Responds to Richard Innes's criticism of his June 2002 "Kappan" article. (PKP)

Reviews the third edition of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test. Finds the revised test format to be better than ever, with two new level tests. Notes that the changes in the test address current issues related to reading. (RS)

Finds that good inventive spellers learned to read two sets of phonetically simplified words more effectively than poor inventive spellers. Confirms a strong relationship between spelling and reading even when spellers are found in classrooms where spelling is not taught. (RS)

Reports investigations of some of the factors that affect novice readers' decoding of nonwords. Finds that children aged 7, 8, and 10 assigned more correct pronunciations to nonwords with many orthographic neighbors than those which had few. Discusses results in light of current models. Suggests that a connectionist model with word-level…

Distinguishes between two meanings of literacy that have been conflated: the ability to read and write, and the broader concept of being educated. Presents three arguments: literacy is not social; literacy is not political; and the comprehension part of literacy is a relative matter, while the ability to decode is not. (RS)

Clarifies the efficacy of targeting the area of vocabulary as a means of increasing reading level. Concludes that the acquisition of new vocabulary words is related to reading proficiency. Offers five guidelines for teachers regarding direct vocabulary instruction. (SR)

Discusses the progress in accurate measurement of reading, the major challenges for reading researchers in developing better measures in reading, and significant developments in the near future. (RS)

Examines students' skills in segmenting, reading, and spelling 50 words with regular and exceptional spelling patterns. Interprets results to support a computational notion of phonology as a prerequisite to reading and spelling, with a more reflective notion explaining the reciprocal relationship between reading and segmentation of consonant…

Investigates whether alternating the use of the eyes has a negative effect on reading ability and on timed visual-motor tasks. Finds that the reading achievement of eye alternators is no different than for visually normal children and that alternators are no more likely to have difficulty with visual motor tasks. (PRA)

Presents graphs inadvertently left out of an article published in the previous issue of this journal. (MG)

Compares the effectiveness of teacher-questioning and prediction-generation as methods of improving the independent reading comprehension abilities of low-achieving readers. Finds a significant difference between the two methods in both literal and inferential comprehension, with prediction-generation demonstrating superior results. (MG)

Considers the effect that students' health status and the health conditions of the classroom might have on reading achievement. Provides a quick checklist by which teachers can measure these conditions. (HB)

Tests second- to sixth-grade children with normal reading efficiency under three conditions of simultaneous amplified auditory feedback on reading aloud nouns and nonwords. Finds that right ear feedback improved reading accuracy in the first three grades. Finds no effect in fifth grade whereas in sixth grade, left ear feedback improved only the…

Reviews formal and informal reading achievement and diagnostic tests, evaluating them to see how they measure reading and spelling abilities within the framework of component-view of reading. Discusses recent attempts to develop alternate assessments. Concludes that school psychologists and reading specialists should be familiar with these…

In this same "Kappan" Issue, Walberg and Greenberg mistakenly allege that Success for All was developed for ulterior (financial) motives, is based on questionable research, and has had poor results. Literacy achievement has not risen for 70 years. Success for All is no panacea but is tackling this problem. (10 references) (MLH)