Renaissance Integrates Lexile Measures Frequently Asked Questions

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1 Renaissance Integrates Lexile Measures Frequently Asked Questions Renaissance Learning has support for Lexile measures, and now you can choose to display Lexile measures in Accelerated Reader, STAR Reading and AR BookFinder. If you desire, you can view Lexile reader measures and a ZPD reported in Lexile book measures in most STAR Reading reports. The Lexile ZPD is a range of readability levels from which a student should select books to read for pleasure. It is a range that is neither too hard nor too easy. Books read within this range could be read comfortably for hours. The book measures are available on Accelerated Reader reports and in the management and student applications (starting November 12, 2014). In order to help connect every student to the right book, AR BookFinder is now reporting Lexile book measures. How does Lexile compare to ATOS? ATOS and Lexile measures are both valid and reliable measures of text complexity that provide a basis for matching students to reading materials. As with all readability formulas, the resulting value is an estimate of the understandability of the text. The resulting value is placed on a scale to match books to students reading achievement levels. ATOS formula results are expressed on a grade level scale. The Lexile scale ranges from below 200L for beginning readers and beginning-reader materials to above 1600L for advanced readers and materials. For more information on The Lexile Framework for Reading and how Lexile measures are calculated, visit For more information on ATOS and how it is calculated, visit Why would I choose to display Lexile measures? You may consider using Lexile measures if your state or district has adopted the use of Lexile measures or if the books in your school library are labeled with Lexile measures. Most Renaissance Learning customers employ ATOS and we encourage its continued use. However, we are happy to provide options so you can choose what works best for your school or district. How do I select to display Lexile measures on my STAR Reading or Accelerated Reader reports? There are two ways that you can set or change the school-level preference to display Lexile measures. The preference is a school-level preference that can only be set by district administrators, district staff, or school Page 1 of 6

2 administrators. To make it easier, the preference only needs to be set in one application and it will update in both STAR Reading and Accelerated Reader. You can set the Lexile Measures preference in the STAR Reading preferences section(see Help.) or by changing the Accelerated Reader Book Level Setting to Lexile measures (See Accelerated Reader Tips for Using Alternate Book Levels for more information.). Once the preference is set, where will I see the Lexile measures in STAR Reading? When the Lexile Measures preference is set in STAR Reading, the Lexile measure will be included on the Annual Progress Report, Diagnostic Report, Growth Report, Screening Report, Student Progress Monitoring Report, Summary Report, Test Record Report, Student Instructional Planning Report, Student State Standards Reports, and on the Student Details in the Record Book. You will also see the ZPD reported in Lexile measures on the Annual Progress Report, Diagnostic Report, Parent Report (English or Spanish), Reading Range Report, Screening Report, Student Instructional Planning Report, Summary Report, Test Record Report, and on the Student Details in the Record Book. Once the preference is set, where will I see the Lexile measures in Accelerated Reader? The Lexile book measures will be included on the Diagnostic Reading Practice Report, Favorite Books Report, Goal History Report, Labels - Book Report, Labels - Vocabulary List Report, Quiz List - Literacy Skills Report, Quiz List - Other Reading Report, Quiz List - Reading Practice Report, Quiz List - Vocabulary Practice Report, Quiz Takers - Other Reading Report, Quiz Takers - Reading Practice Report, Schoolwide Summary Report, Student Record Report, TOPS - Other Reading Report, TOPS - Reading Practice Report, Vocabulary List Report, and the Manage Quizzes page. Lexile book measures and Lexile ZPDs will be available on the College and Career Readiness Report, the Record Book and Goals, and the student Progress screen. Students will see Lexile book measures when searching for books or quizzes. Students will see their average Lexile book measures and Lexile ZPDs on the Progress screen. Parents and students will also see Lexile book measures on Home Connect. How do I select to display Lexile measures on AR BookFinder? When searching for books in AR BookFinder, select Show Lexile Measure from the Advanced Search tab. You will then see the book s Lexile measure alongside other book information on the search results and book details pages. This also allows you to search for books within a specific range of Lexile measures. What happened to ATOS 2000? The ATOS 2000 (and corresponding ZPD 2000) measures have been replaced with Lexile measures. We will now have the option of using two of the most recognized readability formulas, ATOS and The Lexile Framework for Reading. Page 2 of 6

3 How does Renaissance Learning calculate the Lexile measure for a student? MetaMetrics psychometricians worked with psychometricians at Renaissance Learning to do a comprehensive linking study. MetaMetrics has experience linking the Lexile scale to many reading tests and has partnered with state departments of education and other test publishers. The STAR Reading and Lexile Framework linking study was completed using data from over 250,000 students and an analysis of over 2,500 STAR Reading items and over 200 Lexile items. The linking study conducted by MetaMetrics facilitates the reporting of certified Lexile measures for your students using STAR Reading. How does Renaissance Learning calculate the Lexile measure for a book? Renaissance Learning receives the certified Lexile book measures from MetaMetrics. The Renaissance reported Lexile measures will be identical to the Lexile measures reported in other applications and web sites. The certified Lexile measures are shown as a number with an L after it. In some instances, a certified Lexile measure may not be available. To support these texts, Renaissance Learning will display an estimate of Lexile text measure based on a study conducted by MetaMetrics using ATOS Book Levels. How can I use ATOS Book Levels or Lexile Measures to guide students to appropriate books/articles? ATOS book levels and Lexile measures are similar in that they are quantitative measures that provide insight into the difficulty of the words in a book/article. It is, however, only one of three components of text complexity. The other two are qualitative measures (i.e. the content, themes, maturity level) and reader/task considerations. All books with Accelerated Reader quizzes include an ATOS level, a Lexile measure, as well as an interest level (lower grades (K-3), middle grades (4-8), middle grades plus (6-8), and upper grades (9-12)). Teachers, librarians and parents should consider all three components when matching students with books. Why is there a gap between my student s Lexile measure and the suggested Lexile ZPD? In order to understand the difference between the Lexile Measure and the Lexile ZPDs we must first take a look at each score individually to understand how they are calculated. How does Renaissance Learning calculate the student s Lexile measure? MetaMetrics psychometricians worked with psychometricians at Renaissance Learning to do a comprehensive linking study. MetaMetrics has experience linking the Lexile scale to many reading tests and has partnered with state departments of education and other test publishers. The STAR Reading and Lexile Framework linking study was completed using data from over 250,000 students and an analysis of over 2,500 STAR Reading items and over 200 Lexile items. The linking study conducted by MetaMetrics facilitates the reporting of certified Lexile measures for your students using STAR Reading. Page 3 of 6

4 How does Renaissance Learning calculate the Lexile ZPD? The Lexile ZPD column represents Renaissance ZPDs reported in Lexile measures. The Lexile ZPDs were calculated using a second linking study that linked ATOS to the Lexile scale. This study was also completed by MetaMetrics. Our ZPDs have been evaluated extensively and found to be a reliable way to guide students independent reading practice. Please note that the reading range guidelines that are part of The Lexile Framework for Reading follow a different approach. More information about Lexile reading ranges can be found here Schools can choose which reading range they want to implement when helping students find books. Renaissance software supports our ZPDs. Purpose How is it determined? How would a teacher use this data in the classroom? Lexile Measure A measure of achievement Based on a psychometric calculation developed by MetaMetrics Intended for instructional reading with support at a higher level with an expectant 75% comprehension rate. ATOS ZPD/Lexile ZPD Reading range suggested based on a measure of achievement or classroom observation/practice. Based on a conversion from Renaissance Learning s ATOS ZPD Intended for independent sustained reading practice with an expectant 85%-90% comprehension rate. The ZPD is a range of readability levels from which a student should select books to read for pleasure. Sample Score Comparisons SS Range Lexile ATOS ZPD Lexile ZPD Range GE Low High Measure Low High Low High BR BR Page 4 of 6

5 Additional Considerations The ZPD for any student is a starting point and Lexile ZPDs are no exception. Given the information you know about the student, ask yourself, would the student be able to read the books that are within the suggested ZPD? Do you feel the student's Lexile measure is a closer representation of what the student will be successful with? You can use the Advanced Search tab of AR BookFinder to look for books within specific Lexile measure ranges. As students begin to read, monitor their progress closely to see whether these initial ZPDS are a good fit and make adjustments along the way if needed. Page 5 of 6

6 The Lexile measure reported in STAR Reading is different than the Lexile measure I received from another assessment. Why? The white paper Managing Multiple Measures, produced by MetaMetrics, explains the differences you sometimes see when looking at Lexile measures from different assessments. The excerpt below from the Summary of the whitepaper explains this best, but more details can be found in the complete paper. "The availability of a common scale enables one to compare the results from two assessments to have a better understanding of a child's reading ability or mathematical understanding. If assessments are measuring the same construct then we should expect the results to be consistent (within measurement error). However, we should never expect to replicate scores exactly from two assessments when there are differences in the stakes attached to the results (purpose for administering the assessments), the format (both in terms of how the items appear and how they are administered), the test-session environment and/or the test administration procedures. Where differences exist for individual students, the test administrations should be reviewed and evaluated to determine which measure is more reflective of the individual student's true ability. Each individual measure should always be evaluated in terms of its relationship to the other measures to monitor a student's true growth." 2014 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All logos, designs, and brand names for Renaissance Learning s products and services, including but not limited to Accelerated Reader, AR, AR BookFinder, ATOS, Renaissance Learning, and STAR Reading are trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or pending registration in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names should be considered the property of their respective companies and organizations. METAMETRICS, LEXILE, LEXILE FRAMEWORK, QUANTILE FRAMEWORK and QUANTILE are trademarks of MetaMetrics, Inc., and are registered in the United States and abroad. Copyright 2014 MetaMetrics, Inc. All rights reserved. PO Box 8036 Wisconsin Rapids, WI (800) Page 6 of 6 R