MetaMetrics' Lexile Analyzer Tops 100,000 Registered Users

Free Online Utility Provides Lexile Measures to Evaluate Text Complexity


DURHAM, NC--(Marketwire - Jan 24, 2012) - MetaMetrics®, developer of the widely adopted Lexile® Framework for Reading, is pleased to announce that more than 100,000 educators and other individuals have registered to use its free Lexile Analyzer® to determine the Lexile measure of various classroom and personal texts. Lexile measures evaluate how complex a text will likely be for a reader to comprehend so that the reader can be matched with texts that best complement his or her unique ability level and reading goals. In the past two years alone, users have analyzed nearly one million text files.

The importance of measuring text complexity has gained national attention now that nearly all states have adopted and are implementing the new Common Core State Standards. The Common Core stresses the need for students to engage with texts of appropriate complexity as they advance through school. The English Language Arts Standards utilize Lexile measures to evaluate text complexity and provide Lexile bands for reading comprehension development to help inform curriculum and assessment decisions that will ultimately prepare students for college and career text demands and to guide publishers in creating grade-level content.

The Lexile Analyzer measures text complexity by evaluating various characteristics of the complete text, including word frequency and sentence length. Generally, texts with longer sentences and words of lower frequency have higher Lexile measures, while texts with shorter sentences and words of higher frequency have lower Lexile measures. To date, the number of words examined by the Lexile Analyzer exceeds 1.5 billion.

The Lexile Analyzer first became available for public use in 1998. Since then, more than 100,000 individuals have registered to use either the standard Lexile Analyzer or the professional version, which allows them to analyze texts exceeding 1,000 words. Lexile measures generated by the free Lexile Analyzer cannot be used commercially, but publishers can license the Lexile Analyzer to develop products. Publishers can also take advantage of MetaMetrics' resource measurement service to receive certified Lexile measures that can then be reported in databases, catalogs and other public domains.

Books with Lexile measures are also available in MetaMetrics' free "Find a Book" search tool which allows readers to build custom book lists and then locate their selections at a public library. "Find a Book" includes more than 125,000 fiction and nonfiction titles from more than 200 publishers. In addition, tens of millions of articles have Lexile measures and are available from content aggregators such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Gale Cengage and Newsbank.

"The Common Core State Standards have brought text complexity measurement to the forefront of many educational reform agendas," said MetaMetrics President and co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. "As schools and districts begin to implement the new standards, the education community as a whole must utilize proven text measurement tools -- like Lexile measures -- that will allow all stakeholders to realize the promise of college and career ready standards."

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 are recognized globally as the most widely used reading metric with tens of millions of Lexile measures being reported annually from reading assessments and programs. They 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.

For more information and to register for the free Lexile Analyzer, visit www.Lexile.com. Publishers interested in getting certified Lexile measures for their texts should contact Jessica Whitesell, publisher relations manager, at 919-354-3462 or jwhitesell@Lexile.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