How Prepared are Subgroups of Texas Students for College-Level Reading: Applying a Lexile®-Based Approach

This REL technical brief examines the use of Lexile-based assessment to determine the readiness of subgroups of 11th grade Texas students to read books used in first year college English courses. Differences in reading abilities were notable based on ethnicity, gender, SES, at-risk status, Limited English Proficiency status, education track (career and technical education vs. general education), and students receiving special education services. Results showed that across subgroups gifted and talented students were best prepared for college-level reading, which were then followed by Asian and White students, and female students (55 percent) were more prepared than male students (46%), among other findings.