Appendix A of the Common Core State Standards (hereafter CCSS) contains a review of the research stressing the importance of being able to read complex text for success in college and career. The research shows that while the complexity of reading demands for college, career, and citizenship have held steady or risen over the past half century,…

This paper on readability begins with a brief discussion of comprehension, including a definition, and then lists factors that influence comprehension, such as knowledge of vocabulary, long passages that are ambiguous, digressions, and unnecessary restatements. The paper then explores readability and presents a graph for estimating readability and…

A group of adult education teachers sought to determine if a readability formula applied to classroom materials provided a match with student reading levels. Cloze tests were used to determine whether students were able to understand the material. In three of the eight samples, the Cloze test showed that the readability test did not accurately…

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

Suggests using the cloze procedure as a means of quickly, efficiently, and accurately matching students with appropriate reading materials. (TO)

A readability study for the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute (T-VI) was undertaken to provide information regarding the reading ability required to complete training and to function in entry-level jobs. Readability formulas were applied to materials used in training and on the job. In addition, students were tested for level of reading,…

This paper acquaints the classroom teacher and researcher with the cloze procedure as a multipurpose tool. The cloze procedure is discussed as a measurement, diagnostic, and instructional instrument. In particular, the advantages and disadvantages of the cloze procedure for each of these purposes are considered. Cloze passages, their construction,…

A study was conducted to evaluate the level of difficulty of textbooks (French and Sciences) written in French for use with sixth grade students. A cloze test was administered to a sample of sixth grade students in two francophone districts in the province of New Brunswick, Canada, and the Henry readability formula was applied to the same texts.…

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the development of the cloze procedure, to introduce the most recent work done, and to project the implications for further research in the cloze procedure. The cloze procedure was derived from the Gestalt theory of closure whereby a subject has a tendency to fill in the gaps of an uncompleted visual or…

As part of the Michigan Adult Education Inquiry Project III, five adult education practitioners from five metropolitan school districts researched the use of the Cloze procedure in determining the readability of the Michigan High School Proficiency Test for students in alternative or adult education. The Cloze is an assessment designed to take a…

Three informal measures for determining whether students can read the assigned text material are described in this paper. The diagnostic measures are the informal textbook test, the cloze procedure, and the informal skills test. In the informal textbook test, a student is asked to read a 250 word passage selected from the textbook intended for…

By examining the full range of uses of the cloze procedure, this book intends to help teachers use the procedure to better understand the reading behavior of their students and to assist their students in making reading progress. Chapter 1 defines the cloze procedure and discusses the similarities and differences in reading processes when using…

The four sections of this guide provide information for use by educators who wish to find means other than standardized tests for assessing the reading performance of students. The first section of the guide deals with two methods of determining the readability of classroom materials, the Fry Readability Graph and the cloze procedure. The second…