The purpose of the document is to help fill the gap between the use of psychological tests by evaluators and evaluators' feelings about their competence in using these devices. The first section contains descriptions of 33 tests and instruments presently used in evaluation facilities serving a wide variety of clients. These tests are divided…

As an initial effort to assess reading in correctional institutions, a questionnaire was sent to some 70 state directors of corrections, both adult and juvenile, by the National Clearinghouse for Offender Literacy Programs which is sponsored by the American Bar Association, the American Correctional Association, and the National Association of…

This report is divided into two parts in order to make the practical outcomes of a content referenced interpretive system for standardized reading tests available for immediate use by teachers and others, while presenting the technical aspects of the studies in a form appropriate for study by researchers in the fields of reading and educational…

Currently available measures of functional literacy for adults are reviewed and evaluated. This report concentrates on tests that are referenced to literary skills important to an adequately functioning adult, such as life skills, coping skills, etc. Because functional literacy has frequently been defined in terms of a grade level equivalent or…

A report is given on two years' experience in using the Anchor Test Study (ATS) norms, developed by the Educational Testing Service under contract to the U.S. Office of Education as part of the Washington State Assessment program. In the first year, the desire to develop a state reading achievement profile through the application of the ATS norm…

The purpose of this study was to determine if two testing methods, multiple choice and cloze technique, differentially affected students' scores on reading comprehension tests. The tests were compared in their emphasis on cognition and production related abilities as defined by Guilford. Ninety-three Durham County sixth graders were given a…

An experimental diagnostic assessment of selected reading skills was constructed for pupils in grades seven through nine. Parallel forms measured word pronunciation, phonic spelling, visual memory, listening comprehension, unaided recall after silent reading, and unaided oral recall after both oral and silent reading. After revisions based on a…

Statistical methods and test writing for reading comprehension have been based on the assumption that certain reading tasks or levels are appropriate at one age level that would be too difficult at another. A clear-cut determination of grade levels for reading materials has, however, not been defined. Grade and age equivalent scores on silent…

Standardized achievement tests may not be an accurate diagnostic tool for measuring individual pupil achievement in reading. Criterion-referenced tests, designed to measure specific goal mastery, can provide valuable information that standardized forms cannot. In addition, criterion-referenced tests give teachers the diagnostic tools needed to…

The purpose of this study was to investigate, with underprivileged first-grade children, the efficacy of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (i.t.a.) in teaching beginning reading and of the Peabody Language Development Kit (PLDK) in stimulating oral language and verbal intelligence. From 17 classes in nine schools, four groups, consisting of 100, 104,…

Five orders of approximation to normal English prose were constructed; 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, and 100th plus. Five cloze tests were then constructed by inserting blanks for deleted words in 5 word segments (5th order), 10 word segments (10th), 25 word segments (25th), 50 word segments (50th), and 100 word segments of five different passages of…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between reading ability and academic performance of junior college freshman and to what degree a measure of reading ability could predict academic performance. The 313 Pensacola Junior College freshman for whom 1970 Reading Index Scores on the Florida Twelfth Grade Test were…

Listening comprehension and reading comprehension editions of an experimental test were devised to provide equivalent measures from which raw scores would be directly comparable. The test was designed for a four-place multiple-choice category format. Forms A and B were administered on a rotation basis for the study. The testing population…

The independent reading behavior of 150 achieving fifth graders was investigated. Attention was directed toward the quality and variety of choice as well as to the number of books read. These variables were intercorrelated with standardized achievement tests, IQ, and a number of noncognitive and demographic variables. Indices of quantity, variety,…

Although it is frequently assumed that students who meet college entrance requirements have mastered basic reading skills, the presence of so many college reading and study skills centers argues that such is not the case. Many college students need help with some basic skills. To provide such help, careful diagnosis of individual abilities is…