Can the Lexile Framework for Reading be used with confidence with EL students?

Objective

Prior research has identified the Lexile® Framework for Reading as a valid psychometric measure of reader ability and text difficulty. Evidence supporting the Lexile Framework’s construct validity has been provided through linkages with existing large-scale English language assessments (Stenner, Burdick, Sanford, & Burdick, 2007). The growth of English as a lingua franca for business and science has focused attention on the appropriateness of using the Lexile Framework with readers for whom English is a Foreign Language (EFL). This study sought to answer two questions:

1. Do Lexile reading items function similarly for both EFL and English as a Native Language (ENL) groups; and, by extension,
2. Can the Lexile Framework for Reading be used with confidence with EFL students?

In 2012, MetaMetrics, the developer of the Lexile Framework, used existing data from linking studies with several large-scale assessments conducted between 2009 and 2012 with both ENL and EFL populations to assess Differential Item Functioning between these two groups. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) examines whether the difficulty of an item varies as a function of group membership. DIF occurs when two test takers of equal ability are not equally likely to answer an item correctly (Clauser & Mazur, 1998). Multiple DIF detection techniques exist. For this study, the ETS® DIF criteria were used; these criteria combine the Mantel-Haenszel procedure with the contrast between the Rasch-based item difficulty estimates for the different groups.

Key Hypothesis

Native Lexile items will have similar difficulty estimates for both ENL and EFL groups, supporting the use of the Lexile Framework for Reading with EFL students.

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