5 Ways to Level Books

Question: I was just wondering if there were any levelling systems online where I could level my ...English easy readers.  

Here are a few ways to get some assistance leveling ENGLISH easy-reading (and more difficult) material for your classroom or library:


1. Level It Books App

This app will give levels for books between K-8 and works on iOS or Android devices. We have several people in the district using this app with success. Cost $3.99. From the Level It Books website:  A great way to organize, level, and track your books! Scan your book's ISBN to view the Lexile, Guided Reading, Grade Level Equivalent, and/or DRA levels for the book.

2. Scholastic’s Book Wizard App

This free app is also available for iOS or Android. It uses the camera feature to scan the ISBN and provides leveling for many books. There is some integration with other Scholastic online features.

3. Raz Kids

Raz kids is a paid program that EIPS schools have access to. After a staff member logs into the program there are many resources there that that talk about leveling texts (A-Z) and also shows the levels of books within the program.

4. Teachingbooks.net

For older kids, the teachingbooks.net site is available for free from the ORC and provides several ways to level books:

• Search book titles using grade level filters
• Browse (other people’s) book lists for information and ideas about how other classes are leveling books
• Search for a particular book and then click on the “text complexity” feature for that title.

I have written about teachingbooks.net here and here if you would like more info about this tool.

5. Lexile.com

The lexile.com site allowes you enter text from a book and will provide a lexile measure, which can be loosely corresponded to other reading levels. Here is a chart scholastic uses to compare lexile to guided reading levels. It's a bit clunky, but might be a starting place.

All of these will give a general sense of a reading level, but there is still the element of personal judgement required to really get a the best fit between a book and a reader.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Below are a few more tools that people in EIPS use to help with leveling books. Thanks so much for sharing!!

• Literacy Leveler (app, $3.99). Scan by ISBN or Manual by Title, Author. Can get list of titles for any GRL or Lexile
• Library Leveler (app, $4.99, also needs free scanner app)
• Book Retriever (app, $.99 iTunes only)
• Reading Leveler. Free.  (iTunes only)