What Is a 7th Grade Reading Level? Understanding Lexile Scores

The Lexile Framework for Reading is a scientific approach to measuring both students’ reading ability and a book’s text complexity on the same developmental scale. One of the most common ways educators monitor and report students’ reading levels is through the Lexile® measure, also known as a Lexile level or Lexile score. Lexile levels help teachers determine what books are a good fit for someone reading at a particular grade level.

Lexile scores do so much more than place students at a reading level and monitor their progress. Educators and parents can use Lexile levels within a Structured Literacy framework to individualize instruction, challenge students with more complex texts, and encourage students to read.

• For Readers: A student’s Lexile score can be determined through reading assessments, including standardized tests or diagnostic tools. A student's Lexile level indicates the level of text a student can read with comprehension.

• For Texts: Books, articles, and other reading materials can also be given Lexile levels, which are based on word frequency and sentence length.

What Do Lexile Levels Tell Us?

MetaMetrics®  created The Lexile® Framework for Reading. Rather than provide age-based guidelines for what students should read, Lexile levels provide quantitative ranges. Measures range from below 200L for beginning readers and texts to above 1600L for advanced readers and texts. A good match occurs when a student’s Lexile level aligns with the text's Lexile measure, ideally within 50L below to 100L above their Lexile score for an appropriate challenge.

While sentence length and word frequency inform text difficulty, factors such as theme and content do not affect the score, which can be problematic for teachers. Because Lexile levels are objective, rich literature can sometimes have lower Lexile measures than what might seem appropriate.

For example, John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is typically introduced in high school and still poses reading challenges for some adults. However, the text has a Lexile measure of just 680L. The words and sentence length are not considered complex, a hallmark of Steinbeck's work that he was quite proud of.

What is the Lexile Scale?

According to the Lexile Framework for Reading, specific Lexile measures do not necessarily align with particular grade levels. Within any classroom or grade, students will range in Lexile scores. For example, in a fifth grade classroom, some students will have Lexile levels higher than a typical fifth grade reader (about 250L above), and others will fall lower on the scale (about 250L below). Assuming certain books are “just right” for all fifth grade students assumes all students in that grade are reading at the same level.

While no direct correspondence exists between Lexile and grade levels, MetaMetrics provides ranges of Lexile reader levels and text measures to pinpoint what materials students can competently read and understand at a given grade level. 

Understanding Lexile Charts

MetaMetrics conducted a research study to describe Lexile ranges for each grade. Researchers collected data for these national student norms from a sample of more than 3 million students across the United States and the Virgin Islands who were administered tests that reported Lexile measures from 2010 to 2019.

This chart shows typical Lexile levels in classrooms in the fall, winter, and spring in students well below grade level through well above grade level.

Typical Lexile Reader Measures by Grade for English Text

In the sixth grade, students in the 50th percentile scored at a Lexile level between 760L and 1235L. You can find books by grade level, Lexile level, book type, and subject area using the “Find a Book” database in The Lexile & Quantile Hub.

Here are a few examples of texts that align to middle school Lexile levels, according to Edutopia:

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls—700L

• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton—750L

• The Giver by Lois Lowry—760L

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling—980L

You shouldn’t choose reading materials for students using the Lexile chart only; instead, it should help guide you as you look for books that correspond to your students’ findings and interests.

How Do Lexile Levels Fit Into the Science of Reading?

Historically, leveled reading was associated with balanced literacy, an instructional method that has contributed to inadequate reading progress and proficiency. One component of balanced literacy includes students reading authentic texts that align with their lexile level.

During the past few years, educators have shifted back to a Structured LIteracy approach, recognizing students best learn the foundational skills of reading if taught systematically and explicitly. Students do not learn how to read by exclusively reading leveled books. That’s why more than 40 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws or implemented policies calling for evidence-based reading instruction to ensure every child is given their best chance to become successful, confident readers.

The science of reading, a vast body of multidisciplinary research, shows how the human brain learns to read. This research supports effective teaching methods emphasized in a Structured Literacy approach. 

Before students can read proficiently, they must learn phonics skills—one of the five pillars of reading—to decode and encode words when reading and writing. However, research shows that students have difficulty decoding more complex words when foundational decoding and encoding knowledge is lacking. 

In a science of reading-based approach, a Lexile score would be leveraged to ensure the accurate diagnosis and instructional treatment of a reading need. This personalizes the instruction for each child and emphasizes foundational reading skills that facilitate independent and critical reading.

Why Is Phonics Important?

Research shows systematic phonics instruction gives all readers a higher chance of learning how to read proficiently than other forms of instruction. Rather than guessing words, students can use phonics to develop accurate, automatic word identification skills. 

When children first learn to read, they can decode using phonics strategies. This helps them sound out words and build their knowledge of letter patterns. Then, they begin to remember those letter patterns and eventually recognize most words by sight. Reading automaticity is essential for developing reading fluency and contributes to efficient and effective reading comprehension. Phonic word attack strategies continue to play a role in later grades when students encounter unfamiliar words in a text.

However, there is room for books that align to Lexile levels in a Structured Literacy classroom. According to the International Dyslexia Association®, three principles go into Structured Literacy instruction. It must be:

• Systematic & Cumulative: Systematic means the organization of the material follows the logical order of language. The sequence begins with the most straightforward concepts and gradually increases in difficulty as students’ understanding deepens. Cumulative means each step should build on top of the previous one. Using Lexiles, you can choose books, particularly decodable ones, which emphasize concepts learned in phonics instruction.

• Diagnostic: Diagnostic refers to how teachers understand and react to their students’ learning process. They must be able to individualize instruction (even in group situations) based on continuous assessment. These assessments can be informal (e.g., observation) or formal (e.g., standardized testing). You can use Lexile levels to help individualize reading instruction for struggling students and frequently assess their understanding.

• Explicit: Explicit instruction means teachers are clear and direct when teaching students new concepts. It should not be assumed students already know concepts that have not been taught, nor should it be assumed students learn through exposure to texts alone. Explicit teaching involves direct student-teacher interactions, and research has shown that incorporating multisensory teaching can also support students’ learning. The Lexile Find a Book tool helps you match students with books at their ability level, supporting the development of comprehension skills, one of the five pillars of the science of reading.

Lexile scores are most relevant in a science of reading-based classroom to determine student strengths and needs, and then ensure progress. 

Using Lexile Levels To Boost Literacy in Your Classroom

Explicitly teaching students to read and getting them to love reading is more important than choosing books that meet their precise Lexile levels. Lexile measures shouldn’t guide students away from texts they want to read, even if the measure is lower or higher than the student’s own Lexile level. If you’re looking to match students to texts at their reading level, aim for books with a Lexile of 100L below to 50L above their Lexile score.

The Lexile framework doesn’t only apply to traditional books or classic fiction—you can also choose graphic novels and decodable texts for younger readers. You can purchase a subscription to the Lexile Text Analyzer to ensure texts are at an appropriate reading level for your students. The Text Analyzer allows you to look at Lexile levels in both English and Spanish, which can be helpful if you’re looking for books for Emergent Bilingual students. You can also search for texts within the same complexity range.

When used correctly, Lexile measures can support a science of reading approach and serve as a tool for teachers, students, and parents. 

Students learn to read when they realize how spoken sounds combine to form words. Once they understand how sounds work together and correspond to letters, children can start decoding written words and tackling more complex texts. Read this blog post to discover how you can build a strong phonics foundation.