Argues that informal reading inventories fail on several points to provide accurate and reliable scores on the subskills of reading. Asserts that the inventories cannot properly be used to assess children's specific strengths and weaknesses. (FL)

Describes a procedure that allows teachers to identify and order the instructional needs of children through the use of an informal reading inventory. (FL)

Reviews ERIC documents dealing with the preparation and use of informal measures of reading comprehension. (DD)

The article reviews validity and reliability studies on the informal reading inventory, a diagnostic instrument to identify reading grade-level placement and strengths and weaknesses in work recognition and comprehension. Gives suggestions to improve the validity and reliability of existing inventories and to evaluate them in newly published…

Provides a critical and comparative analysis of the major commercially produced informal reading inventories. Offers recommendations for those who are considering purchasing or using one of the inventories. (FL)

Summarizes P. A. Killgallon's 1942 study that helped to establish the criteria for the instructional reading level, examines W. R. Powell's 1970 critique of that study, and presents concerns about Powell's study. (FL)

Reports on what started out to be a survey of the use of the informal reading inventory (IRI) by teachers that revealed the technique to be embedded in a complex environment. Concludes that the use of IRIs and other diagnostic methods can be limited when teachers do not have primary responsibility for making placement decisions. (FL)

Traces the development of the informal reading inventory from its origins in the early 1900s and discusses its future as an assessment tool. (FL)

Examines 12 commercially prepared informal reading inventories and discusses the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the unique features of each. (FL)

Reviews the literature concerning informal reading inventories and discusses a number of issues related to them, including question choice, scoring criteria, and allowable miscues. Offers guidelines for constructing and using the inventories. (FL)

Indicates that the format and use of the informal reading inventory need to be modified in order to address recent research findings of schema theory, text analysis, and metacognition. (FL)

Cautions that weighting errors on an oral reading test in line with miscue analysis procedures can lead to inappropriate independent reading level placement. (MKM)

Describes the test, The Degrees of Reading Power, developed by the New York State Education Department for use as a formalized "informal reading inventory." (MKM)

Concludes that IRIs can be useful, flexible assessment and instruction tools in the hands of knowledgeable teachers. Offers suggestions for their use. (FL)

Describes specific training, using taped readings, designed to prepare teachers to accurately assess the oral reading of students who exhibit dialect or second language influences in their speech. (MKM)