Finds the best preschool predictors of reading were naming tests for boys and general verbal ability for girls; for kindergartners, a quantitative test surpassed test of phonemic awareness and language in predicting reading; effects of birth order were strongest at the preschool level; socioeconomic status had significant effects only for boys,…

Uses preschool tests of general verbal ability, verbal memory span, phonological awareness, lexical access speed and accuracy, and letter knowledge in preschool as independent measures predicting performance on second-grade reading comprehension, word discrimination, and word decoding speed. Finds differential main effects and interactions but a…

Investigates the effect of phonemic awareness training on the phonemic awareness and reading ability of low- and middle-achieving first graders. Finds that training which provided subjects with a conceptual connection between phonemic skills and reading was generally ineffective for low readers. Suggests that phonemic awareness training for low-…

Teacher-Student Congruence was quantified by comparing 52-item descriptive profiles of 38 at-risk students, completed by both kindergarten teachers and receiving first-grade teachers, and reading achievement scores. Congruence in terms of student readiness, language, and perceptual/motor descriptors evidenced predictive validity. (Author/JDD)

Comparison of "Distar Reading Mastery" and Addison Wesley's "Superkids" beginning reading programs with 81 children in transitional kindergarten special education classes found no significant differences at the end of the treatment year or at one-year follow-up. However, among children making the most gains, the Distar group…

Measures of vocabulary, phonological memory, nonverbal intelligence, and reading were taken from 80 children at ages 4, 5, 6, and 8 years. Comparisons revealed a significant shift in the causal underpinnings of the relationship between phonological memory and vocabulary development before and after age five. (Author/LB)

This article argues that poor reading achievement may be the result of restricted access to the kind of instruction that develops actively comprehending and achieving readers. Characteristics of low-achieving readers' instructional experiences are reviewed to support this argument. New approaches are called for in place of outdated beliefs about…

Reviews research on the development of academic skills in arithmetic and early reading, emphasizing the individual cognitive processes occurring during learning. Offers implications for the development of new methods of assessment that stress processes, rather than just products. Suggests that researchers in cognitive development and assessment…

This study, involving 41 hearing foreign students, sought to determine the suitability of using the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to determine the English reading skills of deaf international college applicants. Results indicated that a TOEFL score between 400 and 500 correlated with a reading grade level of less than 8.0.…

Analysis of data from 332 Arkansas school districts indicates that 4 of the 8 noninstructional variables analyzed had significant relationships to the fourth grade reading scores: percentage of minority students, number of students eligible for free or reduced lunches, percentage of staff holding master's degrees or above, and relative wealth of…

Describes a five-year longitudinal study of "Reading Recovery," a program in the San Luis (California) Coastal Unified School District, providing tutoring for children struggling with beginning reading. Of 613 participating first graders, 513 successfully completed the program. "Graduates" reached average reading and writing…

Describes the implementation of "Success for All," a reading program developed by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, in an elementary school in an economically disadvantaged area of New York City. "Success for All" works successfully in this school, as in many others, because each of its elements is a proven, effective,…

Reviews classroom-based studies on alternative literacy assessment. Suggests that alternative assessments in some cases tapped elements of the reading process that are more difficult to assess through traditional testing practices and created an impetus for some teachers to explore certain instructional issues. Finds little information on the…

Examines the relationship between level of schooling and literacy attainment in four rural communities in Guatemala. The authors first identify the grade at which most children become literate and then estimate the net contribution of schooling to literacy. They found that most children became literate with between three and four years of…

Argues that the International Reading Association (IRA) has an important and key role to play in the current volatile United States government policy environment. Looks at perceptions of literacy failure. Discusses the Association's involvement with the Reading Excellence Act, and outlines what the Association must continue to do to assure that…