TEXTBOOK EVALUATION

Textbook Evaluation



Textbook Evaluation

Introduction

The United States first developed readability formulas in the 1920s and this has expanded today to several mathematical formulas that accurately measure text according to specific criteria. Readability formulas help determine how difficult textbooks are to read based on the complexity of word and sentence structure (Johnson, 2003). However, not all parts of texts' readability are mathematically measurable. Readability tests do not measure a reader's background knowledge (Johnson; Kinder & Bursuck, 1993) or elucidate whether the texts are interesting, well written, well organized, or appropriate for the reader (Johnson).

There is a need for basic readability research and for an easily applied and accurate new readability formula. Two steps taken toward the development of such a formula are the revision of a Vocabulary list for primary grades and the combination of reading exercises given at different grade levels into a single scale of ascending difficulty. Much recent readability research seems to rework old topics while ignoring current areas of needed research. In 1852, Herbert Spencer anticipated readability discussions in an article that emphasized economizing the reader's attention, anticipated syntactic and semantic readability features, and suggested four variables now considered in devising readability formulas: syllable length, word familiarity, word abstractness, and sentence length. Recent developments have facilitated the use of these variables in readability.

The U. S. Department of Education continues to interview and mandated mandate in the No Child Left Behind law for schools to close the achievement gaps among students by offering more flexibility and giving parents additional options to education (U. S. Department of Education, 2007). Therefore, it is critical for teachers to close the reading gaps among students by implementing best practices reading strategies. The purpose of this paper is to explore methods of determining (a) the readability of texts and (b) the layout of text on paper. Knowledge of both concerns is beneficial in improving the reading scores of students. Here are two sample papers containing 455 words each. Which one do you think a young reader would prefer to read?

Readability Levels and Formulas

Teachers need to know the reading abilities of their students and monitor the "types and difficulty of texts read" (Gillet, Temple, & Crawford, 2004, p. 66). Gillet et al. continue by stating that teachers should keep logs of their students' readings, encourage proficient readers to read challenging texts, and provide challenged readers with materials that properly match their ability to read. Over the past decades, several initiatives evolved that tried to associate reading comprehension scores with Reading Levels of Books (Pearson & Hamm, 2004, p. 50). In this light, Pearson and Hamm contend that the "Degrees of Reading Power" and Lexile scales (p. 50) provide this sort of linking service. 

 Comparison

Fry Readability Graphs

The Fry Graph is the only readability formula in Readability Calculations that shows its results as a point on a graph. The Fry formula graph itself covers a grade range from early elementary through college years.

The Fry Graph formula can accommodate a wide variety of narrative ...