ISSUES: Curriculum

Grades 6-11: Books with Lexile Score

Lexile numbers are a means to categorize the complexity of text based on an algorithm that takes the length of the sentence, length of words and the number of times words are repeated, then spits out a number. It sounds like a silly approach, but it actually is extremely valuable in determining the complexity of novels that have been written in the last 100 years.

The argument that books by Dickens, Hemingway, and Elliott have lower Lexiles than the book in question is comparing apples to oranges. These authors wrote in short sentences and used vocabulary that is in some cases “dead” today. The beauty of these classics and what makes them complex reads is the vocabulary. Students must use context clues to determine the meaning of these unknown words (IL ELA standard 4). The Sherman novel does not provide these opportunities, as the vocabulary is basic and requires no implicit understanding. The same goes for the graphic novel that is required reading in English Honors and English 9.

• Red: Does not Meet Grade Level Reading Level
• Green: Meets Grade Level Reading Level