Describes the development of a program to improve school productivity in Richland County (South Carolina) School District One. Lists the program's six criteria, involving reading and mathematics test performance, teacher and student attendance, and parent and student attitudes. Presents the results of the program's first year. (RW)

Argues that, in determining if a standardized test task and a classroom performance task are the same, educators should carefully analyze the tasks in terms of the input modality (stimulus) and the output modality (response). (FL)

This study examined how local content specialists performed when applying the Angoff and Nedelsky standard setting procedures to objective-referenced instruments in reading and mathematics. Results revealed several differences between the standard setting procedures in terms of both level and consistency of the cut scores generated. (Author/BW)

The predictive validity of the Minnesota Reading Assessment (MRA) when used to project potential performance of postsecondary vocational-technical education students was examined. Findings confirmed the MRA to be a valid predictor, although the error in prediction varied between the criterion variables. (Author/GK)

A reading practices survey of 138 Arizona secondary learning disabled teachers was conducted. Among results were that 65 percent of special educators indicated access to reading specialist/instructed programs; the Individualized Reading Approach was the method used most; and the special educator was the professional mainly responsible for reading…

The Rasch model was used to equate reading comprehension tests of widely different difficulty for three groups of fifth grade students of widely different ability. Under these extreme circumstances, the Rasch model equating was unsatisfactory. (Author/CTM)

A study attempted to identify those performance-related factors that were responsible for subjects' errors on one measure of functional literacy. The analysis of errors revealed that the majority of errors could be explained in terms of information processing failures. (MKM)

Cautions that weighting errors on an oral reading test in line with miscue analysis procedures can lead to inappropriate independent reading level placement. (MKM)

Describes the test, The Degrees of Reading Power, developed by the New York State Education Department for use as a formalized "informal reading inventory." (MKM)

Indicates that second, third, and fourth grade children performed significantly better on an easily discriminable word identification test than on a highly confusing version. (FL)

Analyzes eight variables in diagnostic tests to determine which are the most predictive of reading levels and then discusses how much each variable adds to this prediction and whether the answers are equally applicable to grades three, six, and nine. (FL)

Can a classroom teacher find happiness with a remedial reading specialist in a coordinated curriculum? (Editor)

Analysis of reading tests (cloze and vocabulary) completed by first-year undergraduates at the Open University (Great Britain) demonstrated that many students in open-entry undergraduate programs have difficulty reading academic texts and that this difficulty has a negative impact on their success. (Contains 18 figures and six tables.) (PEN)

The validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test reading comprehension section is examined in light of recent research finding that students who had not read the related passages were able to answer comprehension questions on a better than chance basis. The roles of prior knowledge and general verbal skills in reading comprehension are emphasized. (DB)

Issues raised in responses to Linda Siegel's paper (EC221505) on the relationship between intelligence test scores and learning disabilities are addressed. Discussed are the nature of intelligence, classification of learning disabilities by discrepancy between intelligence test scores and achievement scores, the existence of learning disabilities,…