As part of the development of a functional literacy test for fourth through eighth grade children in Title I compensatory education programs, this report enumerates a set of criteria for selecting appropriate tests. The criteria are grouped into six categories: (1) test background; (2) psychometric quality; (3) examinee appropriateness; (4)…

Three issues related to improving basic skills in this nation are discussed in this paper: the definition of "basic literacy skills" and the number of Americans who are purportedly illiterate, what evidence exists that minorities in the United States really have a more serious problem than others in acquiring basic literacy skills, and…

Intended to assist underachieving high school pupils in improving their reading and communication skills, the Secondary Developmental Reading Program in the Columbus, Ohio Public Schools, emphasized literacy survival skills and reached 809 pupils in grades 9 and 10 in 13 senior high schools during the 1986-87 school year. The program used…

The 1986-87 Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading Program (CLEAR) of the Columbus, Ohio Public Schools was implemented to provide assistance to selected underachieving pupils in grades one through eight so that they might attain more fully their potential for and improvement in language and reading skills. The program featured individual…