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Readability
Defining readability
scores ...
Educational materials usually
target a specific age group or grade level. Sometimes, educational
materials also target a specific skill level within an age group or
grade level. For example, a product may target advanced students who
read above grade level or it may target struggling readers who read
below grade level. In these cases, the content should reflect the
actual grade level of the students, while the readability should be
adjusted to reflect the skill level.
It is important that students in
the target group can successfully read
the materials, so writers must be aware of the requirements before
beginning the writing process. Readability scores, usually written as
grade numbers, tell writers if their
writing is meeting the reading level of the target group. For example,
a score of
4.6 indicates that the reading level of the material is suitable for a
student in
the sixth month of the fourth grade.
Determining readability
scores ...
There are several ways to determine if
you are writing at the correct reading level.
- Flesch-Kincaid Scale—Microsoft Word
has a function that
calculates grade level using the Flesch-Kincaid scale. This is a good
tool to see if your writing is in the general ballpark, but it can vary
from version to version and from platform to platform. To check
readability, go to Microsoft Word preferences and click "spelling and
grammar." Check the "show readability statistics" box under the
"grammar" heading in the
diaglogue box. The readability score will automatically be calculated
every time you run spell check. (If these directions are not accurate
for your version of Word, use Word's help function to find out how to
use readability statistics.)
- Spache or Dale-Chall Scales—When
you need a more accurate
measurement of readability (or when the client asks you to provide an
actual score with your manuscript), visit Okapi!
This site allows you to select the appropriate scale (Spache for grades
1 to 3 and Dale-Chall for grades 4+). It provides a readability score
and an analysis that will help you make any necessary changes. The site
also allows you to fine-tune your results by ignoring certain words and
punction. For example, you might want to omit person or place names;
you also might want to ignore a period that follows an initial in the
middle of a sentence.
Note: The
site listed above is a third party site and has no affiliation with
WT Editorial or Sunflower Publishing Services, Inc. This information is
provided as a convenience to independent contractors.
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