The lack of reading instruction for seventh and eighth graders is detrimental to their academic development at a most crucial educational period. This study presents both theory and data which substantiate the need for including reading as a specific curriculum element in the middle school. Middle school organizational plans are outlined and…

Elementary preservice and classroom teachers were given a nonsense word test and a test of phonetic generalizations to determine if teachers can use their knowledge of phonetic generalizations when pronouncing unknown nonsense words, and if there is a relationship between the ability to pronounce unknown nonsense words and knowledge of phonetic…

The aim of this curriculum guide is to help teachers train educable mentally retarded high school students with marketable skills, enabling them to compete in the world of work. Stress is on teaching appropriate work attitudes as well as skills. Four sections included are (1) Reading: Development of Reading Ability to Highest Intellectual Level,…

This study examines gains in comprehension and vocabulary as measured by the "Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests" among students in grades two, four, and six, placed for reading instruction according to three systematic determinations of measured instructional level and students not placed other than by teacher judgment. No significant differences…

The title of this volume was the theme of the sixth annual meeting of the Southwest Reading Conference for Colleges and Universities, held in December 1956. Authors of the eleven reports on successful college and adult reading programs focused on various aspects of the programs, including academic performance, program evaluation, faculty, public…

Chapters of this book on diagnostic-prescriptive reading instruction examine such topics as defining reading, language and reading, reading comprehension, assessing student progress and needs, visual and auditory discrimination and perception, visual memory of words, decoding word symbols, primary reading, creating interest in reading, critical…

This paper traces the rising interest in the use of modules as a means of improving instruction for teachers of reading, and examines the pressures for innovation and the results of research efforts. Acknowledging that the teacher is the key component in determining whether children learn to read successfully, training institutions are accepting…

The effect of tutoring on the reading achievement of disadvantaged Puerto Rican college freshmen studying English as a second language was the focus of this study. Three instructional approaches were compared: directed tutoring, nondirected tutoring, and traditional classroom instruction. Directed tutors' activities were prescribed by a sequence…

This study examined the effects of three reading programs on the reading comprehension and vocabulary of 895 fifth graders and sixth graders. One program used a conventional basal reader; the second used the supplementary, behaviorally referenced Brentwood Educational System for Testing (BEST) and conventional basal reading materials; the third…

This study attempted to answer the following questions: Are all the concepts that reading tests are attempting to measure being taught in school? What are the characteristics of effective reading programs in school (e.g., amount of time, methods, materials, assistance, and support)? and What community-based variables are related to reading…

This study compared the achievement of students instructed by the use of a management system, Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development (WDRSD), for word attack skills in addition to the basal reader approach with the achievement of students instructed by the use of the basal reader approach alone. Two hundred forty-four fourth grade students…

The basis for this report is an assessment by teachers, administrators, students and parents on how well Oregon's fourth graders are reading. The project was specifically designed to reflect concerns and goals which Oregon citizens regarded as relevant to their children's education. The first section of this report discusses the background of the…

Diagnostic-prescriptive teachers have been proven to be the most effective in teaching reading, regardless of the method which they use. This paper contains a model developed by the University of Texas at Austin to use as a guide for reading teacher education. The diagnostic-prescriptive reading teacher: (1) Possesses a knowledge of the reading…

Despite recent efforts at compensatory education, thousands of children still go through first grade each year without learning to read. More often than not, these are children of the poor. The underlying assumption of this study is that the major attempt at educational compensation for disadvantaged children have failed because of fundamental…

This volume contains suggested curriculum guidelines for an effective bilingual program, with specific focus on Spanish language skills for the third grade level. The philosophy of the program views bilingual education as a vehicle and pedagogical tool to be used to better prepare all children to function in society. The point of departure for…