Examines the problems and advantages of two kinds of informal reading inventories: conventional and commercial. Considers the implications for teacher education. (JM)

Presents an overview of National Assessment studies. (JM) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Program Description (Progress Report).

The overlap between reading subtests of four individual achievement tests and five basal reading curricula for grades 1-5 were examined. Results showed that little overlap exists between what is taught and what is tested with degree of overlap varying considerably across tests and curricula. (Author/DB)

Presents an interactive view of reading assessment, which minimizes levels of comprehension and comprehension skills, focusing instead on readers' oral language, prior knowledge of the topic, and ability to reason, and emphasizes the teacher's role in gathering evaluative information. (MM)

Discusses, for the benefit of research workers and other test users, the ongoing controversy concerning the relative merits of conventional test theory and Rasch scaling in the construction of reading tests. Concludes that a great deal of further research is required to see whether these approaches are educationally valid. (JD)

Two studies examined the role of self-reference as a mnemonic for prose material. Prior to reading descriptive passages, undergraduate students received self-reference, other-reference, linguistic, or control processing instructions. Overall, the self-reference instructions resulted in the greatest amount of recall. (Author/LMO)

Reports on an analysis of two administrations of two reading tests--the first time without the reading passages and the second time with the passages--in order to determine the extent to which questions can be answered without reading the texts on which they are based. (SED)

Three studies involving elementary students examined methodological issues in curriculum-based reading assessment. Results indicated that (1) whereas sample duration did not affect concurrent validity, increasing duration reduced performance instability and increased performance slopes and (2) domain size was related inversely to performance slope…

Discusses the problems of overusing workbooks, dittos, and basal assessment tests in beginning reading instruction. Proposes alternatives. (FL)

Before standardized reading placement and achievement tests for college admission are selected, they must be analyzed to determine what skills they measure and to what degree they correspond with reading program objectives. (Author/KS)

The purpose of this study was to determine if the patterning of the responses of English as a Second Language (ESL) students to a reading comprehension test would change over time due to the restructuring of the subjects ESL reading comprehension competence as they increased their overall ESL proficiency. In this context, restructuring refers to…

Designed to provide an experience as close as possible to the actual assessment, this paper presents the revised model of assessment in reading for the Michigan High School Test (HST). The revisions incorporated into the paper reflect the testing transition from the High School Proficiency Test to the HST. The first part of the paper presents…