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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