Black ninth graders did better on a black-dialect reading test than on the standard English form of the same test. (MM)

Compared the rate of literacy acquisition in orthographically transparent Welsh and orthographically opaque English using reading tests that were equated for frequency of written exposure. Year 2 English-educated monolingual children were compared with Welsh-educated bilingual children, matched for reading instruction, background, locale, and math…

This paper stresses the importance of developing phonological awareness to foster reading skills in hearing and deaf learners. It reviews the research on stages in acquisition of phonological awareness and phonological awareness and deafness. Suggestions for phonological assessment of deaf students include use of formal and informal phonological…

Measures the relationship between developmental maturity of kindergartners and their performance on a reading readiness test. Finds no significant differences in reading readiness based on age or sex. (RS)

An approach to scoring reading comprehension based on the concept of the testlet is described, using models developed for items in multiple categories. The model is illustrated using data from 3,866 examinees. Application of testlet scoring to multiple category models developed for individual items is discussed. (SLD)

Two experiments with 254 and 76 undergraduates, respectively, investigated the hypothesis that there would be an effect of questions concerning application of concepts only when there was an interval between study and test. Results confirm the hypothesis regarding application questions inserted in text read by undergraduates. (TJH)

Reviews the recently released Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Third Edition. Identifies the test as one which is widely used by school systems to measure students' reading progress in instructional settings. (MG)

Analysis of the 1991 Law School Admission Test (LSAT) shows that the testlet structure of the reading comprehension and analytic reasoning sections has a significant effect on the statistical characteristics of the test. The testlet-based reliability of these two sections is lower than had been previously calculated. (SLD)

Investigates the validity of the Reading Anxiety Scale. Finds that (1) reading anxiety shows a stronger negative correlation with reading achievement than does general anxiety; and (2) although general anxiety and reading anxiety correlate substantially, reading anxiety measures something beyond general anxiety. (RS)

Describes a revision of the Names Test, an easy-to-administer phonics assessment. Describes what was done to increase the test's category reliability, to further examine the test's validity, and to enhance its usability. (SR)

Surveys members of the International Reading Association concerning current assessment practices. Finds that, although innovative assessment practices as well as those most often used tend to be more holistic/naturalistic in nature, some respondents listed standardized tests as an innovative approach for disabled readers. (RS)

Compared standardized achievement test performance of 62 second graders receiving instruction in 2 different reading curricula (Open Court and Houghton-Mifflin) to determine whether either curriculum generates different quantitative estimates of reading achievement. Found significant Curriculum X Test interaction, suggesting differences among…

Describes several standardized tests designed for adult literacy assessment, as well as informal assessment procedures, and promising developments for the future. (SR)

This study of 335 students in grades 2-6 found that correlations between oral reading fluency and 2 reading achievement tests declined as grade level increased. Coefficients between performance on maze tasks and achievement tests did not show a similar decline from lower to upper grade levels. (Author/JDD)

Describes a reading recognition test called Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) that is designed to identify low literacy levels in patients. Notes that information thus obtained is useful in directing patient-physician communications and in promoting patient understanding of commonly used oral and written medical information. (SR)