THE EXTENT TO WHICH SCORES REPRESENTING PUPILS' STATUS ON CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS PREDICTED THEIR ACHIEVEMENT IN READING, ARITHMETIC, AND THE MEDIAN OF A BATTERY OF ACHIEVEMENT TESTS WAS PRESENTED. THE STUDY COVERED A PERIOD OF 4 YEARS DURING WHICH THE SAME PUPILS WERE STUDIED IN THE THIRD, FOURTH, FIFTH, AND SIXTH GRADES. STUDIES OF THESE…

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF THE LANGUAGE ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AT THE CHILD CARE CENTER WAS TO PREVENT FUTURE LEARNING DISABILITIES IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT. IT INVOLVED A GROUP OF OVER 41 PRESCHOOL, KINDERGARTEN AND FIRST GRADE CHILDREN. LESSONS IN THE PROGRAM EMPHASIZED AUDITORY AND VISUAL DISCRIMINATION SKILLS. THE ENVIRONMENT WAS ENRICHED THROUGH…

A 3-YEAR EXPERIMENTAL PRIMARY-GRADE READING PROGRAM CONDUCTED WITH A 50 PERCENT REDUCTION OF READING CLASS SIZE WAS EVALUATED IN THE RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR THE YEARS 1962-1965. TEST SCORES WERE ANALYZED FOR 656 CHILDREN IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO HAD 2 OR MORE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM AND FOR…

BASAL READER SYSTEMS FOR BEGINNERS WERE ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC SYSTEM FEATURES ON THE READING ACHIEVEMENT OF FIRST-GRADE CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT SEX AND LEVELS OF INTELLIGENCE. THE PROJECT COVERED THE FOLLOWING SYSTEMS--(1) THE LIPPINCOTT "BASIC READING" SERIES, (2) THE "EARLY-TO-READ…

Elementary school teachers acknowledge the need for better writing instruction, but seldom have time for it within their already crowded curricula. Writing instruction suffers from placing skills development before writing activities, from emphasis on reading, and because many teachers are not well prepared to teach writing. A low priority is…

The Academics Plus Program, which stresses basic skills, discipline and dress codes, homework assignments, promotion requirements, and special parent conferences, served more than 10,000 students in 29 elementary and middle/junior high schools in 1979-1980. There is a single-school model (Fitler) and a multi-school model (28 other schools). A…

As part of a study of the basic skills of secondary level education students, a study of prospective teachers' reading ability was conducted at Pennsylvania State University. Subjects were 47 students in secondary education. Two separate assessments of reading were used, the Nelson-Denny Reading Test and a criterion referenced test of reading…

This study explores the relationship between different home and school variables and reading achievement in bilingual children. The subjects of the study are 130 first- and third-grade children attending bilingual programs. Language proficiency and dominance tests were administered to the children and a questionnaire was sent to their parents. The…

This issue of "Forum for Reading" contains four essays of interest to reading instructors at two-year colleges. Joan Gregg, Beth Pacheco, and Serena Nanda discuss the benefits for students of providing thematic unity in reading courses. The essay considers the selection of a theme, such as rebellion, identity, or family, that will lend…

Stressing the need to match teacher behaviors, student characteristics, and learning environments for successful reading instruction, this review of research considers a variety of factors that can help and hinder student reading achievement. The factors discussed include the characteristics of good teaching, circumstances that hinder student…

A two-year project involved two elementary school faculties in planning curricular change. Both schools selected two major goals: to improve reading achievement scores and student self-concept. University personnel served in a consultant/trainer role. The school staffs expressed doubt about the feasibility or the necessity of the self-concept…

As part of the development of a functional literacy test for fourth through eigth grade children in Title I compensatory education programs, this report defines functional literacy for children and enumerates criteria for evaluating existing tests. Criteria for selection of a test include: (1) content, empirical, and construct validity; (2)…

This brief report is a compilation of academic test score data collected on children in the Responsive Educational Programs sponsored by the Far West Laboratory. In some cases sampling was done and statistical tests run. In other situations sampling was not possible and comparisons are made with national norms. Diagrams and figures are given for…

The findings of a comprehensive review of the literature concerning reading instruction at the postelementary level are presented in this report. The report first summarizes literature dealing with the perceived decline in reading achievement. Next, it reviews current instructional programs and suggestions for their improvement that have been made…

A prior national evaluation suggested that children enrolled in the Parent Education Follow Through Program performed equal to or better than non-Follow Through children on several achievement subtests. The present study involved multivariate analysis of first through third grade achievement data in three Parent Follow Through communities. The…