Argues that defining design and copy styles helps ensure consistency for the reader (which is the key to readability) and also make life easier for the designer. Discusses several steps to defining styles within various software. Notes that complexity is also possible with styles. (SR)

Discusses the use of the Lexile Framework(R) in several areas. Lexiles have been established for various job groups, and they may serve as an indication of reading ability for a given job. The uses of lexiles in school and in reading education are discussed, as is the achievement of Lexile reading abilities as indicators of probable income. (SLD)

Describes two experiments that explore the effect of line length and paging versus scrolling on reading from screen. Finds that long lines were read faster than short lines with no change in comprehension and that subject's judgment of reading ease did not correlate with performance. Concludes that further study is needed. (PA)

A study compared the average reading ability levels of freshmen enrolled at an open-door community college with the readability levels of eight content area textbooks used in courses at the institution. Subjects, 100 students enrolled in reading courses, were randomly selected and administered the Nelson-Denny Reading Test to determine reading…

To what extent can photographic readability be formalized for use as a criterion in the evaluation of instructional materials? The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot test a readability index for evaluating photographic illustrations in instructional materials. The index uses an interdisciplinary battery of methods adapted from the…

This handbook for the bilingual vocational curriculum specialist contains seven modules which describe the process of developing curriculum materials to be used by students of limited-English-speaking ability. Module 1 is an introduction to the handbook which discusses bilingual education in the United States and the role of the teacher in…

Provides readability levels for Newbery award winning books commonly read by elementary and secondary students. (RB)

Preliminary findings are consistent with the view that less experienced readers transform graphic to aural input before deriving a semantic interpretation. (RB)

A sample of 12 recent and older sixth grade social studies textbooks was examined to determine their level of explicitness, one of the criteria used to determine the "friendliness" or comprehensibility of a text. Researchers randomly selected three samples--usually chapters--from each of the 12 textbooks. The Explication Inventory…

This article reviews research concerning the organizational, selective, and connective aspects of reading and then assesses the impact of constructivism on four reading-related issues in the United States: (1) readability of texts; (2) assessment of reading ability; (3) instruction in reading; and (4) conception of literacy. The article argues…

Contained in this report is a description of the technical assistance and training phase of the Document Design Project, a program funded by the National Institute of Education and intended to address and correct the readability problems posed by public documents. The first section of the report provides background material on the assistance and…

Intended to encourage the development of textbooks and related materials that are both worthy of being read and readable, this paper presents standards for high quality reading instruction materials for kindergarten through grade 8. Approved by the California State Board of Education, the standards are based on the premises that better reading…

Confirms findings of other studies indicating that textbooks used by college freshmen were in most cases several grade levels above the students' reading abilities. (RB)

Results were analyzed to see if a significant correlation might exist between the results of the cloze procedure and other readability formulas that would permit substituting one for the other in describing the readability level of selected non-text materials. (RB)