Concludes that, although first-grade students generate more haphazard responses on standardized reading tests than do older students, they nevertheless do apply similar reasoning strategies to vocabulary and comprehension items. (FL)

A survey of principals and second- and fifth-grade teachers in 25 Puerto Rican schools reveals that (1) they value and use reading tests; (2) province and district-wide reading assessments primarily affect curriculum decisions; (3) the generally accepted goals of testing programs are being met; and (4) their attitudes are similar to educators…

Discusses the hypothesis that the difficulty of a multiple-choice comprehension test does not just depend on the difficulty of the text, but rather on the text and the questions. Presents ways to evaluate the difficulty of the text, the questions on it, and the test as a whole. (EKN)

This study compares college freshmen's reading test scores over 50 years. The 1978 freshmen at the University of Minnesota scored significantly lower than their 1928 counterparts on vocabulary, comprehension, and reading rate. (Author/PN)

Concludes that for fourth and fifth grade students in compensatory reading programs, using test forms from a lower grade level and converting the scores might give a more reliable estimate of achievement. (FL)

Two groups of undergraduates were forced to process a maplike organizer before or after reading a difficult prose passage concerning the formation of a meander. Subjects with little prior knowledge, provided with the organizer, recalled at a level similar to subjects with a good deal of background knowledge. (Author/CM)

The purpose of this study was to determine the difficulty level, the internal consistency, and the usefulness of the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) as a predictor of college freshmen grades. Adding the NDRT to a prediction equation already containing high school grade point average did improve the prediction. (Author/BW)

Describes a study investigating the effects of group hypnosis on the reading performance of university students in a reading and writing center. Discusses study procedures and presents data on pretest scores and gains in vocabulary and comprehension scores. Concludes that regular use of self-hypnosis significantly improved performance. (DMM)

Details a cross-cultural study of cloze procedure and comprehension conduced in Japan, Canada, Sweden, and the United States with 10- and 11-year-old children. Concludes that cloze procedure is a valid and reliable measure of certain aspects of reading comprehension in all the linguistic and cultural areas sampled. (FL)

An abbreviated battery of eight screening tests was administered to 407 White first-grade boys. Discriminant analysis showed that 75 percent of those identified as being at high risk of reading failure did exhibit severe or mild comprehension problems in third grade. (Author/SJL)

The California Entry Level Test (ELT) means are used with demographic variables to predict differences among California schools and districts on subsequent reading achievement tests. Factor analyses resulted in distinct factors for each of the subtests. The validity of the ELT was very high for its intended purpose. (Author/BW)

The relationship between primary process integration (PPI) and achievement was investigated. Fifty-one second graders received the Rorschach, which was scored by Holt's Primary Process Scoring System. Achievement criteria were academic grade average and reading test scores. The hypothesis that PPI is positively related to achievement was…