Readability Matters!

Have you ever paused to assess the reading level for materials in your classroom?

As our team creates educational materials, one thing we keep in mind is reading level. Readability describes the ease with which a passage or document can be read. Selecting and/or preparing materials that are written at an appropriate reading level is one way to differentiate instruction to “meet students where they are at” when they enter your classroom. The bottom line – matching the reading level of texts in your classroom to your students promotes understanding and learning. (Click here to check out the most current research on readability.)

You may be asking yourself, “How do I assess reading level?” Most classroom textbook publishers will identify the reading level in either the teacher’s manual for the textbook or the introductory section of the textbook itself. You can also contact the publisher or go-online and find readability information for most textbooks.

If you develop materials for your classroom (i.e. tests, scenarios, etc.) you likely have a readability statistic readily available. Modern versions of Microsoft Word® will produce a readability check as you conduct the built in spelling and grammar check on your document. Word™ provides you with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level . This scale roughly translates to the number of years of education generally required to understand the text. You must find and activate this feature. In Word 2007, you can turn it on by completing the following:

• Select the “Office” button in the top left corner of your screen >
• Go to Word Options >
• Select “Proofing” from the menu on the left >
• Check the box next to “Show readability statistics on the Proofing Options page.
• Now, run a spelling check on the document. You will receive a box showing readability statistics for the document.
• To set this feature up in previous versions of Word™ simply go to help and search for “readability.”

Curious about the reading level of this posting? This posting is written between a 9^th and 10^th grade reading level. Start checking the reading level of materials you use in your classroom today. We bet you will be surprised!

Professional Development Tip for 9.25.08