What is the Average Reading Level for 4th Grade?
Early school years are vital in developing good reading habits and preparing students for the demands of more complicated texts in college.
Although 4th graders are still a long way from that level, these years provide the most significant growth in terms of Lexile levels over the course of a single year, with the jump in Lexile levels slowing considerably once they start progressing through High School.
A specific age or specific Grade is not necessarily attached to a specific Lexile level, but looking at data from national studies, you can begin to determine what the average reader looks like in Grade 4.
The average 4th grader will have a Lexile score of 445L to 810L. However, this is true for around 50% of students, with around 25% being below the average, while the other 25% are likely to be above the average. The same study showcased that students can be up to 250L above or below the average.
Understanding the typical text measurements in Grade 4 is also important when rolling out your reading plan for each student. Although many children read texts graded at 640L to 780L, to get them ready for college-level texts your aim should be to get readers taking on texts that fall between 740L and 940L.
This is where finding the ideal system comes into play, as children need to be challenged without losing motivation and missing out on the magic of reading. Using a flexible reading platform, such as LightSail, will allow kids to switch between challenging Power Texts (texts within their Zone of Proximal Development), and books of their own choice, with a library that speaks to their own interests.
LightSail Education is a comprehensive Lexile, and standards-aligned, literacy platform and digital e-book library. Including multimodal learning functionality and featuring books* from leading publishers, LightSail holistically assesses and nurtures each student on their K-12 reading and writing-to-learn journey.
*LightSail offers a 2,000 or a 6,000 title bundle with its student subscriptions. Other titles are available for individual purchase. Request a demo.