What a Reading Grade Level Means
The reading grade level assigned to a text depends on the use of the text. If the
text is used for independent, unassisted, or recreational use, the reading grade
level will be higher than a text destined for classroom use and optimum learning
gain. In other words, the same text will be easier for those with more advanced
reading skills (with a higher grade level) and harder for those with less (and with
a lower grade level). See the “Problem of Optimal Difficulty” below.
The grade of completed education is no indication of one’s reading level.
Average high-school graduates read at the 9th-grade level, which means a large
number reads below that level. Those who pursue special domains of
knowledge may develop higher levels of reading skill in those specialties than
they have for general reading. Thus, college graduates, who prefer to read
general materials at the 10th-grade level, may prefer more difficult texts within
their own specialty. Students who are poor readers of general classroom
material are often able to master difficult treatments of subjects that appeal to