Lexile measures in the UK

From January 2009, up to 2 million children in the UK will have their Lexile level assessed as part of the Progress in English test, used by many schools.

They will receive the results as a measure, [number]L, which can be used to find books that they will enjoy at an appropriate level of difficulty, supporting reluctant readers and stretching more confident ones.

For instance, a child with Lexile level 500L will find books at level 450L easy to read, and books at level 550L challenging but still accessible.

Usborne and Lexile Measures

Usborne Publishing is the first UK publisher to sign up to the Lexile system.

Nearly 200 titles in the Usborne Reading Programme have already been assessed and we will continue to add more titles and more series, and publish the Lexile measures on our websites.

We believe that the system has huge potential for all readers, parents and schools. It is particularly valuable for maintaining interest in reading over the school holidays, when children typically "drift" – Lexile measures help teachers and parents to select books at the right level and in line with children's own interests.

Choosing books for children

Once a child has been tested at school and you know his or her Lexile level, you can easily find books at that level or slightly above by using the Usborne Lexile Measures charts:

• Download chart of Lexile measures for Usborne Beginners
• Download chart of Lexile measures for Usborne First Reading titles
• Download chart of Lexile measures for Usborne Young Reading titles
• Download chart of Lexile measures for Usborne Classics Retold and True Stories titles

For best reading progress, books at up to 50 points above the child's level are recommended.

You can also find Lexile measures with the book information for individual titles in the Usborne online catalogue.

• Find out more about Lexile Measures on the Lexile UK website: www.improvemyreading.co.uk.