[kids-lib] English Teacher Update #26: Lexiles and Reading is an Investment

[Katie Anderson]

I subscribe to the Oregon English Teachers Update.  Here are a few articles of particular interest to public youth services librarians from the latest issue.  To view the entire February Update, go to:  http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?=1876

Statewide "Reading is an Investment" Program Open to Elementary Students—Due March 18
The State Treasurer's Reading is an Investment program is now underway.  Public libraries at minimum should be aware that kids must read at least 3 books from the recommended reading list, after that they can read whatever books they want to read, and the recommended reading list is available online at http://www.ost.state.or.us/Read/Recommended%20Reading%20List%202010.pdf.  If your library would like to promote Reading is an Investment you may want to put up a display in your library and distribute the rules/reading logs which are available online at: http://www.ost.state.or.us/Read/Reading%20Log%202010.pdf .

Here is the Update article:
        The annual "Reading is an Investment<http://www.ost.state.or.us/Read/>" program, sponsored by the State Treasurer and the Oregon College Savings Plan, is open for Oregon public school students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The statewide program highlights the importance of reading and teaching young children about money and basic financial concepts.
        Children who complete the program are entered into a drawing to receive $500 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships, to be awarded in April. Materials must be completed and returned by March 18, 2011. For more information and forms, go to Reading is an Investment<http://www.ost.state.or.us/Read/>.

Oregon Scale Score to Lexile Conversion Table Is Now Available!
Many public libraries are familiar with Lexiles, a reading level rating system that matches kids' reading level with books at their level.  Oregon schools use both Lexiles and  the Oregon Assesment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) for Reading/Literature.  With this new conversion table you can easily convert OAKS scale scores to Lexiles when working with patrons who don't know their Lexile, but do know their OAKS score.  Please remember that Lexiles are just one of many readers' advisory tools we have.  They do a good job helping us find books that correlate with decoding skills, but conducting a reference interview to find out what books a particular child might really enjoy and are at the right developmental level for that child is still necessary.

Here is the Update article:
        Use the scale score (RIT) to Lexile Conversion Table<http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/lexiles/or-scale-score-to-lexile.pdf> (search Lexiles on ODE homepage) to help monitor student reading progress with Lexile data points. For example, a 5th grade student who receives a Reading/Literature scale score of 220 would have a Lexile measure of 785L.
        See Lexiles in Oregon<http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/page/?id=1638>  for information on how to access and use Lexiled data bases and support materials for instruction.  The Lexile Framework for Reading<http://www.lexile.com> supports improved student reading by using the same scale to measure both text difficulty and student reading ability. Through the application of a dual scale, it matches students to appropriate text that encourages them to read widely at their instructional level (text they read with support) and at their independent level (text they read without support). Because The Lexile Framework for Reading<http://www.lexile.com> was successfully linked to the Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (OAKS) for Reading/Literature at grades 3 through high school in 2004, every student who takes the OAKS receives a Lexile measure on the Class Roster Report. But now the Lexile Conversion Table<http://www.ode.state.or.us/teachlearn/subjects/elarts/reading/literacy/lexiles/or-scale-score-to-lexile.pdf> provides an alternate method to convert the student’s OAKS Reading/Literature scale score to the corresponding Lexile measure.
        The Lexile measure is also one of three ways text difficulty is measured in the new Common Core State Standards<http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards> (CCSS) Oregon adopted in October 2010. Contact: Julie Anderson julie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:julie.anderson at state.or.us> or Steve Slater steve.slater at state.or.us<mailto:steve.slater at state.or.us>

Katie Anderson, Library Development Services
* Youth Services Consultant * Oregon Center for the Book Coordinator *
Oregon State Library, 250 Winter St. NE, Salem, OR 97301
katie.anderson at state.or.us<mailto:katie.anderson at state.or.us>, 503-378-2528

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