The Science Behind Lexile Measures

Lexile measures are one of the most-researched reading measures available today. The Lexile® Framework for Reading is based on more than 30 years of rigorous research. Our founders, A. Jackson Stenner, Ph.D., and Malbert Smith, Ph.D, had the vision to make test scores actionable by linking assessment and instruction.

This vision of this future was shared by scientists at The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) who funded our research with a series of grants over the course of a decade. These grants supported research on reading and psychometric theory, which culminated in the creation of our flagship product, the Lexile Framework for Reading.

Today, all of our frameworks, including the Lexile® scale, have been externally validated by hundreds of studies in 25 U.S. states and 24 countries around the world.

We also conduct our own research. More than half of our team is comprised of psychometricians, data scientists and researchers with over 600 years of combined experience. Our team holds more than 40 doctorate and graduate degrees from some of the most prestigious universities in the world, including Duke University, Princeton University, Stanford University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

We continue to conduct research studies and encourage and support independent research on how Lexile measures improve student achievement, provide educators with practical information and help children, like yours, navigate the path to success in school, college and career.