Quantifying the decoding difficulty (i.e., 'decodability') of text is important for accurately matching young readers to appropriate text and scaffolding reading development. Since no easily accessible, quantitative, word-level metric of decodability exists, we developed a decoding measure (DM) that can be calculated via a web-based scoring…

Examines the development of word reading and spelling skills in French-speaking second, fourth, and sixth graders initially instructed by either phonic or whole-word methods. Argues that results support the hypothesis that acquisition of sublexical correspondences constitutes a necessary step in the acquisition of reading and spelling. (PA)