This handbook is designed to give background information on the Mini-Assessment of Functional Literacy, a criterion-referenced test designed to determine the extent of functional literacy among seventeen year olds in America. The five format categories identified for the test were passages; drawings, pictures, signs, etc.; charts, maps, graphs;…

Much research and writing has been carried out in recent years in an attempt to account for and eliminate, or at least minimize, the poor performance of many Black, lower-socioeconomic status, urban children in our schools. This annotated bibliography lists articles, books, and papers that explore the theoretical frameworks employed to describe…

Characteristics which should be considered in reviewing any standardized reading test include validity, reliability, standardization sample, areas assessed by the test, type of response required by the child, individual versus group administration, time needed for administration, availability of equivalent forms, scoring options available,…

Analyzes four informal reading inventories to determine the text type of each passage, whether narrative passages are well formed, and whether expository passages are well organized. Finds almost half the narratives poorly formed. Concludes that the lack of continuity in text type and organization could result in children's comprehension scores…

Aphasic (N=15) and non-brain-damaged adults were administered the Nelson Reading Skills Test (NRST). NRST items requiring complex inferences were more difficult than items requiring simple or no inferences. Passage dependency level was higher compared to other tests, suggesting that the NRST more validly measures aphasics' multiple-sentence…

Examined patterns of variance for sex and grade level using the Nelson Reading Test, the Gates-MacGintie Reading Test, and the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales for first to eighth grade students referred for possible reading disabilities. Females outscored males significantly on all measures. Found differences among grades in regard to both…

This discussion of assessing students' reading abilities focuses on the need for developing better tests and better interpretation of test scores. Criterion-referenced tests versus norm-referenced tests are described, highlighting the Degrees of Reading Power and Metropolitan Achievement Tests: Reading, and the need for assessing the reading…

Examines the evolution of reading comprehension in English classrooms and examination rooms and considers active and collaborative approaches to teaching reading comprehension. (HOD)

Reviews the 3-R's Test that measures achievement in three academic content areas: reading, language, and mathematics. Cautions that it lacks data supporting its validity and scaling. (HOD)

Minimum reading comprehension of prospective teachers and average readability of required undergraduate textbooks are contrasted. The Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) test, which represents student test scores, and textbook readability measurements on the same scale was used. Teacher education program applicants in Kentucky participated. (Author/MLW)

Describes the Prueba de Lectura y Lenguaje Escrito (PPLE--roughly translatable as the "Test of Early Language Development") that may meet the need for standardized and diagnostic tests of reading and written composition in Spanish. (HOD)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore whether there is a relationship between the age at which music lessons begin and language reading proficiency as an adult. Such a relationship may indicate that transfer of learning takes place between the processes of learning to read language and learning to read music. One hundred forty-seven…

PIRLS 2006 provides countries with the unique opportunity to obtain internationally comparative data about how well their children can read. Countries also will obtain detailed information about home supports for literacy as well as school instruction. For the 35 countries that participated in PIRLS 2001, PIRLS 2006 will provide information on…

Reflecting the ideas of many diverse individuals and organizations involved in reading education, this booklet presents Reading Framework for the 2003 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which provides the guidelines and theoretical basis for the 1992-2003 reading assessments. The first chapter, What Is the NAEP Reading…

This primer provides the basic information that teachers and tutors need to get started on the complex process of reading assessment. Designed for maximum utility in today's standards-driven classroom, the primer presents simple, practical assessment strategies that are based on theory and research. It takes teachers step by step through learning…