MetaMetrics and BookMasters Helping More Independent Publishers Get Lexile Measures

Special Lexile Measurement Discount Allows BookMasters' Clients to Provide Popular Reading Metric for Books


DURHAM, NC--(Marketwire - Oct 4, 2011) - MetaMetrics®, developer of The Lexile® Framework for Reading, has partnered with BookMasters to offer its independent publishing clients a special discount on obtaining certified Lexile measures for their books. Lexile measures provide valuable information about a book's text complexity that helps educators and parents match a reader's ability level with fiction and nonfiction titles that support the development of reading skills.

With nearly all states adopting the Common Core State Standards for college and career readiness, the importance of measuring text complexity has gained national attention. The Standards for English Language Arts recommend Lexile measures for evaluating text complexity and offer Lexile grade bands for reading comprehension development to help students prepare for the text demands of their academic and professional pursuits and to guide publishers in developing grade-level content.

"The Common Core has renewed the education community's focus on individualized instruction, and our publishing clients understand the unique value that Lexile measures offer in selecting reading resources to support this," said BookMasters CEO Dave Wurster. "Lexile measures provide publishers with a distinct advantage in increasing exposure for their materials and, ultimately, getting them in the hands of more educators and families to support targeted reading instruction."

A book receives a Lexile measure when MetaMetrics analyzes the complete text using propriety software that evaluates its various dimensions. As part of the agreement, MetaMetrics will extend BookMasters' clients a discounted rate to assign Lexile measures to all of the ISBNs associated with a specific title, including any digital versions. All titles with Lexile measures will be added to MetaMetrics' free "Find a Book" search tool which allows readers to build custom book lists based on their Lexile measure and interests, and then locate their selections at a public library.

"The importance of measuring text complexity has increased with the Common Core and will continue to do so as state departments of education shift their attention to developing curricula to support the new standards," said MetaMetrics President and Co-Founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. "By adding Lexile measures to their books, publishers are providing important information on text complexity that can influence purchasing decisions as districts and schools select the best materials to help their students prepare for the next steps in their lives -- whether that be the next grade or fulfilling their college or career ambitions."

The Lexile Framework is a unique tool for accurately matching readers with text. Unlike other measurement systems, the Lexile Framework evaluates reading ability and growth based on actual assessment results, rather than generalized age or grade levels. Lexile measures help teachers, librarians and parents find books, articles and other resources within a reader's recommended Lexile range: 100L below to 50L above his or her Lexile measure. Reading materials within this optimal Lexile range will challenge the individual's reading ability, while still maintaining interest and learning.

Recognized globally as the most widely used reading metric, tens of millions of Lexile measures are reported annually from reading assessments and programs. For more information, visit www.Lexile.com.

About BookMasters
BookMasters, based in Ashland, Ohio, is the largest integrated provider of editorial and design, eBook conversion, printing, printed book and eBook distribution, and marketing services for publishers and authors. The organization has remained a publishing industry leader for more than 40 years. For more information, visit www.bookmasters.com.

About MetaMetrics
MetaMetrics is focused on improving education for learners of all ages and ability levels. The organization develops scientific measures of academic achievement and complementary technologies that link assessment results with real-world instruction. MetaMetrics' products and services for reading (The Lexile® Framework for Reading, El Sistema Lexile para Leer), mathematics (The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics), and writing (The Lexile Framework for Writing) provide unique insights about academic ability and the potential for growth, enabling individuals to achieve their goals at every stage of development. Connect with the organization at: http://blog.lexile.com.

Contact Information:

For more information:
Eric Zurowski

919-547-3453