High-stakes testing and accountability in the United States cloak the real purpose of assessment--diagnosing learning to inform instruction. Standardized testing drives curricula in many states. Teachers may feel pressured to "teach to the test," although they know it is not best practice. The authors discuss how using several…

Looks at ERIC documents that deal with readability concerns. (FL)

Discusses factors which lead to the overuse of and overreliance on standardized tests in the United States. (MM)

Offers a procedure that will allow classroom teachers to use standardized reading achievement test scores in order to make appropriate decisions about placing students in instructional programs. (FL)

Describes a revision of the Names Test, an easy-to-administer phonics assessment. Describes what was done to increase the test's category reliability, to further examine the test's validity, and to enhance its usability. (SR)

Reports on what started out to be a survey of the use of the informal reading inventory (IRI) by teachers that revealed the technique to be embedded in a complex environment. Concludes that the use of IRIs and other diagnostic methods can be limited when teachers do not have primary responsibility for making placement decisions. (FL)

Concludes that the lack of normative data, the suggestion that even one failure on the test (with approximately 111 items) makes a child suspect for "at risk" labelling, along with the brevity of directions and interpretation of data require that the test be used with great caution. (FL)

Argues that giving students a reading test that is above or below their levels of achievement will yield inaccurate information. (FL)

Reviews the ANSER System, a set of questionnaires designed to collect background information from parents, teachers, and students that would be useful in conducting indepth evaluations of learning and behavioral problems. Concludes that because it relies on subjective interpretations, its use should be limited to specialists. (FL)

Examines the arguments against the indiscriminate use of readability formulas. (FL)

Recommends pretesting intermediate grade students' basal skills to eliminate unnecessary basal skill instruction. Provides guidelines for pretesting reading comprehension skills. (MM)

Describes the Group Comprehension Matrix and the Individual Comprehension Matrix, assessment instruments that teachers can use to help them make student placement decisions. (FL)

Indicates that the format and use of the informal reading inventory need to be modified in order to address recent research findings of schema theory, text analysis, and metacognition. (FL)

Presents an open letter to President Clinton regarding his statements about reading standards and testing made in his 1997 State of the Union Address. Points out serious problems in having a national reading standard and trying to get every fourth grader to meet that standard. Discusses problems with curing the so-called reading problem by use of…

Concludes that the test has a well-designed reading booklet and a carefully constructed manual, but that it has a narrow applicability. (FL)