Metametrics Launches New Measure Of Student Writing Ability

Durham, NC. - MetaMetrics Inc. continues to grow its family of scientifically based measures of student achievement with the launch of The Lexile Framework for Writing. Joining the widely adopted Lexile Framework for Reading and The Quantile Framework for Mathematics, The Lexile Framework for Writing enables educators to measure and monitor growth in student writing ability on a common, developmental scale over time and across the curriculum.

The Lexile Framework for Writing expresses student writing ability on the same Lexile scale as reading ability, providing educators with a consistent and straightforward method to monitor growth in both reading and writing and to reinforce the importance of reading in the development of writing skills. A Lexile writer measure is an estimate of a student's ability to express language in writing, based on factors related to semantic complexity, or the level of words used, and syntactic sophistication, or how the words are written into sentences. A student's Lexile writer measure typically is lower than his or her Lexile reader measure, as students tend to comprehend text at a higher Lexile level than they can produce written text. Like Lexile reader measures and Quantile measures, students will receive Lexile writer measures from standardized tests and other assessment tools.

"Developing strong writing skills is a cyclical process. When students read well-written text and practice writing on a regular basis, their abilities improve," said Malbert Smith III, Ph.D., president, MetaMetrics. "With the new Lexile Framework for Writing, teachers have an actionable tool for connecting students with the materials and practice activities that will help them to build the essential writing skills needed for success in school and in life."

SOURCE: MetaMetrics Inc.