Word analysis, study skills, and reading comprehension were assessed for 217 certificated teachers in 14 Utah schools. No significant differences were found among the scores of elementary school principals, special education and resource teachers, early-childhood grade teachers, and intermediate grade teachers. The effects of selected variables…

The responses to an informal survey of the states indicate that most states are either giving competency tests, developing them, or making plans to do so. Many aspects of the current practices and trends need study and discussion. (Author/IRT)

Discusses the level of reading achievement in our schools and the report of the advisory board commissioned by the College Entrance Examination Board to study the steady decline of SAT scores from 1963 through 1977. Evaluates the role of the teacher in the development of critical reading and examines six aspects of the process of comprehension.…

Reading specialists can and should take action that will help determine the nature of public policies affecting reading. (MKM)

Shows that there are beneficial uses of reading expectancy formulas in general, but that there are also factors that make it necessary to use caution when dealing with these formulas. (Author/GW)

Discusses study of instructional approach and pupil characteristics interacting to affect student achievement. Results point to potentially negative consequences of placing students in a learning environment incongruent with key personal characteristics. (JM)

Concludes that boys succeed less well in reading than girls because of cultural expectations that reading is more suited to girls than to boys. (DD)

The principal of a Montana elementary school using direct instruction methods discusses the positive results students and school are experiencing as a result of the students' reading success. (MD)

This study was undertaken to determine whether afternoon reading instruction results in greater achievement for beginning readers than does morning instruction. One hundred first grade pupils participated in the study. Implications for practice and continued research are discussed. (Author/MT)

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the relation of gender to reading achievement at the high school level. Findings suggest that by the time students reach high school, the magnitude of gender differences in reading achievement as assessed by the High School and Beyond survey is small. (Author/LMO)

Reviews the debate on the importance of decoding in reading, focusing on the positions taken by P. Gough and K. Goodman. Argues that the debate is settled, with Gough's view having more explanatory power in terms of helping to understand the success of the good reader and the plight of the poor one. (FL)

In the present research, the psychometric models of Rasch and Guttman are used to illustrate contrasting yet complementary approaches to investigating reading skill hierarchies. The models share a general conclusion, but specific results from the Rasch model underscore its greater potential as a reading skills diagnostic technique. (Author/LMO)

A framework for studying teachers' informal expectations in the context of reading education is presented. Social Judgement Theory (SJT) entails an idiographic analysis of various aspects of cues used to form policies and make judgments. (Author/LMO)

Research with preadolescent hearing-impaired children has found that the quality of specific family behaviors and interactions is associated with increased achievement in reading and mathematics. Recommendations are made for parents and practitioners regarding home/school interaction, attitude clarification, and use of the teacher as model.…