Reading Levels

Mark asked last Wednesday what the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level means. That tells us the grade level of the selection we’re reading and the formula is:

0.39 x total words/total sentences + 11.8 x total syllables/total words - 15.59

(And no, I didn’t do the math, which tests your skill in order of operations. There is a web site which does it for you.)

So if you see Grade 7.6, that means a 7th grader should be able to read and comprehend the reading selection.

Then I decided to do some reading level measurements just for fun. The results follow.

PSAT reading sample: Grade 7.6 and a reading ease of very easy.

Basic SAT reading sample: Grade 8.8 and a reading ease of standard.

Advanced SAT reading sample: Grade 4.6 and a reading ease of very easy.

(I think the above SAT results show how diligent you have to be when relying on information as accurate, wherever you get it. It’s pretty obvious that those two SAT reading selections should be switched for a more plausible set of scores.)

TAK (Texas Assessment of Knowledge & Skills) Grade 6 reading samples (2) : 1 - Grade 6.2 and a reading ease of fairly easy and 2 - Grade 4.7 and a reading ease of easy.

The New York Times (from a front page article): Grade level 12.8 and reading ease of fairly difficult.

So I guess we can draw the conclusion from this unofficial study that if you can read and comprehend the New York Times you can skip school except for recess and lunch.