This research examined component processes that contribute to performance on one of the new, standards-based reading tests that have become a staple in many states. Participants were 60 Grade 4 students randomly sampled from 7 classrooms in a rural school district. The particular test we studied employed a mixture of traditional (multiple-choice)…

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and practicality of precision reading, a constructive reading intervention, with students with cognitive impairments, extreme academic deficits in reading, and severe social, emotional, and psychiatric problems. As precision reading had shown promise with students with low achievement, learning…

The author was startled by the carelessness and selectivity of Robert Slavin's comments, which give his words the ring of a promotional release rather than of intellectual reflection. He agrees that Slavin is accurate in saying that the scores on reading tests at P.S. 65 in the South Bronx improved during a period in which, among a number of other…

Research was conducted to evaluate how well the "Indiana Reading Assessment--Kindergarten" evaluates various reading skills of kindergarten students. Multiple analyses were conducted; while the results of all the analyses were encouraging, the results derived from the concurrent validity study were most significant. All correlations were…

Issues 248 through 255 of "Fast Facts" from the Library Research Service present data gleaned from libraries in Colorado and across the nation. Topics addressed in these "Fast Facts" from 2007 include the library labor market, the benefits to libraries of using a statewide courier service, and the results of a patron survey at…

In the past decade, Harrisonburg, Virginia, has become a magnet for immigrant families drawn to jobs in the poultry and construction industries. More than 1,600 of the school district's 4,400 students are English-learners. The largest group of newcomers are Latinos, followed by Kurdish and Russian refugees. In this article, the author discusses a…

A comparison of achievement and personal adjustment of Spanish-speaking students in an experimental bilingual school environment at the first grade level was the purpose of the Harlandale instructional project. This evaluation report presents comparative data from the testing program used to establish the effectiveness of bilingual education when…

It has been reasonably well established that test takers can sometimes answer correctly some reading comprehension passages without reading the passages on which the questions are based. This issue was studied with the new Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in a study designed to determine the strategies by which examinees are able to achieve…

This study investigated the effect of the language in which a test is administered when assessing second language reading comprehension. Subjects were college students (ages 18-21) enrolled in first-semester (n=27) and third-semester (n=19) Spanish classes. Each group was given a different passage in Spanish to read. Two sets of questions were…

A study was undertaken at California's College of the Canyons (CC) to determine whether evidence existed of disproportionate impact in English reading course placement based on student ethnicity, gender, or age. Data were compiled for all 4,312 students tested between spring 1993 and fall 1995, while the standard for disproportionate impact was…

Matriculation regulations in California require that community colleges which adopt standardized placement tests demonstrate that the tests are valid predictors of future course success. A positive correlation of at least .35 between test score and subsequent student performance in a particular course is needed to demonstrate the predictive…

A study demonstrated the utility of item analyses to investigate which items function well or poorly in a second language reading recall protocol instrument. Data were drawn from a larger study of 56 learners of German as a second language at various proficiency levels. Pausal units of scored recall protocols were analyzed using both classical…

Because testing comprehension of long (5- to 10-page) second-language texts is more complex than testing shorter texts, an alternative form of second language reading comprehension test is needed. In a guided summary completion test, students are presented with a greatly shortened version of the text (e.g., one-paragraph summary), containing…

Various formal and informal literacy assessment measures are described and evaluated in this report. Specifically, the extent to which such measures reflect or distort the literacy performance of students from diverse linguistic, cultural, or economic background is noted. Although the report supports a flexible approach to assessment--giving…

As part of a larger project to assess changes in student learning resulting from school reform, this study equates levels 6 through 14 of the mathematics and reading comprehension components of Form 7 of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) with levels 7 through 14 of the mathematics and reading comprehension components of the CPS90 (another…