Much of the contemporary literature around assessment practices in higher education focuses on assessment quality and its fitness for purpose. However, there is limited research around student comprehension of written assessment task descriptions and their understanding of the task itself. The purpose of this study was to examine a number of…

Effective communication enhances school-family partnerships. Written communication is a common, efficient way of communicating with families, but potential barriers to effective communication include readability level, clarity of presentation, complexity of format, and structural components. The PROSE Checklist presented in this article can…

Analysis of variance applied to measured working times indicated that the Flesch takes significantly longer to use than Automated Readability Index and the Fog Count. (RB)

Reviews formulas and related predictive devices that tell whether a particular piece of writing is likely to be readable to a particular group of readers. (RB)

This review of findings in the field of readability research discusses the differences in meaning between readability and legibility, examines the origins and developments of readability formulas for children's and adult materials, and describes several of the best-known formulas for English-language materials. (46 references) (Author/LRW)

Surveys recent trends in the area of clear writing. Discusses the problem of incomprehensible language in functional writing (forms and documents). Considers solutions, particularly those developed by the Document Design Center. (PD)

Educators and publishers (including state departments) need to know the readability and usability of periodicals and non-text materials. On the basis of a research review of the relationship between intended audience reading level and non-text materials readability, author recommends state and federal agencies develop materials which meet the…