Open the book to the middle and find a full page of text. Put one finger up for each word the student doesn't know or can't pronounce. If the student finds 4 or more words that he doesn't know, this text will be challenging for him/her.
B. Flesch-Kincaid Method
The Flesch scores are based on the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence. For best results use a 100-word sample; anything shorter will not suffice. When counting syllables and words, count any proper nouns, numbers, or dates as one. For instance, “Abraham Lincoln,” “865,460,” “March 18, 2002,” and “Connecticut” would each count as an “easy word” or a one-syllable word.
Two kinds of scales are offered:
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score rates text based on the U.S. high school grade level system (a score of 7.0 would mean a 7th grader should be able to comprehend the text).
The Reading Ease score is based on a 100 point scale; the higher the score, the easier to read. A score of 60 is taken to be plain English. Reader's Digest scores 65; Time Magazine scores 52. Today most states require insurance documents to score between 40 and 50.
You can determine reading level by typing a paragraph into Word then clicking on the spell checker.
In Word 97 - 2003:
1. On the Tools menu, click Options; then click Spelling & Grammar Tab
2. Select the Check grammar with spelling check box
3. Select the Show Readability statistics check box; click OK
Copy text into Word and click spelling.
Scroll through all the possible changes The results are in Flesch-Kincaid Grade level
In Word 2007:
1. Copy text into Word
2. On the tool bar on top, select Review
3. Select Spelling & Grammar
4. Select Options (at bottom of box) and be sure "Show Readability Statictics" box is checked
Scroll through all the possible changes The results are in Flesch-Kincaid Grade level
