Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test

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The Flesch/Flesch–Kincaid Readability Tests are readability tests designed to indicate comprehension difficulty when reading a passage of contemporary academic English. There are two tests, the Flesch Reading Ease, and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level. Although they use the same core measures (word length and sentence length), they have different weighting factors, so the results of the two tests do not always correlate: a text with a higher score on the Reading Ease test over another text may have a lower score on the Grade Level test. Both systems were devised by Rudolf Flesch.

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[edit] Flesch Reading Ease

In the Flesch Reading Ease test, higher scores indicate material that is easier to read; lower numbers mark more-difficult-to-read passages. The formula for the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) test is

206.835 - 1.015 \left ( \frac{\mbox{total words}}{\mbox{total sentences}} \right ) - 84.6 \left ( \frac{\mbox{total syllables}}{\mbox{total words}} \right )

Scores of 90.0–100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 11-year old student.[citation needed] 13- to 15-year old students could easily understand passages with a score of 60–70, and passages with results of 0–30 are best understood by college graduates.[citation needed] Reader's Digest magazine has a readability index of about 65, Time magazine scores about 52, and the Harvard Law Review has a general readability score in the low 30s. The highest (easiest) readability score possible is 121 (every sentence consisting of a one-syllable word); theoretically there is no lower bound on the score -- this sentence, for example, taken as a reading passage unto itself, has a readability score of ~21.9. This paragraph has a readability score of ~ 53.93.

Many government agencies require documents or forms to meet specific readability levels.[citation needed] The U.S. Department of Defense uses the Reading Ease test as the standard test of readability for its documents and forms.[citation needed]

Use of this scale is so ubiquitous that it is bundled with popular word processing programs and services such as KWord, Lotus WordPro, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs.

Long words affect this score significantly more than they do the grade level score.

[edit] Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level

An obvious use for readability tests is in the field of education. The "Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula" translates the 0–100 score to a U.S. grade level, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts. It can also mean the number of years of education generally required to understand this text, relevant when the formula results in a number greater than 12. [1] The grade level is calculated with the following formula:

0.39 \left ( \frac{\mbox{total words}}{\mbox{total sentences}} \right ) + 11.8 \left ( \frac{\mbox{total syllables}}{\mbox{total words}} \right ) - 15.59

The result is a number that corresponds with a grade level. For example, a score of 8.2 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in 8th grade.

The lowest grade level score in theory is -3.4, but, since there are few real passages that have every sentence consisting of a one-syllable word, this rarely occurs in practice. Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss comes close, averaging 5.7 words per sentence and 1.02 syllables per word, with a grade level of -1.3. (Most of the 812 words are monosyllabic "anywhere," which occurs eight times, is the only exception.)

[edit] References

  • Rudolf Flesch (1948); A new readability yardstick, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 32, pp. 221-233
  • Kincaid, J. P.; Fishburne, R. P., Jr.; Rogers, R. L.; and Chissom, B. S. (1975); Derivation of new readability formulas (Automated Readability Index, Fog Count and Flesch Reading Ease Formula) for Navy enlisted personnel, Research Branch Report 8-75, Millington, TN: Naval Technical Training, U. S. Naval Air Station, Memphis, TN
  • Farr, J. N., Jenkins, J. J., and Paterson, D. G. (1951), Simplification of Flesch Reading Ease Formula, Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 35, Number 5, (October), pp. 333-337

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