|
SMOG (simplified measure of gobbledygook) is a formula that
gives a readability level for written material. Readability
is an attempt to match the reading level of written material
to the "reading with understanding" level of the
reader.
The easiest way to establish the readability level of a
text is to use the SMOG calculator below developed by Harry
McLaughlin PH.D. For further information see www.harrymclaughlin.com/SMOG.htm
For an alternative but less accurate method, see
below.
All the readability tests rely on a very rough gauge of the
level of reading vocabulary people can expect to acquire by
a certain point in their development - they stop generally
around the 20 mark. But successful reading is about far more
than word recognition - it's about style, content, physical
presentation, complexity of intellectual engagement required,
learner interest, confidence and skill. Advice
on presentation of text
There are no simple answers about relating readability levels
to adult literacy levels - they don't equate exactly and are
not meant to. SMOG is a measure of readability and not the
reading age of a text. The formula was developed to help librarians
categorise their stock more easily for learners and practitioners
and to act as an indication of level of difficulty, but the
adult literacy standards were designed to indicate what specific
skills functioned at particular levels, unrelated to age.
It would be impossible to produce materials that solely met
the standard definitions at each level. As a rough indication,
SMOG 9-10 = Entry Level 3, 11-12 = Level 1 and 13-14 = Level
2 but that it's far from an exact science and SMOG should
only be taken as one indicator among many for the suitability
of a text. Equating SMOG levels with reading ages is too simplistic.
Adult literacy levels
- what do they mean?
1. Select a page of a book
2. Count 10 sentences
3. Count the number of words which have three or more syllables
4. Multiply this by 3
5. Circle the number closest to your answer
|
1
|
4
|
9
|
16
|
25
|
36
|
49
|
64
|
81
|
100
|
121
|
144
|
169
|
7. Find the square root of the number you circled
|
1
|
4
|
9
|
16
|
25
|
36
|
49
|
64
|
81
|
100
|
121
|
144
|
169
|
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
8. Add 8 = Readability level
Most people will understand a readability level under about
10.
|