Three readability formulas are described, evaluated, and applied to selected textbook passages. However, the present state of the art indicates that, at best, teachers can gain only a very rough estimate of readability level from the existing diagnostic measures. (Author/NHM)

The utility and precision of scaling 200 relatively short reading passages were analyzed using a Rasch-based measurement technique as compared to readability estimates using the Spache or Dale-Chall formulas. In addition, a regression model was specified for predicting the grade level of a text a student could literally comprehend based on…

Readability has been gauged by such means as determining the length of individual words in a passage, analyzing types of sentences, and assessing numbers of subordinate clauses, prepositional phrases, modifiers, and so on. Probably the most successful formula has been the Dale-Chall method, which measures readability by determining the percentage…

Even when the readability levels of content passages are equal, cloze shows some content areas make easier reading. (RB)

When cloze and maze scores are compared with teacher judgment in establishing the independent, instructional, and fustration levels of students, both techniques tend to overestimate a child's ability. (HOD)

Several studies on the use of the cloze procedure as a measure of readability and of comprehension are reviewed. These studies showed (1) that the cloze procedure proved a more reliable measure of readability for nonstandard reading materials than the commonly used readability formulas, (2) that cloze tests are valid and reliable predictors of the…

Two studies were conducted to investigate the use of a technique for providing a grade-level interpretation for cloze readability scores. In the first study, Bormuth's cloze-test criteria were compared with the results of the Fry and Dale-Chall readability formulae. A total of 133 students in grades 4 to 8 were required to read a 250-word passage…

The use of the cloze procedure as a method of determining relative readability was first introduced by Wilson Taylor, who contended that the cloze procedure was a superior method of determining readability since it measured a facet of readability called concept load. Authorities have accepted cloze tests as valid and reliable instruments capable…

The validity of Fry's Readability Graph for determining grade level readability scores was compared with the Spache Formula, the cloze technique, and oral reading in the case of seven primary-level books. Descriptions of these four indicated that to determine grade level, Fry's Readability Graph plots the total number of syllables with the total…

One can measure the readability of any piece of reading material for an individual or a group by having the selection read and then testing for comprehension. Increasingly the cloze procedure has come to be used in preference to multiple-choice questions. Other readability scales have been based on previously scaled passages, on carefully graded…

This technical memorandum presents an outline of how to apply psycholinguistic and intellective concepts in order to enhance the readability and comprehensibility of written materials. Guidelines for making the reader's task easier are provided, and some readability measurement procedures are also discussed. The contents include: "Increasing…

The cloze technique was used to investigate differences among subjects at different levels of reading difficulty and differences between levels of readability. In addition, differences among lexical, structural, and nth deletion cloze responses were studied. It was hypothesized that an interaction exists between type of deletion and levels of…

Two college freshman required texts were chosen for analysis of readability and of cloze performance on selected passages. One cloze passage was administered to each of 218 students enrolled in General Psychology and Principles of Biology courses. Dale-Chall readability levels were separately calculated for the same passages. Reading levels of the…

One hundred students enrolled in the welding and air-conditioning/refrigeration classes at Delgado Community College (Louisiana) were randomly selected to participate in a study to evaluate their effective reading comprehension level, to investigate the impact of a study skill "preview" method such as the SQ3R on their test-taking…