Reviews the Sucher-Allred Group Reading Placement, used to determine the instructional reading level for students in grades 2-12. Concludes that the test correlates well with other standard tests and is useful as an informal reading inventory. (RS)

Reviews the Secondary and College Reading Inventory, an informal reading inventory developed for students at and above the middle school level. Considers the inventory to be a useful resource in reading clinics, resource rooms, and general classrooms. (RS)

Notes that the third edition of the Burns/Roe Informal Reading Inventory takes less time to administer. Reports an absence of data on the inventory's reliability. Concludes that if used to study, evaluate, or diagnose reading behaviors, the Burns and Roe IRI could be a popular and valuable tool. (RS)

Reviews the fourth edition of the Analytic Reading Inventory (ARI). Notes the addition of suggestions for diagnostic interpretation and teacher interpretations. Finds the ARI to be a convenient yet reliable diagnostic tool. (RS)

Discusses the use of Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) in evaluating reading performance. Notes that although the IRI provides an in-depth evaluation of reading behavior, it should be used in conjunction with other information to assess reading ability. (MM)

Discusses guidelines for the construction of an informal inventory that focuses on text and reader characteristics and task demands. Gives examples from a sample inventory. Demonstrates how the inventory can be used to plan an instructional program. (RS)

Describes an informal reading inventory designed especially for secondary students which includes silent reading passages and an interest inventory. (MKM)

Describes a group reading inventory that deals with high interest, adolescent-theme literature, noting its strong and weak points. (AEA)

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

Reviews the fifth edition of the Classroom Reading Inventory (CRI), which contains four forms of the inventory and two graded spelling surveys. Concludes that although there are problems in the fifth edition, there is much that is good, especially the helpful hints section for the novice examiner. (SKC)

Suggests using readability formulas, a skills inventory, an introspective report, and diagnostic approaches based on models of comprehension as informal evaluations of students' content reading ability. (MKM)

Presents two classroom activities designed to get students' questions without stress and to use journals for content area comprehension. Discusses informal reading inventories and the consensus model of reading. (RS)

Reports on available and forthcoming computer software packages for reading assessment, in the areas of informal reading inventories, comprehensive assessment packages for decoding, an open-ended test generation program, diagnostic simulation, and expert systems. Offers ideas for learning about assessment techniques. (SR)

Argues that informal assessment is an important bridge between formal assessment and classroom instruction. Notes that one way to keep an informal record of a student's progress is to maintain a portfolio, a collection of student work that reveals both affective and cognitive growth. (RS)

Describes a series of reading tests devised especially for students in a vocational school. (RB)