Understanding Your Dashboard

The Four Numbers at the Top

When you open Dashboard → Overview, you see four stat cards.

Lexile Level — the current estimated reading level of your child, expressed as a number followed by L (e.g. 350L). Lexile is a widely used reading measurement in schools. A higher number means the child is reading more complex text. See below for a full explanation.

Comprehension Score — the average percentage of quiz questions answered correctly across all stories. 80%+ is strong. Below 65% consistently may mean stories are slightly above the child's current level and you should adjust the Lexile setting downward.

Words Mastered — the number of vocabulary words from comprehension quizzes that the child has answered correctly at least once. This grows every story.

Fluency (WPM) — words per minute from Duet mode sessions. Only populated if your child has used Duet mode. A dash (—) means no Duet data yet. Typical ranges: ages 5–6 around 50–80 wpm; ages 7–8 around 80–120 wpm; ages 9–10 around 120–150 wpm.

What Is Lexile?

Lexile is a measure of text complexity developed by MetaMetrics. It considers sentence length and word difficulty to calculate a number (e.g. 300L). It does not measure reading speed or comprehension directly — only the complexity of the text.

StoryKind generates stories at your child's set Lexile level and tracks their comprehension score. When comprehension stays above 80% for several stories, the system suggests a Lexile increase. When it drops below 65%, stories may be too hard for independent reading — try Read-to-Me mode or reduce the level in Children → Edit Profile.

Approximate Lexile ranges by grade:

• Pre-K / Kindergarten: BR (Below Reader) — 100L
• Grade 1: 100L – 300L
• Grade 2: 200L – 400L
• Grade 3: 300L – 600L
• Grade 4+: 400L – 800L

These are broad guidelines. A child reading at the upper end of their grade range is developing ahead of expectation — this is fine.

The Lexile Progression Chart

The chart shows your child's Lexile level over the past 90 days (solid purple line) with a projected trajectory (dashed yellow line). The projection assumes consistent daily reading at the current rate.

If the line is flat, it may mean the child is not reading daily, or that comprehension scores are mixed and the system is holding the level steady. Check the streak heatmap to see reading frequency.

The Comprehension Breakdown

The pie chart divides quiz questions by type:

• Literal — "What happened in the story?" Directly stated facts.
• Inferential — "Why did the character do that?" Requires reading between the lines.
• Vocabulary — "What does this word mean?" Tests specific words from the story.
• Critical — "What do you think about...?" Opinion or evaluation.

If a child scores high on Literal but low on Inferential, it often means they are decoding well but need practice with deeper comprehension — a common pattern in early readers. The bar chart below the pie shows weekly trend.

The Vocabulary Chart

Shows three numbers:

• Exposed — total words the child has seen in stories and quizzes
• Attempted — words they have been quizzed on
• Mastered — words they answered correctly at least once

Mastered is the most useful metric for tracking vocabulary growth. It grows with every story, even if comprehension scores fluctuate.

The Reading Streak Heatmap

Similar to a GitHub contribution graph: each small square is one day. Purple squares are days with at least one reading session. The number in the top right is the current consecutive streak.

Reading frequency correlates more strongly with reading growth than session length. A child who reads 15 minutes every day will typically improve faster than one who reads an hour once a week.

What to Do With This Data

Comprehension consistently above 85%

Consider increasing the Lexile level by 50–100 points in Children → Edit Profile. Stories are probably a little easy.

Comprehension consistently below 65%

Stories may be too hard for independent reading. Try switching to Read-to-Me mode (narration handles decoding pressure), or reduce the Lexile level by 50–100 points.

Streak dropped to zero

The daily habit is the most important factor. A gentle reminder at the same time each evening tends to rebuild the streak faster than increasing difficulty or changing content.

Fluency (WPM) not growing

Try more Duet mode sessions. Fluency is primarily built through reading aloud with feedback, not silent reading.

Tip: The comprehension score and Lexile level work together. A rising Lexile with a steady comprehension score above 75% is the ideal pattern — it means the child is being stretched without being overwhelmed.