Examined whether writing and working memory (WM) were related to general or process-specific system, whether WM tasks operated independently of phonological short-term memory (STM), and whether WM predicted writing variance beyond that predicted by reading. Found a four-factor model reflecting phonological STM, verbal WM span, executive…

Assessed third-graders' phonological sensitivity, working memory, syntactic processing, word recognition, pseudoword reading, and reading comprehension. Found that phonological sensitivity was a strong predictor of reading performance after working memory and syntactic processing had been partialled out. Syntactic processing failed to predict word…

Examines three questions concerning the quality of reading and writing among students: (1) is reading achievement today better or worse than in the past? (2) how well do students read in relation to the demands of their schooling and their later work? and (3) how different is reading achievement by socio-economic status? Finds that the perceived…

Compared reading and mathematics competencies of children with poor arithmetic fact mastery at the end of third grade to those of grade-level peers with good arithmetic fact mastery. Found that children with poor fact mastery showed little growth on timed number facts across second and third grades, despite normal growth in other mathematics…

Determines effectiveness of the Four Block Literacy Model in increasing students' ability to read. Describes the model along with associated research; describes the methods used to gather data at Ferdinand Elementary School (Ferdinand, Indiana) to establish the effects and perceptions of the program; and reports the actual data collected. Finds a…

Argues that little or no progress has been made in improving student achievement in reading, mathematics, and science since publication of "A Nation at Risk." Supports argument with test scores from Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Third International Mathematics and Science Study…

Presents a study that compared teachers' predictions of their students' reading achievement to the 6-8 year old students' reading accuracy and comprehension scores. Reports that predictions were moderately correlated with accuracy and comprehension, but most of the judgments were incorrect. (CMK)

Examines the influence of word meanings on lexical processing in high- and low-skill readers. States that rated context availability was a significant predictor of lexical decision times and word reading accuracy beyond nonsemantic factors. Finds that ability to retrieve meanings of low-context-availability words easily is an important component…

Correlations between phonological, orthographic, semantic, metacognitive, and working memory measures were studied for 40 learning-disabled students and 40 skilled readers ages 8 to 12. Results suggest that the cognitive processes that contribute to reading deficits are best understood in the context of their combination with other operations.…

Notes that 32 preschool children were trained to a high level in phonemic awareness over a 12-week period, and then in kindergarten, the children were taught 10 real words using either decoding and encoding techniques or a whole word method. Finds that children taught decoding and encoding techniques were superior in reading and writing compared…

Examined why New Zealand elementary students in composite versus single-grade classes showed slightly lower reading performance, comparing the range of students' reading abilities, the nature of teachers' groupings, and other aspects of instruction in pairs of composite and single-grade classes from nine schools. Composite classes did not appear…

Presents results from international assessments of 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy, with an emphasis on reading literacy. Sample survey data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) provide a first step in the measurement of cross-curricular competencies in various…

This article presents a system for improving reading that coordinates: (1) general outcome measures; (2) evidence-based instruction; and(3) schoolwide organization to ensure the most effective instruction for each student. Implementation of the system in seven elementary schools is discussed using case studies to illustrate how these three…

Presents results from a study of four second- and third-grade students with reading disabilities who received reading instruction using "Reading Mastery II" or "Fast Cycle." Provides data on words read per minute and number of errors on reading checkouts. Suggests that the lessons provided the structure needed for students to make consistent…

Tests the validity of the Test of Phoneme Identities (TPI). Finds the TPI to be reliable and comparable to other phoneme awareness measures in predicting decoding ability; and to be more effective than a nursery rhyme and alphabet measures in predicting the number of lessons required for a student to learn to distinguish phonetic cues. (RS)