This paper summarizes the work to date on the revised Harris-Jacobson Readability Formulas. The contents include "The Criterion," which discusses the criterion used in the development of the formulas; "Variables Employed," which includes percent of uncommon words, average sentence length, percent of long words, mean number of letters per word, and…

This literature review documents the state-of-the-art of readability assessment and indicates directions for future research in readability measurement. The period since 1953 is emphasized, although there is some consideration of earlier work. Primary emphasis within the review is based on readability measurement; however, a final section is…

Describes an adjustment factor which makes readability formulas more accurate. (RB)

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…

The reading abilities of low achieving high school students at two schools were compared to the readability levels of the magazines in which they showed interest. The median tested reading ability of these students was reported as third/fourth grade by their reading teachers. The reading specialist at one high school reported that boys had an…

Offers step-by-step instructions for rewriting reading material which is too difficult for secondary students who are reading at a second or third grade level. (JM)

The readability levels of 15 popular magazines were determined by applying the Flesch, Farr-Jenkins-Paterson, Gunning, and Fry readability formulas to the lead articles of each. Average grade levels found were 13, 14, 12.2, and 10.9. Probability intercorrelations between the easy-to-difficult rankings yielded by the four formulas were all…

Indexes 68 reading series or supplementary reading materials by 29 publishing companies and indicates which of them are at the same readability level. (DD)

Several studies on the use of the cloze procedure as a measure of readability and of comprehension are reviewed. These studies showed (1) that the cloze procedure proved a more reliable measure of readability for nonstandard reading materials than the commonly used readability formulas, (2) that cloze tests are valid and reliable predictors of the…

This report describes how to apply techniques that have been used in measuring the readability/comprehensibility and reading level of textural materials. A review of available readability/comprehensibility measurement techniques and of previous experimental studies into methods for developing such techniques is presented. As a result of this…

The variables used in most readability formulas consist of counts of language elements which highly relate to comprehension scores on passages of a wide range of difficulty. The variables most often used are some measure of word difficulty and yield an index score representing the style difficulty of the passages to which they are applied…

"Reading Basics Plus" consists of an integrated set of texts, workbooks, duplicating masters, word cards, charts, and teacher's guidebooks. By a process of small group trials, students' and teachers' reactions to the proposed content of the "Reading Basics Plus" program for grades four, five, and six were obtained in order to provide editors and…