Henry is challenging you to find out the Lexile® reading level of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak using your new skills learned in his latest blog post Henry Explains| Lexile® reading levels and how they can be used. Where the Wild Things Are is Henry’s favorite book to listen to!
Lexile® Reading Levels and how they can be used:
Children in grades 3-9 in Jefferson County are tested three times a year for academic growth in reading using the MAP® Growth performance indicator . The MAP® test is developed by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). The Student MAP® testing results are measured in RIT scores (short for Rasch Unit). A RIT score is an estimation of a student’s instructional level and also measures student progress or growth in school.
RIT Explained from the NWEA site:
You may have a chart in your home on which you mark your child’s height at certain times, such as on his or her birthday. This is a growth chart to show how much he or she has grown from one year to the next. MAP® assessments do the same sort of thing, except they measure your student’s growth in mathematics and reading. The RIT scale is an equal-interval scale much like feet and inches on a yardstick. It is used to chart your child’s academic growth from year to year. This type of score increases the value of the tests as a tool to improve student learning because it enables teachers to pinpoint what students have learned and what students are ready to learn. We found this source quite helpful in understanding the MAP Growth RIT.
Where do I find the Lexile® range for my child at the end of the school year?
If you refer to the reading section of the MAP® Student Progress Report your child’s Lexile® Range is indicated at the bottom of the reading section highlighted in dark grey. It will be indicated by a range followed by an L. For example: Lexile® Range 285-435L
What is a Lexile range and how do I use it from the NWEA site?
Lexile® levels are scientifically and mathematically assigned based on the difficulty and readability of a book. Once you know your child’s Lexile® level, you can search for books that match his/her level to expand your home library and encourage daily reading practice in your own home. Some experts believe that providing text not by grade level but by Lexile® level is the best way to improve reading confidence. The Lexile® site has many resources for you to search books and understand how the Lexile® range is calculated.
If you child has not completed the MAP® test because they are not in the third grade ask them their reading level. They normally will know. You can utilize the image below to understand reading program levels vs. Lexile® ranges:
Does your child like to read alone but you wonder about their comprehension of the text check out PowerV by Lexile?
See below for a direct extract from their website:
“When your child reads books within their Lexile range, there will always be some words your child doesn’t know. Anticipating what those words might be and helping your child understand them can increase your child’s enjoyment of the book as well as grow their vocabulary.
More than 125,000 books in the “Find a Book” database include a robust vocabulary tool called PowerV. The PowerV Vocabulary tool identifies up to 10 challenging words in each book that are important for readers to know. It can also provide customized vocabulary lists and forecast comprehension for your child.”
Henry looks forward to hearing from you!