The convergent and discriminant validities of tests designed to measure the subskills of literal and inferential reading comprehension in different content areas were assessed. A multitrait-multimethod matrix was generated, using three measuring methods: (1) a standardized reading test; (2) individually devised tests; and (3) teacher ratings.…

Noting that in recent years testing has fallen into disrepute, this paper demonstrates how the construction, use, and validation of tests, if adequately conceived, can increase the level of knowledge about the intricate nature of the reading processes. The first section of the paper discusses the measurement process and the process of test…

Big cities are moving away from test results and toward the most crucial aspect of reading instruction, which is the contact point between adult and child. (Author)

Describes how one small school district developed performance objectives and wrote their own criterion-referenced reading tests to evaluate kindergarten and first grade children in a reading program supplimentally funded by the state. (TO)

A primary-grade-level instrument was developed to measure thinking prerequisites to reading comprehension. Levels of responses are identified as either perceptual or conceptual; the ability to synthesize concepts from several sources and make generalizations is also measured. Analyses of partial construct validity, of cross-form reliability, and…

To investigate the dramatic reduction in the discriminating power of reading tests with children above the ages of 10-11 years, a test was devised based on the GAP test, itself based on the cloze technique shown to be effective in assessing reader comprehension. The GAP tests requires the reader to supply words deleted from a passage of continuous…

This report is an evaluation of a New York City School District educational project funded under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The program was designed to serve 1,640 children attending special day schools, psychiatric hospitals, and day and residential treatment centers for the socially maladjusted and emotionally…

Basic mathemagenic concepts were tested under instructional conditions. Research areas of interest were the effect of two different types of adjunct questions and adjunct question positions on problem solving ability on prose materials. (Author/DEP)

This research report examines the effect of sexual orientation in reading material upon reading test scores of boys and girls. (MK)

This summary of the history and current workings of the New York Citywide reading test program emphasizes the educational consequences of it. The testing program has become controversial since its inception as a political compromise for school district decentralization. It seems to have become overly influential because children are prepared for…

This paper discusses certain problems that can arise with respect to the selection of content in the preparation of a test to measure language proficiency for some specific purpose. Forty employees in a defense plant in Montreal, Canada were interviewed in order to specify language needs, to arrive at a precise interpretation of the required…

The relevance of psycholinguistic and educational research on passage structure and processing for the design of reading achievement tests is discussed. This research would provide a more objective basis for the writing of passages and items. Two aspects of content validity are distinguished and the relevance of psycholinguistic research to them…

Drawing from an overview of cloze research, this paper sets forth the thesis that the validity of the cloze technique and its usefulness as a measuring device have been clearly established, but its usefulness as a teaching device has not been so determined. Salient points of research are summarized as follows: (1) if rates of developing…

A study was conducted to compare two methodologies for establishing hierarchical relationships--the Dayton and Macready model and the White and Clark procedure--using criterion referenced test data. Several phonics and structural analysis skills were selected from a reading skills battery. The opinions of reading "experts" were solicited in order…