Return-Path: <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i2KMFUI06394; Sat, 20 Mar 2004 17:15:30 -0500 (EST) Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2004 17:15:30 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <56D02A94-7A7F-11D8-88C9-00039381D39E@comcast.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: David Rosen <djrosen@comcast.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-aalpd@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-AALPD:1184] Re: Readability X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.552) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Status: O Content-Length: 1839 Lines: 55 Hi Andrea, On Friday, March 19, 2004, at 01:33 PM, you wrote: > How do you evaluate a text for readability? I don't usually mention commercial products on an e-list but in this case, since I think this is a good solution to the problem you posed, I will. Micro power and Light has a software package for a little over $100 that uses nine of the best American English readability formulae. lt offers two wonderful features: 1) you type in the text and it calculates the reading level -- easy and quick; 2) it gives you an average across the nine formulae (or any subset of the nine) because no single readability formula is completely accurate. The average, I have found, is generally more useful than a grade level from any single readability calculation formula. Having said that, what do you have when you have a "grade level;" of a reading passage for an adult? At best, a general description of the reading difficulty, to be taken into consideration with other factors such as motivation, and background knowledge in the subject matter or topic. http://www.micropowerandlight.com/ Do others on this list have experience using Micro Power and Light Readability Calculation software? If so, do you agree with my description of it? David J. Rosen djrosen@comcast.net > > I can find some information on readability, but nothing about what > real teachers do in real classrooms. > > There is grade level...but how do you figure it? > > There is functional level, which is extrapolated from grade level... > > Then there is what I'll call language level, which depends on the > teacher knowing sequence of highest probability of sounds and sound > combinations in English, plus some sight words thrown in. > > Thanks for any help--examples, references, guides, etc. > > Ignorant in Cambridge, > > Andrea >
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