Notes that the main problem with using Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) for measuring reading growth is that running records and miscue analyses are gathered on variable levels of text that are appropriate for each child. Presents several possible solutions to the measurement problem beyond the simple profile descriptions usually reported from…

Examines relations between the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory of cognitive abilities and reading achievement during childhood and adolescence. Operational measures of CHC cognitive abilities obtained from the Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ III) were found to be significantly related to the components of reading achievement. Results provide valuable…

Uses data from the National Child Development Study to estimate the effects of class size. Finds a significant and sizeable association between smaller classes and higher attainment in reading in the early years of schools when using instrumental-variables estimates, with class size instrumented by the interaction between school size and school…

Details an intervention study which investigated whether children with Down syndrome (DS) would benefit from an "analytic" approach to reading instruction, which encompassed explicit training in phonological awareness. Concludes that DS children benefited from this type of instruction, even though their auditory-verbal memory is poor.…

Responds to Richard Innes's criticism of his June 2002 "Kappan" article. (PKP)

Reviews the third edition of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test. Finds the revised test format to be better than ever, with two new level tests. Notes that the changes in the test address current issues related to reading. (RS)

Finds that good inventive spellers learned to read two sets of phonetically simplified words more effectively than poor inventive spellers. Confirms a strong relationship between spelling and reading even when spellers are found in classrooms where spelling is not taught. (RS)

Reports investigations of some of the factors that affect novice readers' decoding of nonwords. Finds that children aged 7, 8, and 10 assigned more correct pronunciations to nonwords with many orthographic neighbors than those which had few. Discusses results in light of current models. Suggests that a connectionist model with word-level…

Distinguishes between two meanings of literacy that have been conflated: the ability to read and write, and the broader concept of being educated. Presents three arguments: literacy is not social; literacy is not political; and the comprehension part of literacy is a relative matter, while the ability to decode is not. (RS)

Clarifies the efficacy of targeting the area of vocabulary as a means of increasing reading level. Concludes that the acquisition of new vocabulary words is related to reading proficiency. Offers five guidelines for teachers regarding direct vocabulary instruction. (SR)

Discusses the progress in accurate measurement of reading, the major challenges for reading researchers in developing better measures in reading, and significant developments in the near future. (RS)

Examines students' skills in segmenting, reading, and spelling 50 words with regular and exceptional spelling patterns. Interprets results to support a computational notion of phonology as a prerequisite to reading and spelling, with a more reflective notion explaining the reciprocal relationship between reading and segmentation of consonant…

Investigates whether alternating the use of the eyes has a negative effect on reading ability and on timed visual-motor tasks. Finds that the reading achievement of eye alternators is no different than for visually normal children and that alternators are no more likely to have difficulty with visual motor tasks. (PRA)

Presents graphs inadvertently left out of an article published in the previous issue of this journal. (MG)

Compares the effectiveness of teacher-questioning and prediction-generation as methods of improving the independent reading comprehension abilities of low-achieving readers. Finds a significant difference between the two methods in both literal and inferential comprehension, with prediction-generation demonstrating superior results. (MG)