The modified caution index's use in identifying judges whose patterns of item judgment appear aberrant when compared with the pattern produced by the entire group (N=158) of judges was studied. Effects on test standards and passing rates of removing test standards of these judges were also assessed. (TJH)

This report discusses an experimental study in which Spanish dominant students were taught to use metacognitive reading strategies while reading in Spanish. Results of the study lend credibility to the notion that bilingual/bicultural children should be challenged to develop and employ more powerful levels of thought processing within the context…

Examined effects of who administers behavioral assessment (teacher versus school psychologist), physical location of assessment (reading group versus teacher's desk versus office), and whether performance is timed or untimed for oral reading rates of 100 third and fourth graders. Results showed significant effects for reading level, tester,…

Two experiments with approximately 377 newly enlisted Air Force personnel and 182 college students investigated the validity of a reading span test combining a knowledge verification task with a word memorization task. Results support the hypothesis that word recall reflects the amount of working memory functional in reading. (SLD)

Ninety-one fourth grade students (from special education, Chapter 1, low achieving regular education, and regular education) completed a silent Dreading-written retell measure in the fall and again in the spring. Results highlight the many unanswered questions that need to be addressed in implementing assessment reform, in the areas of format,…

A curriculum-based measurement approach to evaluating and improving oral reading fluency (ORF) in grades 2-5 is presented. A table of norms (medians) in ORF is provided, based on approximately 9,000 students. Specific classroom uses of the norms are suggested, such as use in developing individualized objectives for students with disabilities. (DB)

Investigates hypothesis that topic familiarity and assessed difficulty of a text correlate positively with performance on reading comprehension tests. A study of 177 advanced students of English for Specific Purposes indicates that students' subjective evaluation of the relative difficulty of a reading text is not always a reliable index of their…

Equal percentile (EP) and partial credit (PC) equatings for raw scores from performance-based assessments with free-response items are compared through the use of data from the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program. Results suggest that EP and PC methods do not give equivalent results when distributions are markedly skewed. (SLD)

Twenty years of research on the Maze, a classroom-based reading measure for students with learning disabilities, is summarized. Overall, the research is supportive of the Maze. However, the most common version requires revision to obtain minimum construct validity, and additional research is needed on reliability and usefulness of alternate forms.…

Measures of reading fluency were investigated as predictors of reading comprehension for 77 third graders and 65 fifth graders. Several of the eight measures investigated were found to be good predictors of comprehension with the potential for use by teachers. Results show that reading fluency is a multidimensional reading construct. (SLD)

Describes an investigation of the effects of logical connectives and paragraph heads on reading comprehension among 577 Hong Kong secondary students learning English as a Second Language. An English reading comprehension test was used to allocate subjects into one of the three performance groups: High, medium, and low. (Author/VWL)

Examined the academic records of 384 nonnative English-speaking students who took a state-mandated reading proficiency exam at Georgia State University between January 1994 and June 1996. Approximately 22% of the students were unable to pass the exam or had great difficulty passing it. A large majority of students who had trouble passing were…

Reports on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 Reading Assessment of fourth graders, presenting results for the nation, comparisons with the results of previous assessments, results for subgroups of students, and results when testing accommodations are permitted for special-needs students. (Author)

The purpose of this article is to provide readers with an overview of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). Special education is often used for meeting the needs of African American children and youth. Assessment reform is needed that emphasizes reliable and valid alternative assessment, linkages to the curriculum, and progress monitoring. CBM may…

Although several studies provide insights regarding the impact of the elementary school principal upon the success of the school reading program and student reading achievement scores, there are few, if any, studies that link characteristics of principals with actual standardized test scores. In this study, field notes and observations, along with…