The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a stratified random measure to systematically sample the performance of three age groups in a variety of subjects so that generalizations can be made to the United States as a whole. Past NAEP mean total reading scores have indicated that, in general, girls read slightly better than boys,…

The study investigated the influence of the teacher-pupil interaction on the learning of 50 fourth grade children in an 8 month remedial reading situation. The extent of gain in reading achievement was compared for the following experimental groups: Ss receiving formal teacher-pupil tutoring sessions; Ss receiving contract teacher-monitoring…

There is ample theoretical and experimental evidence showing the positive impact of interest on academic achievement to suggest that college administrators might be well advised to include "expressed interest" in test batteries designed to facilitate the accurate placement of students in particular courses and curricula. J. Dewey was the…

This evaluation study was conducted to determine the impact of the Title I project and its relationship to the district educational program. The achievement gains by grade levels of students who participated in Title I were presented on graphs in normal curve equivalent (NCE) units. The positive impact of the program was illustrated by NCE gains…

Sixty-six children from average and low-ability reading groups in grades one through five participated in a study of the effects of vocabulary instruction on reading comprehension. The children were pretested for their ability to identify words and to supply meanings for the new vocabulary words in the next basal reader story they encountered. The…

Two studies were conducted to test the view that the early reading difficulties experienced by boys result from a "difference" in the way they use language, not their "deficit" in language ability. The first study replicated previous findings that young boys outperform young girls in receptive language ability although they perform less well in…

The Minnesota Reading Examination for College Students and the Minnesota Speed of Reading Test were administered to 865 University of Minnesota freshmen in 1978. When these test results were compared to the scores on the same tests that 1,313 freshmen and 4,191 high school seniors received in 1928, the 1978 students scored significantly lower than…

Three components of the Detroit Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA) Basic Projects are evaluated here: (1) Individualization of Instruction: Elementary and Middle School Sub-Component; (2) Total Curriculum Reading Thrust: Elementary and Middle School Sub-Component; and (3) Parent Training: Home Curriculum Specialists and Assistants Sub-Component. All…

The goal of the High School Reading and Communication Skills Component of the Detroit school desegregation plan was to improve students' reading and communication skills. The program was an integral part of the English curriculum and employed instruction focused upon specific objectives at each grade level. Support services were provided in each…

The procedures used to establish the validity of the Minnesota Reading Assessment (MRA) are described in this paper. The MRA is described as a measure designed for use with students in community colleges, business schools, technical schools, and other secondary and postsecondary training institutions in order to measure student competence in…

Basic skill performance levels of third-, fifth-, seventh-, and tenth-grade students attending schools in the Appalachian School Districts of Kentucky are reported and discussed. School district scores on the reading, language and mathematics subtests of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills clearly show that children in most Appalachian school…

Person fit in the Rasch one parameter model is investigated. The first set of data deals with grade 3 students responding to the mathematics computation and reading vocabulary subscales of the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills Forms (CTBS/S). The second set of data deals with grade 3 students responding to the Basic Skills Assessment Program…

After employees of private firms completed several rapid reading classes and achieved remarkable gains on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test, the question was raised as to whether the increases in scores were due to the increased number of items attempted on the posttest. A preliminary analysis indicated that students attempted an average of 14.6 and…

The second in a series concerning some implications of learners' cognitive style for the development of reading competence, this paper explores the relationships between cognitive style and reading achievement, with attention to such factors as the stability and flexibility of cognitive style functions. The paper discusses J. E. Hill's concept of…

A study was conducted to test the revisionist theory which holds that students are channeled into good or poor reading groups, depending on the socioeconomic status of their parents as perceived by the teacher. The theory also maintains that there is a detrimental lack of mobility between groups within a given class and from grade to grade. The…