic, should be counted.
• Abbreviations should be read as though un-abbreviated to determine if they are polysyllabic. However, abbreviations should be avoided unless commonly known.

If the written piece being graded is shorter than 30 sentences, approach it as follows:

• Count all of the polysyllabic words in the piece.
• Count the number of sentences.
• Find the average number of polysyllabic words per sentence, i.e.:

Total # of polysyllabic words

Average = Total # of sentences

• Multiply that average by the average number of sentences short of 30.
• Add that figure on to the total number of polysyllabic words.
• Compare the number of polysyllabic words in the SMOG conversion table.

Fry Readability Formula See:

http://www.readabilityformulas.com/

Readability Statistics in MSWord

In order to ensure that homework directions, quizzes, and tests are at an appropriate level for all of your students, MSWord can analyze your document to let you know the grade level at which you are writing. Students can also use these readability statistics to evaluate their writing and challenge themselves to write at a higher level!

To display readability statistics in MSWord:

1. Click the File tab, and then click Options.
2. Click Proofing.
3. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected.
4. Select Show readability statistics.

After you enable this feature, open a file that you want to check, and check the spelling. When Outlook or Word finishes checking the spelling and grammar, it displays information about the reading level of the document.

IMPORTANT: Do not include word banks or word lists in readability checks. They skew the score and yield inaccurate results. Highlight sentences or paragraphs separately instead.

Acknowledgments

Dr. Mary S. Neumann, DHAP, NCHSTP, “Developing Effective Educational Print Materials”

To Reduce Reading Difficulty:

1. Shorten sentences.
2. Choose words that have less than three syllables to convey the same meaning as a multi-syllabic word.

AutoSummarize

Use AutoSummarize to highlight key points, create an abstract or a summary of a student’s writing. Use it to summarize information that is too long for some students to read. Use the following resource

For the AutoSummarize Resources See:

http://www.summarizethis.com/

https://www.tools4noobs.com/summarize/

http://smmry.com/

http://freesummarizer.com