I always enjoy the passion with which librarians respond to reading
issues, and lexiles are no exception. I hope that this posting will
inject what my library director calls "the calm voice of sanity" into
the discussion.
First of all, lexiles are neither good nor bad, but can be either
depending on how they are used within the school and the library. In my
years I have discovered that a bad tool can be good for some kids and a
good tool can be bad for some kids. It's the indiscriminate use of any
tool that is a problem. The key here is balance--using the tool to
facilitate whatever we are trying to accomplish and not using the tool
when it would deter the higher accomplishments of students who don't
need the tool at all. And it is part of our job to help those educators
without such a balanced view to learn it from us.
Second, lexiles provide accountability. We are living at a time when
public school accountability is increasingly important, not only for
funding but perhaps even for keeping our jobs. Using reading lexiles or
any other reading program can be a useful way to provide data to those
who require it. It is for that reason that I like having lexiles
entered into MARC records. Is lexile-based reading an authentic
assessment? Maybe not, but then I've seen my share of ridiculous
assessment vehicles that have been accepted throughout public education
for many decades. Again it is balance--providing a basis for
accountability where necessary without letting it interfere with what we
educators know to be sound educational practices.
A third point about lexiles is their contribution to time management.
In a school library where throughout the day, classes of 30 or more kids
are brought in for 15-20 minutes to check out a book to read, having a
tool such as lexiles (or AR, etc) pasted on the spine can put a readable
book into the hands of most students during that time frame, allowing
the librarian to serve the needs of those students for whom such tools
are not appropriate. For older students we can supply lists of books at
the specified level, rather than marking books. And we can still use
incidental visits to work with individual students and move them beyond
reliance on just one number/star/whatever on the spine of a book or on a
list.
Too, we must remember that teachers are under enormous pressures
regarding standardized tests, proscribed curriculums, and
accountabilty. Many are required to give standardized reading tests and
then to document that their students are reading appropriate materials.
Whenever you feel impatient with a teacher, think about going back to
the classroom yourself. Once you've shuddered at the thought, think
about how you can best serve your teachers within the parameters of your
school's requirements and yet accomplish your own lofty goals for your
library reading program. If lexiles or AR or any similar program can
accomplish either one, why not use it? We are fortunate to have such a
short cut.
Finally, about our discussions. If we want everyone to feel free to
share their successes and their frustrations, we must be gentle with
each other. We can always find groups to chastise and berate us, so we
need not compound our professional frustrations with the whip of each
others' tongues. I know I have often been guilty of this myself, so I
try hard now to not jump to conclusions, and to ask clarifying
questions. I try to be sure that what I write about someone else is
something I'd not mind others reading about me. And I use personal
email instead of group postings if I need to offer a critique that might
be embarrassing.
Barbara Paciotti, SLMIS
Barbara Bush MS, Irving TX
barupa@swbell.net
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