The new Common Core reading standards have given educators a 21st-century metric for keeping their students on track for college and career readiness. However, teachers still need an effective way to track their students’ progress and set goals. Now an online reading assessment program, Total Reader™, provides the ability to group students by Common Core Lexile standards.
Total Reader provides a form of computer adaptive testing. It provides practice reading that is always targeted to an individual student’s current reading levels. With each practice, student reading ability is measured with the scientifically-proven Lexile® scale, aligned to Common Core expectations. From grade 3 into college, a student’s Lexile measure is tracked, providing valuable longitudinal data.
With a current Lexile measure in hand, students and teachers are then able to set goals to bridge the readiness gap. The program helps educators meet the U.S. Department of Education What Works Clearinghouse recommendations for screening reading ability and providing differentiated instruction.
Total Reader scoring is based on research by MetaMetrics®, the company that created The Lexile® Framework for Reading. Lexile measures are an ideal flagging tool to support interventions. Having a current Lexile measure also helps teachers and students choose supplemental reading at a level that supports reading growth.
“Today more than ever, teachers need to do more with less, and Total Reader can help them in two ways. First, it saves time. It takes very little time for students to keep track of their Lexile measures,” explains Peter Sibley, CEO of EDmin. “It’s also a very affordable program. It’s easy to get set up, starting with a 45-day free trial.
“Total Reader provides a personalized approach to tracking reading growth, to help teachers ensure that students are future ready,” he explained. “It is one of the best Common Core reading strategies.”
The program is simple to use. Students choose passages from a library of fiction and nonfiction topics. It takes about 10 minutes to complete a passage. Throughout each passage, students find numbered blanks. They choose the best word to fill in the blank. Scoring is instant, and teachers can immediately access reports showing reading growth.
