Reading Level Calculation by Word

Here's how your computer helps you to find the reading level of a passage.   First you have to type the passage into a document. 

The Instructional Level is the level of the instruction given at the student’s classroom Grade level.  This is the level of the new vocabulary that the teacher must introduce.  This is the level at which the teacher performs Guided Reading instruction of the text whether it’s literature or mathematics or social studies or science.  The teacher introduces new or technical vocabulary and gives background information to orient the students in time, place and context.  The teacher gives time for silent reading and coaches struggling students in useful reading strategies.  Finally the teacher asks questions to be sure that the students have comprehended it.  If there is a comprehension gap, the teacher may give further instruction in relevant reading strategies to individuals or a group or to the whole class.

Now you have to set your Options.   Go up to your toolbar to 'Tools'.

 Open it and click on Spelling.

 Click on Options.

Select Readabilty Statistics √.

Now you have to select the passage in your document.  

 Go back to Spelling and when it is all fixed, it will ask you if you want to check the rest of the document.  Pick No.

It will automatically give you the stats you need, including the word count.  Ignore the Reading Ease score for now.  (100% is easy reading as at Grade 5, and a lower % means that the reading level is higher than that.)  Be careful.  If you don't make a screenshot of it, you have to list the stats by hand on a piece of paper.

Now you may notice that when I calculated it by hand, the Reading Level of that passage, was slightly lower.   I cannot account for the difference.  I wonder how well the machine counts syllables.  Anyway, it's close enough for most purposes. If you use one method consistently, you will begin to recognize reading levels pretty well without calculating.