This walkthrough shows how to manually determine grade-level appropriateness without using Evaluators. It mirrors the Evaluating grade level appropriateness tutorial for comparison.
What you’ll need
- A text passage to analyze
- Access to a Flesch–Kincaid grade level calculator or spreadsheet formula
- A qualitative rubric for evaluating complexity
Steps
STEP 1: Start with the numbers (quantitative analysis)
Begin by getting an objective baseline for the text’s difficulty. Quantitative measures analyze word length, sentence length, and syllable count.Calculate word count
- Count the total number of words in the passage to estimate its density and length.
- Grades 2–3: 200–800 words
- Grades 4–5: 200–800 words
- Grades 6–8: 400–1000 words
- Grades 9–10: 500–1500 words
- Grades 11–CCR: 1500+ words
Calculate the Flesch–Kincaid grade level
Use this formula to determine the U.S. grade level.0.39 * (TOTAL_WORDS / TOTAL_SENTENCES) + 11.8 * (TOTAL_SYLLABLES / TOTAL_WORDS) - 15.59.
The result is grade.month. For example, a result of 8.2 means the text is likely suitable for a student in the second month of Grade 8. Use this as your starting estimate.
STEP 2: Evaluate text qualitatively
Numbers don’t tell the whole story. A passage with simple words might still express complex ideas. Read the text carefully and use this rubric to evaluate key features, including structure, language, and purpose.Text structure
- Exceedingly complex: Deep or ambiguous connections between ideas; discipline-specific organization.
- Very complex: Expanded ideas with multiple or subtle connections.
- Moderately complex: Some implicit links; generally sequential or chronological.
- Slightly comple:x Clear, explicit, and predictable organization.
Language features
- Exceedingly complex: Dense, abstract, or figurative language; complex sentences.
- Very complex: Abstract or academic vocabulary; many complex sentences.
- Moderately complex: Mostly explicit language and familiar vocabulary.
- Slightly complex: Straightforward language and simple sentences.
Purpose
- Exceedingly complex: Subtle or intricate author purpose.
- Very complex: Implicit but inferable purpose.
- Moderately complex: Implied but easy to identify purpose.
- Slightly complex: Clear, concrete purpose stated directly.
Knowledge demands
- Exceedingly complex: Requires extensive, discipline-specific knowledge.
- Very complex: Requires moderate subject knowledge and some allusions.
- Moderately complex: Relies on common knowledge with limited references.
- Slightly complex:** Requires only everyday knowledge and no references.
STEP 3: Consider the student (background knowledge)
Think about the learner’s experience and readiness. A text is accessible only if the student’s background knowledge aligns with its content. Curriculum: What have students at your target grade studied? For example, would they understand a text about the Civil War, cell division, or ancient Rome? Life experience: Does the text assume life or cultural experiences your students might lack? Interest: Will the topic likely engage, bore, or confuse students at that age?STEP 4: Synthesize your findings
Combine your quantitative and qualitative results to reach a conclusion.- Weigh the evidence.
If the Flesch–Kincaid score is high but the qualitative features are simple, the text may be suitable for a lower grade level. Conversely, a low score with abstract ideas may warrant placement in a higher grade. - Determine the target grade.
Decide the best level for independent reading—where most students can comprehend the text with minimal support. - Identify an alternative grade with scaffolding.
If younger students could access the text with help, identify the scaffolding needed, such as:- Pre-teaching key vocabulary
- Providing historical or cultural context
- Reading aloud in class
- Breaking the text into smaller sections
- Using graphic organizers or visual aids