Schema matching plays a central role in a myriad of XML-based applications. There has been a growing need for developing high-performance matching systems in order to identify and discover semantic correspondences across XML data. XML schema matching methods face several challenges in the form of definition, adoption, utilization, and combination of element similarity measures. In this paper, we classify, review, and experimentally compare major methods of element similarity measures and their combinations. We aim at presenting a unified view which is useful when developing a new element similarity measure, when implementing an XML schema matching component, when using an XML schema matching system, and when comparing XML schema matching systems.