The boom in Internet and communication technology has accelerated change in information delivery channels from paper to networked, digital displaying devices. Reading electronically has altered the cognitive and metacognitive processes readers use to approach science texts. Assessing reading in a digitized environment also opens up opportunities…

This booklet shows teachers and administrators how their school districts can use the Reading Authority List of the Reading Information System I (I-RIS), an analytic process for making decisions about language arts curriculum materials. Following an outline of I-RIS, pages of the Reading Authority List are accompanied by guidelines for using the…

Components of a checklist for evaluating books for gifted children include critical and developmental skills (vocabulary, critical reading skills, story content); creativity (opportunity for imagination, potential for creative follow-up); comprehension; and application (role models, interest, and relevance). (CL)

This paper discusses six factors which can be used to successfully examine, evaluate, and select reading instructional materials; it also examines the appropriate characteristics of an objective evaluation instrument. Evaluation of reading instructional materials should be based on a sound philosophy of reading instruction as practiced in the…

THE READABILITY OF ANY BOOK IS DETERMINED BY WORDS AND SENTENCES WHICH ARE USED AND WHICH VARY IN DIFFICULTY FROM EASY TO HARD. PRESENTED HERE IS A PROCEDURE BY WHICH TEACHERS CAN DETERMINE THE READABILITY INDEX OF ANY BOOK AND TRANSLATE THE INDEX TO GRADE LEVELS. THE METHODS EMPLOYED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF READABILITY FORMULAS AND WORD LISTS ARE…

At a workshop exploring practical methods that elementary and secondary teachers may use to analyze texts, three parallel texts were subjected to three forms of analysis: subjective analysis, examination of cohesive ties, and linguistic analysis of selected text variables such as word and sentence length. The subjective ranking of the passages'…

A study followed three textbook adoption committees as they evaluated basal reading programs. The committees used "A Guide to Selecting Basal Reading Programs" (developed at the Center for the Study of Reading) to help them evaluate the quality of instruction in existing programs. Case studies of the three committees sought to address the…

Discusses categories for science textbook analysis under the headings of: Readability, Content, Presentation of Material, Mathematical Demands, Appearance, Quality of Illustrations, and Teacher Aids. An analysis form is appended as a guide for science teachers and administrators in their evaluation and selection of appropriate science textbooks.…

Examines six basal series commonly in use in British schools and reveals that they give only brief attention to developing children's awareness of reading and its purpose. Provides a checklist for evaluating materials for their effectiveness in conveying the value of reading. (FL)

Offers guidelines for use by teachers in choosing the best supplementary reading materials for classroom use. (FL)

It is argued that informed judgments by a thoughtful teacher may have advantages over the application of a readability formula in assessing the linguistic difficulty of a text. Examples are given. (KC)

Identifies 10 criteria for reviewing children's books: content description; definition of audience; information on scope, tone, and style, point of view; comparison with author's other works or similar works; appropriateness of art to text; personal opinion; strengths/weaknesses; uses of the work; brevity; and judgment of literary quality.…

The sixth of eight related documents, this booklet is part of a series of papers presented at the 1978 National Right to Read Conference examining issues and problems in literacy. In examining the publisher's role in facilitating literacy, this booklet distinguishes between responsiveness to the express desires of schools and responsibility for…

The purpose of this booklet is to assist local schools in making thorough assessments of instructional materials for textbook adoption. The booklet contains a checklist for evaluating instructional materials, a checklist summary sheet, and an appendix explaining readability analyses. The checklist is divided into eight sections: physical features…

This guide is intended for use by adult basic education practitioners in the screening of basic reading textbooks prior to their adoption for classroom use. The guide is in the form of a questionnaire and consists of dichotomous-choice questions arranged into three sections that relate to the product design, adult learning, and reading instruction…