The readability level of passages from three subtests of the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED), Forms X-6 and Y-6, were compared with the readability level of passages selected from the Des Moines Resister, Reader's Digest, Time, Newsweek, Saturday Review, and 18 high school textbooks from the fields of social studies, science, and…

The study reported in this paper was designed to describe the differences between the reading-difficulty levels of primary textbooks used in first-semester freshman general studies courses and the reading skills of the students enrolled in those courses, and to compare the Flesch Reading Ease Formula with the SMOG Grading Formula. Separate…

Two readability formulas were applied to two math and two reading series textbooks at the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade levels to see whether the publishers' suggested reading levels were accurate. Five samples were taken from each text and compared to the publishers' suggested usage according to grade level. Results showed that although formulas…

Even when the readability levels of content passages are equal, cloze shows some content areas make easier reading. (RB)

A total of 10 basic science series was examined, using the Spache, Dale-Chall, Lorge, and Fry readability formulas as assessment instruments of readability. To obtain a comparative sampling of the readability of each book for each series, the books were divided into three equal parts, and the passage from the middle of each one-third part was…

Teachers can match content reading materials with student needs and abilities in a number of ways. If textbooks are the main or only source, teachers can group students according to textbook difficulty, conduct student surveys of specific topics in the textbook, and use the textbook as a sampler or starting point for more in-depth studies of…

CALIFORNIA STATE-ADOPTED MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS FOR GRADES 1 THROUGH 8 WERE ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE READABILITY LEVELS, THE AMOUNT OF EXPOSITORY AND STORY-PROBLEM READING REQUIRED, AND THE FREQUENCY OF MATHEMATICS VOCABULARY USED. READABILITY WAS DETERMINED THROUGH THE DALE-CHALL FORMULA AND THE FINDINGS OF AN EARLIER STUDY USING SPACHE'S…

Two college freshman required texts were chosen for analysis of readability and of cloze performance on selected passages. One cloze passage was administered to each of 218 students enrolled in General Psychology and Principles of Biology courses. Dale-Chall readability levels were separately calculated for the same passages. Reading levels of the…

The differences between the reading abilities of 359 community-college students in selected classes and the readability difficulty of the texts used in those classes were examined. The Diagnostic Reading Test, Form A was administered to the subjects, and results showed that 35.9 percent of the population read at or above grade level 13; 33.5…

The validity of the Dale-Chall Readability ratings for sixth-grade science textbooks when compared to an independent criterion of language difficulty expressed in cloze units was examined. The Canadian Lorge-Thorndike IQ Test and the Canadian Test of Basic Skills, Vocabulary and Comprehension subtests, were administered to 366 sixth graders. Mean…

Concludes that there is a need for a broader-based compensatory reading program at the college freshman and sophomore levels. (FL)

A model for augmenting the impact of the community college reading instructor within the institution is presented in this paper. Reported are the actual findings and the criteria used in: (1) the assessment of the reading levels of students enrolled in three courses at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois; (2) the evaluation of the…

The bulletin contains suggestions for secondary level social studies teachers to improve students' reading skills in social studies while at the same time enhancing the learning of social studies content. The materials can be easily adapted for elementary grades. Chapter one describes specific procedures for determining student reading levels.…