Indicates that standardized reading tests vary widely in terms of the number of skills measured and in terms of the relative emphasis on each skill in studies done at the high school level. (RB)

Reviews "Reading Comprehension Education in Fifteen Countries" by Robert L. Thorndike. For related articles, see TM 501 491, 493, 494 and 495. (RC)

Contains a review of the reading tests for use in diagnosis at the secondary level. (RB)

Compares the "Neale Analysis of Reading Ability" test with the "Standard Reading Test 1" (Daniels and Diack), concluding that there is some evidence for the validity of "Test 1" but that it is more difficult than the Neale Test. (RB)

Confidence intervals are an important tool to indicate uncertainty of estimates and to give an idea of probable values of an estimate if a different sample from the population was drawn or a different sample of measures was used. Standard symmetric confidence intervals for proportion estimates based on a normal approximation can yield bounds…

A New Zealand pilot study examined Tests of Reading Comprehension (TORCH) scores compared to PAT: Reading Comprehension scores and compared with teacher ratings. TORCH is a reading test package published in 1987 by the Australian Council for Educational Research. It consists of 14 untimed passages intended to assess the extent to which readers in…

Past reading research suggests that measures of reading comprehension should be made context dependent. Reading comprehension test questions that are context dependent are best answered by examinees only after the accompanying passages have been read. Recently, there has been some disagreement concerning the exact importance of context dependence…

Although techniques of measuring reading rate have been studied and reported in the literature, actual practice is not always consistent with the findings. A study reexamined the reading rate issue in light of additional information regarding the test-taking experience provided directly by the test takers themselves. The purpose of the study was…

The two parts of Alberta's sixth-year French achievement test are in test booklet form. Part A, the writing test, requires the development of a composition from a story for which the beginning is provided. The booklet contains instructions concerning the procedure and the criteria to be used in evaluating the composition. Space is provided for a…

Standardized reading tests and associated issues involved in the teaching of reading skills are discussed, with illustrative examples of reading tests commonly used in Australia. The nature of standardized reading tests is analyzed, and the circumstances under which such tests should be used are outlined. Interpretation of scores from standardized…

More than 50,000 New York City special education students in self-contained classes and resource rooms in grades 2-9 were tested in reading on the California Achievement Test, Form C. Students who had testing modifications recommended on their individualized education programs were tested with the appropriate modification. Among the moderately…

Provides a detailed description of the "Diagnostic Reading Scales" which tests students' skills in word recognition, oral reading, rate of reading, silent reading, reading potential and other areas. (RB)

Supports the hypothesis that cloze measures the extent to which linguistic cues in the immediate environment of a missing word tend to supply meaning. (RB)

A survey of the results of studies of the "Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities" finds the test of limited predictive value. (RB)