More than 6 in 10 fourth graders in the United States are not reading at a proficient level, a startling revelation in the most recent scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The pandemic has led to even greater learning loss especially among beginning and struggling readers. This is problematic both on an individual level and from a societal standpoint, because higher reading skills are directly correlated with higher educational and career attainment as well as greater social and emotional well-being.
Many have argued that poor test scores result from instructional practices and programs that were not based on decades of reading research findings. In an effort to improve student reading scores, states like Mississippi have retrained teachers in evidence-based reading practices. It worked so well that 48 states now have laws mandating that assessments, professional development, and instructional programs and products be aligned with the science of reading.
What exactly is the science of reading?
While there is no single definition of the science of reading, there is growing consensus that the term refers to “…a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based research about reading and issues related to reading and writing.” So, how do you know if an educational product aligns with the science of reading? The best way is to check the available body of research that has been published on a given product, tool, or intervention. It is also important to know that there are varying degrees of alignment to the research.
The science of reading is the future of literacy and it’s bigger than you think.
Our team of psychometricians, data scientists, and researchers at MetaMetrics continue to draw on a vast, interdisciplinary body of scientifically-based reading research and use the scientific method to develop new tools and services aligned with the science of reading. We are committed to expanding our offerings in the early reading (K-2) space as evidenced by MetaMetrics recent acquisition of the company I founded, Elemeno®, an edtech company focused on developing the next generation of foundational reading tools and the publisher of the Reading Research Recap, a weekly email newsletter that provides capsule summaries of the latest reading research and additional analyses of key studies with important practical implications for teachers or parents.
While the focus of the “Science of Reading” movement is often directed toward K-2 foundational reading skills such as decoding and phonics, skilled reading requires several additional skills including vocabulary, listening comprehension, and oral reading fluency that co-develop over time. For example, oral reading fluency is a strong predictor of reading comprehension, and listening comprehension is a powerful predictor of later performance on aptitude and achievement tests. MetaMetrics has conducted extensive research in order to build out our two new frameworks that provide Lexile® measures for oral reading fluency and listening comprehension. Moreover, our research into 144 contemporary best-selling K-12 textbooks in math, science, social studies, and reading/ELA led to the creation of the Lexile® WordBank. The WordBank provides Lexile measures for individual words, and tells you which grades certain words are typically introduced.
Science of Reading + MetaMetrics = Lexile Framework for Reading
As an evidence-based tool (more on what “evidence-based” means later) for matching readers to text, MetaMetrics’ Lexile® Framework for Reading meets a high standard of rigor when assessing the scientific validity of educational tools through the lens of the science of reading. Applying scientific principles to create products is part of MetaMetrics’ DNA. Founded in 1984, MetaMetrics had one simple mission: to make assessment actionable. To achieve this goal, co-founders Jackson Stenner and Malbert Smith III created the Lexile Framework for Reading. The Lexile Framework matches readers to books based on which texts offered the greatest potential for the reader to progress. Using a proven solution to facilitate growth is important as greater reading growth leads to greater reading skill in the positive feedback loop often referred to as the Matthew Effect — the more you do something or accumulate something, the better or the more you get.
As researchers with doctorates in Educational Psychology, Stenner and Smith knew the importance of scientific rigor and decided to create an objective and universal scale that placed readers on the same scale as books. They founded MetaMetrics to build the Lexile Framework and won several highly competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. These grants are designed specifically for small businesses that translate science into useful educational products and services. Nearly 40 years later, the Lexile Framework has withstood the test of time and, more importantly, of scientific scrutiny. Researchers have conducted more than 1,000 studies in 25 U.S. states and 24 countries, and Lexile measures are currently making assessments more actionable for 35 million students every year.
Non Evidence-Based Text Leveling Systems Are Hurting Early Readers. Here’s How to Fix it.
While other text leveling systems may be popular, research has shown that their diagnostic accuracy is lacking. For example, the exact text characteristics used by other expert publishers are not quantified (page 16), leaving room for human error and lack of agreement (page 11) from one person to another. Furthermore, some well-known systems for leveling books are not based on a meaningful scale. This means that the difference between a level A book and a level B book is not necessarily the same as the difference between a level B book and a level C book.
In a recent webinar, Dr. Matt Burns, a professor involved in the aforementioned research, recommended Lexile measures over other popular leveling systems. Indeed, the Lexile Framework for Reading has always been aligned with the science of reading, long before it was mandated in state legislation, or became a trending, “buzz-worthy” phrase. Providing Lexile measures to match readers to content helps ensure that tests, curriculum, and books are both aligned with the science of reading and align with state requirements to use scientifically-aligned products in schools. For a list of assessments and programs that can be purchased for school or districts, see metametricsinc.com/lexile-tests.
So, what are the requirements for an educational product, tool, or service to be aligned with the science of reading?
There are essentially three different “levels” of alignment: science-based, research-based, and evidence-based. The distinctions between these levels will become increasingly important as teachers and administrators are tasked with assessing the validity of product claims.
Science-based implies that a program, tool, or service is based on scientific principles, though it might not have been directly studied. Of the three levels listed above, science-based is the least rigorous category of available reading tools and programs. It might help to look at an example. Let’s say you are looking to reduce your stress and you signed up for an app that claims to reduce your stress level if you sit in a quiet room and listen to 5 minutes of calming forest sounds and then immediately follow this activity with 5 minutes of jumping jacks. The aforementioned stress-reducing program would be science-based because there is a large body of scientifically-based research showing that calming audio or exercise can reduce stress. But would it be research-based?
Research-based is more stringent than science-based, and requires that a program, tool, or service’s unique components have been tested and shown effective through research. Let’s return to our stress-reduction program: it could claim that it was research-based if there was research evidence to demonstrate that either of the two specific components – 5 minutes of audio of calming forest sounds or 5 minutes engaging in jumping jacks – led to a reduction in stress. This differs from science-based in that the specific component (5 minutes of forest sounds) had been tested and shown effective, rather than a more general finding (such as the benefits of listening to 10 minutes of instrumental music). Typically, research evidence constitutes experimental or quasi-experimental studies that have controlled for possible alternative explanations and have been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Evidence-based is the most stringent among the three and signifies that an entire program, tool, or service has been demonstrated effective through rigorous research. In our stress-reduction example, in order for it to be evidence-based, the exact program sequence and components (5 minutes of calming forest sounds followed by 5 minutes of jumping jacks) would need to demonstrate it measurably reduces stress levels in a well-designed, peer-reviewed scientific study. While many products can claim to be science-based, fewer can claim to be research-based and even fewer are truly evidence-based.
MetaMetrics’ Lexile Framework: Evidence-based tools for parents and teachers
MetaMetrics’ ultimate goal is to ensure that all students can thrive in school and beyond. Our tools are designed to meet all students where they are in their learning development and bridges them to their next stage of progress throughout the entire academic career. For parents and educators we offer our Lexile® & Quantile® Hub where you can help children find “just right” level books at Lexile® Find a Book, vocabulary lists by grade level with Lexile® WordLists. Using our new Lexile® & Quantile® Educator Academy, educators learn strategies and resources to use Lexile and Quantile measures to differentiate instruction, communicate effectively with parents and peers and improve student learning.