The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. Medical information for the public should be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level, according to the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is the average reading level in the US?
09/06/2020 · What is the average reading level of the general public? The average American is considered to have a readability level equivalent to a 7th/8th grader (12 to 14 years old). This level is actively used as a benchmark for written guidelines in the medical industry.
What percentage of the population can read at a basic level?
18/01/2020 · The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. Medical information for the public should be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level, according to the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What reading level should your content be for your audience?
5 rows · This chart shows the reading level ranges that plain language experts recommend for public ...
What reading level do you prefer to read at?
11/04/2014 · Most adults fall in the “average” range, which spans from 6th to 12th-grade reading levels. In other words, most adults can read books like Harry Potter or Jurassic Park and understand them without any problems.
What reading level is the general public?
For the general public, text should be written at the 8th grade level or lower. Some people worry that 8th grade level text will offend highly skilled readers.
What is the average person reading level?
The average American reads at the 7th- to 8th-grade level, according to The Literacy Project. Medical information for the public should be written at no higher than an eighth-grade reading level, according to the American Medical Association, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What is the average reading level for high schoolers?
A compilation of the top 40 books teens in grades 9-12 are reading in school shows that the average reading level of that list is 5.3 -- barely above the fifth grade. "A fifth-grade reading level is obviously not high enough for college-level reading.23-Mar-2012
What is a good reading level?
You also have the ability to see what level books your child is enjoying and reading, and whether he is moving ahead in his choices over time. A general guideline is that books at the appropriate reading level for most students range from 100L below the Lexile® measure to 50L above it.
What is the average reading level for a 10th grader?
Reading Status Norms (RIT Values and Lexile Levels)GradeBeginning-of-YearLexile Range9220.91100-112510223.91150-117511225.21200+10 more rows
What is reading at a 12th grade level?
If someone is in 12th grade, but can only read as well as the average 11th-grader, they would be reading below grade level, but they could surely read enough to get by on a day-to-day basis.
What is the average 8th grade reading level?
4th Grade: 38-40. 5th Grade: 40-50. 6th Grade: 50-60. 7th & 8th Grade: 60-80.
What is a 6th grade reading level?
80–90 = sixth grade.
What is clear language group?
The Clear Language Group can provide: 1 Readability analysis of your text 2 Comprehensive reports of recommendations to improve the reading ease of your materials 3 Consultations and short workshops on how to accurately and quickly analyze reading level on your own
What does higher reading scores mean?
Higher scores mean lower reading ease or lower readability. Readability formulas measure two factors: the average length of words and the average length of sentences. These two factors have been known for decades to be the factors that contribute most to the difficulty of text.
Is readability testing a field test?
Readability testing is not meant to replace field testing, but it is an important step in preparing for field testing. It is important to remember there are also many other factors that influence the overall reading ease and understandability of text-based information.
What is readability score?
A readability score is given as a “grade level,” but there is no direct correspondence between an individual’s level of education and their ability to read text at a particular grade level. Readability scores are best used to assess whether your text is written at an appropriate level for your intended audience.
Is readability tool reliable?
Before using these programs, you need to know: How to prepare your text before analyzing the reading level. Which software program or website is valid and reliable for your type of document.
How many people have basic literacy?
The most recent national assessment of adult literacy showed that 43% of adults living in the U.S., some 93 million people, have Basic or Below Basic literacy skills. 1.
What is the difference between printed and online text?
With printed text, the average reader will read from top to bottom. There’s no skipping around. With online text, the average reader will read it piece-meal or skip around. They’ll scroll until something catches their eye or skim the headings of a content piece rather than read it through 100%.
How to know what grade level to write in?
Here’s how to know what grade level to write online content in for YOUR specific set of readers. 1. Match Your Content to Your Audience. Before you do anything else , get to know your audience. You have to find out who these people are to know the best reading level to write in FOR them.
Do you have to remember to write for the web?
No matter who makes up your target audience, you must always remember you’re writing content for the web. People read and interact with electronic text differently than they do with printed text. This table from Writing Cooperative shows what I mean: With printed text, the average reader will read from top to bottom.
How to make a sentence more readable?
1. Write Shorter Sentences. Contrary to what you might think, using shorter sentences will not dumb down your content. Instead, it will make it more readable. Sentences that drag on… and on… and on… are harder to read on a screen. They tend to make your mind wander and your eyes hurt because there aren’t any pauses.
Why do we need headings in writing?
Headings are a godsend for online writing. They break up the text into orderly, logical chunks. They make the text easy to scan and find the information you want. They help readers make sense of the text. As a general rule, add a heading whenever you introduce a new facet or branch of your topic.
What is the meaning of "prose literacy"?
When you have “prose literacy,” you have the skills and knowledge you need to comprehend, use, and search information from continuous texts (e.g. novels, textbooks, papers, essays, and other long works). Having basic prose literacy means a person has the skills to perform simple literary activities.
What grades are in the reading assessment?
3 The most recent reading assessments were conducted in 2019 for grades 4, 8, and 12; however, data for grade 12 in 2019 were not available in time for publication.
How many points did the white black achievement gap decrease in 2019?
Although the White-Black achievement gap did not change measurably from 2017 to 2019, the achievement gap narrowed from 32 points in 1992 to 27 points in 2019. The White-Hispanic achievement gap in 2019 (21 points) was smaller than the achievement gap in 2017 (23 points), but it was not measurably different from the achievement gap in 1992. ...
When was the NAEP first administered?
The Main NAEP reading assessment was first administered in 1992 and assesses student performance at grades 4, 8, and 12, while the Long-Term Trend NAEP reading assessment was first administered in 1971 and assesses student performance at ages 9, 13, and 17.
Is the achievement gap between male and female 4th graders bigger?
The 2019 achievement gap between male and female 4th-grade students (7 points) was larger than the male-female achievement gap in 2017 (6 points), but it was not measurably different from the achievement gap in 1992.
What is the average reading score for 4th graders in 2019?
See Digest of Education Statistics 2019, table 221.10 . The average reading score for 4th-grade students in 2019 (220) was lower than the score in 2017 (222), but it was higher than the score in 1992 (217). For 8th-grade students, the reading score in 2019 (263) was lower than the score in 2017 (267), but it was higher than the score in 1992 (260).
How many states have higher reading scores?
In 17 states, reading scores for public school students in 2019 were higher than the national average score for 8th-grade students in public schools, and in 19 states, public school students had scores that were not measurably different from the national average score.
Is reading score lower in the District of Columbia?
Reading scores were also lower in 2019 than in 2017 in 31 states; however, the score was higher in 2019 than in 2017 in the District of Columbia.
Why is digital content better than readability?
Digital is simpler and easier. It allows customers to get the information they need when they need it. But if your digital content isn’t readable, it won’t be of use to your customers, no matter how great your website is. Readability is about making your digital content clear and easy to understand. When you focus on readability, you increase the ...
What is readability in content management?
Readability is about making your digital content clear and easy to understand. When you focus on readability, you increase the chance your target audience will actually read and interact with your content. For this reason, readability should be a natural part of your content management. So, let’s say you’ve formulated a clear communications ...
Can you discriminate against people with learning disabilities?
By not addressing the readability of your content, you could be actively discriminating against users with learning disabilities. In contrast to other online readers, some users will read words letter for letter – making long words and long sentences a challenge.
Why should readability be a focus for content editors?
Here are three reasons why readability should be a focus for content editors: 1. Your audience’s reading age is lower than you think. Whether your website is targeted toward the general public or a specific demographic, it is important to realize that the average reading age is lower than you might expect.
What is the average age for a readability level?
The average American is considered to have a readability level equivalent to a 7th/8th grader (12 to 14 years old). This level is actively used as a benchmark for written guidelines in the medical industry. In the UK, the central government encourages content writers to aim for a readability level of age nine.
Why do children stop reading at 9?
Their reasoning for this is that around the age of nine, children stop reading common words and just recognize their shape. This allows them to read faster. By reducing long sentences and words, you can help keep text simple and easy to read. 2. Readability is about web accessibility.
What does it mean to write well on paper?
Writing well on paper does not necessarily mean that someone communicates well online. By ensuring content editors are involved in the production of online content, they can help reduce jargon and other poor readability elements.
What Is Readability?
- Readability refers to the ease with which text can be read and understood. Readability formulas are often used to assess the difficulty of text. These formulas use mathematical calculations to produce a score. The score shows the relative difficulty on a continuum from easy (grade five or lower) to very hard (college level and above). Higher scores mean lower reading ease or lower re…
Why Is Readability Important?
- Knowing the reading level of your text can give you a general idea how many people may be able to read it. The most recent national assessment of adult literacy showed that 43% of adults living in the U.S., some 93 million people, have Basic or Below Basic literacy skills.1 For audiences with limited literacy skills, or those in population groups shown to be at risk of limited literacy,1 text s…
Be Careful with Readability in Word Processing Programs
- You may have discovered that popular word processing programs have readability functions. Readability tools may be fast and convenient, but they can give inaccurate results. Before using these programs, you need to know: 1. How to prepare your text before analyzing the reading level 2. Which software program or website is valid and reliable for your type of document 3. Which fo…
Our Readability Services
- The Clear Language Group can provide: 1. Readability analysis of your text 2. Comprehensive reports of recommendations to improve the reading ease of your materials 3. Consultations and short workshops on how to accurately and quickly analyze reading level on your own References 1. Kutner M, Greenberg E, Baer J. National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL): A First Look at …
Your Audience’S Reading Age Is Lower Than You Think
- Whether your website is targeted toward the general public or a specific demographic, it is important to realize that the average reading age is lower than you might expect. U.S. illiteracy statistics from the Literacy Project Foundationoffer some surprising insights. The average American is considered to have a readability level equivalent to a 7th/8th grader (12 to 14 years …
Readability Is About Web Accessibility
- By not addressing the readability of your content, you could be actively discriminating against users with learning disabilities. In contrast to other online readers, some users will read words letter for letter – making long words and long sentences a challenge. As part of the WCAG guidelinestext should not require a more advanced level than lower secondary education.
Online Reading Is Different
- Regardless of literacy level, people read differently online than they do when reading printed text. Studies have shownthat people scan web pages and only read about 18% of what’s on the page. The same studies say if you convert print text to the web, you should reduce content by about 50%. Web users don’t even necessarily read from the top to bottom or word for word. Thi…
Implementing Readability on Your Website
- So we’ve established that readability is vital to your digital content process, but where do you start? Siteimprove’s downloadable readability checklistwill help you create readable, plain language content. Keep it nearby whenever you’re writing new content. This blog was originally posted on Siteimprove, October 2016 About the author:Lisa Marchand is a content strategy spec…