Pennsylvania Code › Title 31 - INSURANCE › Part II - Automobile Insurance › Chapter 64 - PRIVATE PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE POLICY FORMS › Appendix A - HOW TO MEASURE READABILITY

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
A. If the whole contract is analyzed:
1. For each sentence, count the number of words and the
				  number of syllables.
Counting sentences
-When counting sentences,
				  go according to full units of thought, ending with a period, semicolon, or
				  colon. Do not count headings or subsection numbers. Skip lists of items having
				  only a few words.
Counting words
-Contractions and hyphenated
				  words are counted as one word. So are numbers and letters, if they are
				  separated by spaces. For example, "C.O.D." and "19" would each be considered
				  one word.
Counting syllables
-Count as syllables
				  pronounce, even for numbers and letters, if they are not too lengthy. If
				  numbers and letters (such as "PA-1943D") are too lengthy, skip them. Where the
				  dictionary shows two or more
equally
acceptable pronunciations
				  of a word, use the one having the fewer number of syllables.
An easy way to count words and syllables is to write down the
				  number of syllables in each word as you read the sentences. To get the number
				  of words, count the numbers written down. To get the number of syllables, add
				  the numbers written down.
To simplify counting the number of words, use graph paper
				  scaled every 5 or 10 spaces.
To simplify adding up the number of syllables, total up the
				  syllables, other than the first, in all words of more than one syllable. Then
				  add this total to the number of words being tested.
2. Add up the total number of sentences, words, and syllables
				  for the whole contract.
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				  image
B. If samples are used
1.
Sampling
-It will often be too
				  time-consuming to analyze all the sentences in a contract. Choose samples of
				  about 100 words by using all sentences up to and including the sentence
ending after
The 100-word mark. For example, the last sentence
				  in the sample might end on the 105th or 115th word of sample; i.e., count 100
				  words and then finish the sentence.
To insure an unbiased sample, use the following
				  system:
a. For small contracts of one or two pages, do not use
				  samples. Instead, analyze the whole contract.
b. For larger policies, take about two samples per
				  page.
c. Skip an equal number of
printed lines
after each sample and start the next sample with the sentence beginning after
				  that point. To determine the number of lines between samples, take two samples
				  from page 1 and count how many lines are between them.
For example, suppose there were 50 printed lines between the
				  first two samples. Then after each sample, count 50 lines, and start the next
				  sample with the sentence beginning after that 50-line point.
If a row of print is less than one-half the column of print,
				  do not count it.
2. For all the sentences in the samples, follow the same
				  procedure as in items A-1, 2, 3.
SUBMITTING INFORMATION ON READABILITY
For each policy analyzed by the Flesch Readability Method,
				  please submit the following:
A. If the whole contract is analyzed:
1. Summary of information for each sentence-number of words
				  and number of syllables.
2. Calculation of Average Sentence Length, Average Word
				  Length, and Flesch Reading Ease Score.
B. If samples are used:
1. Description of Sampling method-number of samples, number
				  of printed lines between samples, and marked copy of policy indicating
				  samples.
2. Summary of information for each sample-number of
				  sentences, number of words, and number of syllables.
3. Calculation of Average Sentence Length, Average Word
				  Length, and
Flesch Reading Ease Score.
Example:
If samples are used:
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				  image
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C. Because of their effect on readability, each filing
				  submitted should list the number of times each of the following words or
				  phrases is used for calculating the Flesch Score on each policy:
"accident"
"bodily injury"
"company"
"insurance"
"liability"
"damage"
"policy"
"property damage"