A survey of 1,021 human resource managers found that 35.5 percent test job applicants, promotion candidates, and/or current employees; 22 percent of applicants and 15 percent of employees tested deficient in basic skills; and only 5 respondents spent more than $10,000 on remedial training. (SK)

Addresses the need to include all available data (physical, environmental, language, cognitive, affective, and educational correlates of reading) to evaluate students' reading strengths and weaknesses. Argues that this holistic approach makes the assessment of reading skills efficient and avoids test replication. (RS)

Presents findings from an experiment that sought to determine the minimal number of blanks required to ensure parallelism in cloze tests, differing only in the point at which deletion starts. Results showed the required minimum depended on the scoring methods used, with exact-word tests requiring about 100 blanks and acceptable-word tests…

Findings from a longitudinal study of 35 school-aged children indicate that a statistically significant and moderately large correlation exists between preschool concepts about the purpose of literacy activities and subsequent success in reading acquisition. (IAH)

Describes how a middle school remedial reading teacher (who has only 20-minute teaching periods) uses tests to teach both reading and test-taking skills during a single lesson. (SR)

Determines whether three groups of readers (normally achieving, poor comprehenders, and reading disabled) differed in their ability to cope with reading comprehension task demands. Finds that the groups differed with respect to their performance on specific question-answer types and their standardized reading comprehension scores. Suggests that…

This study assessed the effects of curriculum on technical features (criterion validity and developmental growth rates) within curriculum-based measurement in reading with 91 elementary level handicapped and nonhandicapped students. Correlations between oral reading samples and reading comprehension as well as developmental growth rates were…

Surveys the status of statewide reading assessment practices in the United States. Finds that the typical state uses an existing national standardized test or its own local standardized version and that only 10 percent of states are on the cutting edge of reading evaluation. Suggests that, at the statewide level, reading assessment has not kept…

Explores what is meant by reading, noting that to read is to respond appropriately to a specific consensus centered on certain values and that the consensus is achieved among persons whose paths through life have come together with members of dominant discourses in society. (SLD)

Presents critical analysis of an earlier article, and argues that, although the validity of the High/Low distinction is questionable, it is possible for practical testing purposes to obtain reliable judgments from properly selected and trained judges. (seven references) (GLR)

A group of 21 adults with moderate intellectual disabilities were administered language assessment, reading, spelling, informal writing, and phonics tests. Most had difficulties with oral language, memory, and psycholinguistic or psychomotor skills. Opportunities to talk with skilled language users about written text were important to developing…

Summarizes educators' and researchers' concerns regarding the use and misuse of standardized reading tests. Suggests a different model for reading assessment. (RS)

A total of 413 students in grades 1-6 were administered the Basic Academic Skills Samples, the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests, and the Metropolitan Achievement Test. Although the relationships among the three tests were reasonably strong, it appeared that the measures did not identify identical populations of at-risk students. (Author/JDD)

Investigates whether the vocabulary of written comprehension questions is an independent factor in determining students' reading comprehension performance. Finds that academic vocabulary in comprehension questions significantly decreased question-answering performance. Computes simple, multiple, and semipartial correlations between vocabulary…

Offers a preliminary assessment of the new Arizona Student Assessment Program (ASAP). Uses James Squire's model for analyzing reading and writing processes to analyze how well the tests assess reading processes. Includes some sample ASAP forms. Finds that the problems are minor in terms of evaluating the overall effectiveness of the new…