How to Check a Readability Score with Microsoft Word

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How to Check a Readability Score with Microsoft Word Step 1: Open your Informed Consent document in Word. Step 2: Look at the top tool bar and click “Review.” It should the ninth option at the top in Word 365. Step 3: Click “Check Document” or “Spelling Check.” It should be on the right at the very top with the image of a green check mark and the letters ‘abc’. Step 4: A small window should pop up that reads “Readability Statistics,” like the one to the right. *If this window does not automatically pop up for you, try these steps: (1) Go to “File,” then “Options.” (2) Select “Proofing.” (3) Under “When correcting spelling and grammar in Word,” make sure the “Check grammar with spelling” check-box is selected. (4) Select “Show readability statistics.” (5) Try starting over with Step 2. If you still can’t get the readability statistics to show, please click the help button in the top tool bar for step-by-step instructions on how to enable this feature. Step 5: “Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level” in this window is the number the IRB is concerned with regarding readability for the population you are studying. Guidelines - Any population that requires an advanced degree (2-year degree or more) must have a reading level of 12.0 or below. - Children or other special populations (the elderly, prison inmates, etc.) must have a reading level of 3.0 or below. - The general public or any other population that does not fit into the other two categories must have a reading level of 8.0 or below. .

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Text Complexity by Dr
Author Monographs Text Complexity By Dr. Timothy Shanahan University of Illinois at Chicago Member, National Reading Panel; President, International Reading Association, 2006 Chair, National Literacy Panel and National Early Literacy Panel It would be too costly and All texts are not equal. Some texts inconvenient to perform the above- are harder to read and comprehend. explained process for every text, of Just as there are individual differences course, so a second fundamental in children, there are individual premise of readability measurement differences in the texts that we ask is that the measure must specifically children to read. Some children summarize only text features or read better than others, and there characteristics, and not how easily are a variety of reasons for these read the text has been in the past. On differences in reading abilities. The the basis of this enumeration of text same is true of texts. Some texts are features, the formula has successfully easier or harder, and there are several predicted reader comprehension for reasons for these differences. texts. The purpose of this essay is to describe what factors Readability measures have evolved since they first cause texts to differ and to explore the relationship of appeared. Now, most readability formulas only measure text difficulty and children’s learning. two factors: word complexity and sentence complexity (Klare, 1984). Thus, measuring the readability or What makes text complex? complexity of a text involves an evaluation of the words: counting the average number of letters or syllables, Since the 1920s, there has been interest in measuring checking the frequency of the words (common words text difficulty or readability (Lively & Pressey, 1923).
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The Lexile Framework: Unnecessary and Potentially Harmful Stephen Krashen CSLA (California School Library Association) Journal 24(2): 25-26, 2001 The Lexile Framework attempts to solve a problem that doesn't exist. It is a readability formula that "stands firmly in the tradition of classic readability formulas" (Stenner, 1996, p. 23) that assigns reading levels to texts based on word frequency and sentence length. The Lexile Framework is intended to help teachers and librarians recommend supplementary reading that is at the right reading level: "For example, an eighth-grade girl who is interested in sports but is not reading at grade level might be able to handle a biography of a famous athlete. The teacher may not know, however, whether that biography is too difficult or too easy for the student. " All the teacher has to do is use the Lexile Framework on the text and the student and select a book at the right level. Then, "as the reader improves, new titles with higher text measures can be chosen to match the growing person (sic) measure, thus keeping the comprehension rate at the chosen level." (Stenner, 1996, p. 22). Not Necessary None of this is necessary, and it is probably harmful. There is a much easier way for readers to select texts: Are they comprehensible and interesting? It doesn't take long for a reader to determine this: All it takes is sampling a little of the text (reading it). Our eighth grader simply needs to have a look at a few biographies. Teachers and librarians can certainly help in text selection and they do this all the time, with great success.
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