This semester I am teaching a learning skills course with a small group of learners who have very diverse reading levels. I would like to expose them to complex ideas around learning and mindset but I have to make sure that the text is accessible for all my readers. I did some investigation and practice and found a system for making my own leveled readings which is pretty fast.

Step One: Format your “origional” text.

You are going to start with your hardest read. This is the “origional” text. Sometimes this can be your original article. If you are wanting to share long or academic writing with high school students, particularly in the junior grades or open/destreamed classes, you may want to consider summarizing your “origional” text as well. There are several programs which can help you do this. My favorite is this one: 

I like wordtune because it keeps the original text and the summary on the same screen so that you can always see the original. The free version has a limit to daily use so remember to be strategic about which articles you load up here. In this next part a second screen is really helpful. I keep my wordtune screen on the side monitor and a blank document in front of me. You probably won’t be able to get away with much copy/paste so get your typing fingers on. Or… consider turning on speech-to-text if you are not a fast typer. 

If you don’t have a second screen – consider pasting the original text below where you want to summarize and then delete it as you go paragraph by paragraph. This will be faster than going back and forth from tab to tab. Make sure you always cite the original source. 

**Copy/paste tip: if you copy a text and you want to paste it but leave behind the formatting (highlighting, size, etc) use CNT-C to copy as usual but then CNT/SHFT-V to paste the text without the formatting. 

Step Two: Check for readability. 

This blog post from Readability discusses what each of the different reading tests (algorithms) actually tests for. They suggest the Dale Chall test for older students as it bases scores on familiar words to fourth graders rather than only word count or syllable size. For example, a 4 syllable word like “automobile” is on the DC common word list. Students may be able to read it based on familiarity and judging it by syllable length alone is not going to give a good picture. 

The website Readability Formulas has a free Dale Chall checker. https://readabilityformulas.com/free-dale-chall-test.php You may have to look for it. I have this sub-page bookmarked so that I can get to it easily. 

Your results page will look like this.

I generally check two areas: 

-percent of words not on the Dale-Chall Word list and 

-Grade level. 

You can also click on the link to “Show words NOT on the Dale-Chall Word List” to find out which vocabulary may not be familiar. This can also give you ideas for vocabulary which might need to be explicitly taught. 

You can see from this print-out that the text is listed as Grade 9-10. For Grade 9 destreamed I find this is a good starting point. 

Step 3: Begin to “lighten” your texts for lower level readers. 

This part is not an exact science, and you will get a feel for which phrases or vocabulary your students struggle with as you practice and then experiment with your texts. I found these suggestions from an author of high-low books (Foster; 2006). 

-Longer words and sentences and less commonly used vocabulary words should either be avoided or repeated to allow students to read them several times – this helps with new vocabulary learning. 

-Sentence structure should be short, simple, and clear. Authors should break longer sentences into multiple sentences, and use tight, concrete writing. Style needs to be consistent throughout.

-Subject matter for Hi/Lo books must be geared to children’s, but particularly boys’ interests. Readers must be able to connect their own experiences to the text in order for it to resonate with them. 

At my school we have been using “mild, medium and spicy” to denote different levels or entry points. I like this language because it takes the “level” right out. It also means that I can suggest a mild level to a student based on reading level but also based on energy, mood or time. Sometimes you just have to pick the quick read to get through the day and onto the next one. 

I generally put all three versions of the article into one document in order to simplify my file storage. At this point I will Insert-Page Break to start a new page, and then copy/paste the whole article onto the next page. This will be my “medium” version and from here I can start making edits based on the suggestions above. I label them right away so that I don’t get the two versions mixed up. I use hot pepper icons. 

Once you have re-written and checked your “medium” article you run the Dale-Chall again. If your article does not show up as having a lower grade level, consider clicking on the “show words NOT on the list” link to see if there is any vocabulary you can simplify even more. Also know that you have to use your own professional judgment. If your reading level comes back unchanged but you know what much of the difficult vocab has been taught in class it may still be appropriate. 

Step 4: etc, etc

You can copy/edit/simply/score as many times as you need. As I said before, I like to have three reading levels available. 

Step 5: Check for cognitive accessibility. 

Students with learning differences struggle with memory (often working memory in particular), organization and distractions. There are some simple changes you can make to your assignments which will make them easier to access. 

-Did you use an easy to read font? Is the font size at least 12? Use bold to highlight instead of italics (this can make the words seem to blend together for some students). 

-Did you use symbols or icons to help communicate sections or key ideas? Are your images familiar? Can you use the same symbols consistently? 

-Can you limit distractions? Can you: Always put the images in the same spot. Edit the images to be black and white so that they photocopy cleanly.

-Limit the load on working memory by incorporating questions into your text or putting them on a separate sheet which can be laid beside. (Limit flipping back and forth or looking up and down on a page).

-As you complete this process you will also have an electronic version which will make your text accessible to screen readers and also make it really easy to make fonts larger for students who need that. 

After a bit of practice I find that I can create 3 levels of a two page article in about a half an hour. It is a time investment but not that much more than if I had to dig through libraries of leveled articles to find one that fit my topic. It is also a resource that I know that I will use and share again and again. 

Colmer, R. (2019) How to choose the right readability formula, Readable. Available at: https://readable.com/blog/how-to-choose-the-right-readability-formula/ (Accessed: November 26, 2022). 

Foster, E. (2006) Hi/lo books: Writing for reluctant readers, Writing-World. Available at: https://www.writing-world.com/children/foster03.shtml (Accessed: November 26, 2022). 

Warner, B. (2021) Create your own leveled readers, TESOL Blog. Available at: http://blog.tesol.org/create-your-own-leveled-readers/ (Accessed: November 26, 2022).