Although literacy achievement has improved in Chile, adolescents' underperformance in reading comprehension is still a serious concern. In English, core academic-language skills (CALS) have been found to significantly predict reading comprehension, even controlling for academic vocabulary knowledge. CALS are high-utility language skills that…

For decades, standardized reading comprehension tests have consisted of a series of passages and associated multiple-choice questions. Although widely used in and out of the classroom, there continues to be considerable disagreement regarding how or whether such tests have net value in the service of advancing educational progress in reading. This…

Standardizing aspects of assessments has long been recognized as a tactic to help make evaluations of examinees fair. It reduces variation in irrelevant aspects of testing procedures that could advantage some examinees and disadvantage others. However, recent attention to making assessment accessible to a more diverse population of students…

Preliminary evaluation of a testing technique which might meet the need for a standardized, validated, and objective means of psychologically testing people with visual or reading impairments is reported. The test is intended to be administered via an audiocassette, with identical administration and response procedures for totally and partially…

The inclusion of a position on standardized testing in the 1980 Democratic Party platform established testing as a political and legislative issue. Testing regulations have been introduced in 20 states and in Congess, involving critics and supporters such as: the National Education Association, Nader's Public Interest Research Groups, and the…