Argues against the implicit use of readability formulas as guides to writing graded texts and urges experimental research to define the real factors constituting readability. (AEA)

To assist textbook adoption committees in answering the questions that arise as they consider basal reading series, this paper provides a discussion of readability. Following a brief introduction, the second section of the paper offers a background discussion of what readability really means. In addition, this section looks at three factors to…