Hi teachers,

Are Lexile Levels based on comprehension or reading ability?

My daughter loves for me to read books with a lexile of 780 or so but she can't read that level herself. She's in first grade/just turned six. How do the lexile levels work? She can read very well. But, for example, I am reading aloud to her from Paddle to the Sea, which has a lexile level in the upper 700s I believe. She couldn't read that herself, for all the big words she doesn't know how to read yet, but she understands them all and comprehends the story well. She's enjoying the book.

But what is the Lexile Level? Comprehension, or reading ability? And are they always so far apart? It seems she can read to herself about a 450 - 500 lexile level.

Thanks for any input!

The upper 700s are at a 4th/5th grade level. Your daughter being in first grade should somewhere in the 100-400 level, depending on her level of development.  There is a wide range of levels in a classroom.  I'm sending you a link to a chart that compares many of the reading levels. I use this one in my classroom.  If you have any other questions, please let me know!

Elizabeth

http://oasl.info/lexiles/ReadingLevelComps.pdf

Thanks, Elizabeth. But what does it mean? Is it based on comprehension, or oral reading fluency, or what? Like I said, my daughter's reading books at 400-500 level herself but enjoyes being read to from a 700-800 level. I was curious which one was the right measure.

A child's auditory comprehension (understanding what they hear) usually exceeds their reading comprehension level by quite a bit when they are younger.  The older the person gets, the closer the levels would be.  I frequently read books 2 or 3 grade levels above my students grade and reading level.  Most of them could not read them themselves, but they understand the concepts and vocabulary.  By reading books to her that she enjoys and talking about the concepts and words, you are helping to build her reading vocabulary, comprehension, and love of reading.

Based upon the information you've given, her lower level sounds like it is the correct level for her to read and comprehend independently.

Lexile levels are determined based on readabilty.  They're determined by average word and sentence length.