Reading Counts was a program Chris participated in during the Fifth Grade as part of Self-Sustained Reading (SSR). He selected a book from a list and then earned points towards a year-end award through reading and testing.

Part of the Reading Counts program is the use of lexile measures to determine a book's ease or difficulty. This is an emperical measurement based on word count, vocabulary, sentence structure, and story length. Lexile is a widely used method of gauging reading comprehension and for choosing books that appropriately challenge the reader.

Chris has always been an avid reader. In his Fifth grade year, Chris scored a 1165; very high for his grade but his comprehension needed improvement. My goal was to make him a better communicator of the information he read.

I was fortunate to find Lexile On Line (link) to measure the books I found for him to read --- though I placed a greater emphasis on the content and quality of a book.

Reading Counts (link) provided an extensive online book list organized by content, lexile, and grade level. I didn't use it often, but I found it a helpful resource when I was considering how to introduce or 'round out' new areas of study.