Readability – PLS

Alignment

WCAG

WCAG 3.1.5 Reading Level

Definitions will be provided for specialized, content-related terms and words considered above the secondary level that are necessary for students to successfully pass the course.

Content should also be divided into easily digestible chunks of information.

Reading Level Requirements

• Flesch Reading Ease: Scores between 60-80 reflect an 8th grade reading level
• The Flesch-Kincaid grade level should have a ranking between 7 and 8 to indicate a 7th grade reading level.

Determining Reading Level

Determine the reading level of learner-facing content to ensure that it is at a secondary education level.

• Flesch Reading Ease: This measures the ease of reading and ranges from a score of 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating greater ease of reading. The content within professional learning courses must have a Flesch Reading Ease score between 60-80. 
• The Flesch-Kincaid grade level can be interpreted just like a K-12 reading level. For example, with a score of 9.8, this blog post should be easily understood by an average 9th grader. The content within professional learning courses must have a Flesch-Kincaid grade level ranking between 7 and 8.

Microsoft Word

• Steps: File > Options > Proofing. Under “When correcting grammar and spelling”, check “Show readability statistics”, and then select OK. 
• Now, whenever you run your spell check, you’ll see your text’s readability statistics, which include the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade level.

Webpage

• Use an application or extension to test the reading level of content
  • Juicy Studio’s Readability Test
  • Sitechecker: Free Readability Checker

Text

• Use a readability calculator to test the reading level of content
  • Hemmingway App
  • WordCalc Readability
  • Readability Analyzer
  • Readability Calculator

Adjust Reading Level

These techniques or a combination of these techniques can be used to present information at a secondary education level. These are suggestions – these techniques are not required.

• G86 – Providing a text summary: Create a short summary of the main ideas in easy-to-understand language. Identify key points and simplify complex content using shorter sentences and common words.
  • Example: A technical article with a readable summary

An article describes a technical innovation. The first item after the title of the article is a section with the heading, “Summary.” The average length of the sentences in the summary is 16 words (compared to 23 words for sentences in the article), and it uses short, common words instead of the technical jargon in the article. A readability formula is applied; the summary requires reading ability less advanced than the lower secondary education level.

• G103 – Providing visual illustrations: Incorporate visual aids like charts, diagrams, or videos alongside text to help explain concepts or processes. These visuals aid users with reading disabilities in understanding complex information.
  • Example: An annual report for a company

An annual report discusses multiple factors that influenced the company’s performance in the past year. The report also includes charts and graphs that illustrate how these factors interact. Each chart or graph has a text alternative as required by Success Criterion 1.1.1. Each one also has a number in its caption (e.g., “Figure 7″). These numbers are used in the text to reference the charts or graphs.

• Example: Screenshots in technical documentation

Online documentation for a product includes step-by-step instructions. Each step is illustrated by a screenshot that shows the visual appearance of the screen. Each screenshot has text alternatives as required by Success Criterion 1.1.1.

• G79 – Providing a spoken version: Offer an audio version of the text using recorded human speech or synthetic speech. This helps users who struggle with reading to comprehend the content by listening to it. Provide a link to the audio file in a widely supported format.
  • Example: A Web site for a government agency

The Web site for a municipal housing authority has a button on every page labeled “Read this page aloud.” The user selects the button and the page is spoken by a synthetic voice.

• G153 – Making the text easier to read: Simplify the text to ensure it’s understandable at a lower secondary education level. Break down content into smaller paragraphs, use simple sentence structures, avoid jargon, and replace complex words with easier alternatives.
• Use a tool such as ChatGPT to adjust the reading level of the content.
  • Example: Rewrite the following information at an 6-9th grade reading level.

• WCAG Readability Standards
• Plain Language Guidelines by Gov. 
• What Readability Level Makes Sense for Your Audience?
• Flesch Reading Ease and the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level
• Use Caution With Readability Formulas for Quality Reports
• Style Guide: PLS Audience
• Style Guide: SLS Audience
• Style Guide: Language Usage