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Understanding Reading Levels

 
The reading level of a text (book, article, etc) indicates how easy or difficult the material is to read. There are two very important things to remember when thinking of reading levels:
  • Reading level is NOT the same as maturity level. There are books with low reading levels that have more mature content. Please don't assume that the maturity level and reading levels go hand in hand. They do not.
  • There are many different ways to come up with the reading levels of texts. Lexile is the official reading level endorsed by the GA Department of Education.
 
Lexile Reading Levels
 
According to MetaMetrics, a Lexile measure provides a reading level for either an individual or a piece of text (a book or magazine article). This is represented by a number ranging from below 200L for emergent readers to above 1600L for advanced readers.
 
Lexile is the official reading level endorsed by the GA Department of Education. Georgia suggests students in grades 6-8 read in the band of 925 - 1185. Parents in GA receive their students' Lexile levels each spring with their standardized test scores. For more information about Lexile scores, visit the MetaMetrics website. To find a book in your Lexile level or to find the level for a book, visit the Lexile website.