Schools across the nation will soon be closing their doors, breaking for turkey and thanks, tree trimming and gift giving, and New Year celebrations.  Unfortunately, students also break from keeping their minds busy with good reading content.  What is a holiday with out a good page-turner?   Holiday reading is a sure way to ensure that learning extends far beyond the classroom. It is a given that during school holiday breaks, most students neglect to do any school work.  In turn, after the break they are sickened with the ”I don't remember syndrome."  This, forces them to waste time to get back to the business of school.  However, if we keep them focused on the prize of education by encouraging them to practice reading skills even on off days; they are sure to develop a new level of confidence in their abilities.  All it takes is reading a minimum of 30 minutes a day.  You must mandate reading!  Take the family to the library and load up on good page-turners.  Though, to keep reading interesting and fun, take advantage of using the Lexile Framework.  It was designed with your child in mind.

 

What is the Lexile Framework?

 

Use of the Lexile Framework in today's schools has improved students' reading comprehension.  A brilliant education company, MetaMetrics, Inc., after 15 years of research, developed the Lexile Framework to aid you along with teachers in mapping and tracking students’ reading achievements and improvements. The Lexile Framework consists of two components; The Lexile Measure and the Lexile Scale.  The Lexile measure is a number that determines a student's reading ability and the difficulty of the material being read.  Your child's Lexile Measure is then placed on the Lexile Scale, which ranges from below 200L for new readers to above 1700L for more advanced readers.  Placement on this scale will direct you to a range of reading material suitable for your child.

 

Where do you find your child's Lexile score? 

 

Because the Lexile Framework is being used in all 50 states, you should not have a problem getting those scores.  Most schools include Lexile scores along with the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) report.  If you do not have a copy of those scores, call the school and speak with the counselor or your child's teachers.  Experts have shown that when this measure is used in the reading programs, students show a 75% comprehension rate.  With that type of rate, mandating that students read beyond the classroom and especially during school holiday breaks is worth it.  Now, you can go load up on those page-turners. Please be sure to give the librarian your child’s Lexile Score.  Happy Reading with Lexile.