APPENDIX A: Determining Readability Levels

Introduction

Teachers can easily find out the reading levels of any text. The following procedure will give a grade level equivalent for any text with 100 words or more.

Fogg's Test of Readability

Procedure

1) Take any sample of 100 words in complete sentences.
2) Count only whole sentences by counting periods. If the last full sentence stops short of the 100th word, count only the full sentences for this stage.
3) Divide the number of sentences into 100: answer = x.
4) Count the number of words with three or more syllables. Omit capitalized words such as names: answer = y.
5) Add the number of words with more than three syllables to your answer, [i.e. x = 5; y = 4; answer: 9].
6) Multiply your answer (x + y) by 0.3 to give a grade equivalent.
7)

Example:

a) Four complete sentences [100 ÷ 4 = 25]

b) Nine words with three or more syllables:

c) 25 + 9 = 34

d) 34 x .3 = 10.2

NOTE: This readability test gives reading levels that are slightly high, so the material may actually be somewhat easier to read than this test indicates.

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