An evaluation of Job Trails, a computerized basic skills assessment of functional context literacy, received 79 responses from adult students showing that (1) it works best with low performing learners; (2) adults liked using computers and did not view it as a "test"; and (3) they learned more about necessary job skills. (SK)

The Multilevel Academic Survey Test is intended for students in grades 3-8 and older students who perform inadequately on K-8 reading and math content. It determines which students need special services and determines appropriate instruction according to specific curriculum objectives. This paper describes administration, data summation,…

Examined the relationship between levels of technology implementation in the classroom and standardized test scores in reading and mathematics in grades four and five. Surveyed a sample of teachers using the Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) instrument to determine their personal level of technology implementation in their classroom.…

Gender differences in answers to constructed-response reading items from a state assessment program were studied with four raters rating approximately 500 papers at two grade levels. Results indicate that number of words written and number of unrelated responses show significant gender differences and are related to holistic scores. (SLD)

Describes a team-based approach for creating Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) tests, a development procedure that allows teachers and other school personnel to develop comprehension tests from curriculum materials in use in their schools. Finds that if tests are based on materials that are appropriate for the population to be tested, the…

Explores the utility of a continuum of fluency-based indicators of foundational early literacy skills to predict reading outcomes, inform educational decisions, and change reading outcomes for students at risk of reading difficulty. Outlines a continuum of fluency-based indicators of foundational reading skills. Examines utility and predictive…

Describes one Washington superintendent's efforts to have 90 percent of district students reading at or above grade level by the end of the second or third grade. Also describes seven attributes of effective reading programs: Leadership, clear focus, assessment, effective early intervention, quality materials, time, and a sense of team. (PKP)

This study examined the extent that motivational processes facilitate the comprehension of texts and the extent of culture's role in children's motivational processes of text comprehension. Relationships between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the amount of reading, past reading achievement, and text comprehension were examined by utilizing…

This paper focuses on the system of banding used in England by the former Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) in order to seek to obtain an intake to secondary schools that was balanced in terms of ability. The first part of the paper provides a brief history of the system of banding, how it was informed by verbal reasoning testing and how it…

This article discusses the main purposes of reading comprehension assessment and identifies the key features of good assessment. The article also identifies pitfalls that clinicians and educators should avoid to conduct valid assessments of reading comprehension, such as the degree to which the measure taps the constructive and integrative…

The purpose of this study was to investigate verbal working memory processing both before and after providing semantically elaborated training sentences designed to enhance memory for symbol-word (visual-verbal) pairs. Abilities of 20 children diagnosed with Reading Disorder (RD) and 20 age-matched peers who were normally achieving in reading (NA)…

Just a few years ago, a set of tests known as "dibbles" would have elicited little more than a chuckle from educators or anyone else. Today, they're taking it seriously, because the acronym DIBELS has come to symbolize the standard for early-literacy assessment throughout much of the country. Teachers in Reading First schools in more…

States are increasingly turning to standardized testing to hold colleges accountable for student outcomes. Currently, about half of the states require public colleges to conduct some type of assessment or accountability measure. Assessments generally fall into two categories: high-stakes tests, which may affect the progress of individual students,…

This study investigated the statistical and practical significance of context effects for items randomized within testlets for administration during a series of computerized non-adaptive tests. One hundred and twenty-five items from four primary school reading tests were studied. Logistic regression analyses identified from one to four items for…

Students (N = 730) took the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (current forms G or H) during orientation to medical school. Stepwise regression analyses showed the Nelson-Denny Reading Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Rate were significant predictors of MCAT (taken prior to admission to medical school) verbal reasoning. Reading Vocabulary was a significant…