The study examined the range of reading skills in 2,812 general education students in grades 1-6 attending 34 elementary schools. Results documented a wide range of reading skills both within and across grades. Findings are discussed in terms of relations between general and special education. (Author/DB)

Examines the changes in dialect usage and the predictive relationship between dialect usage and reading achievement, controlling for differences in the acquisition of language forms common across dialects. Suggests that dialect usage might be a distinguishing variable between average and poor readers. Finds that correlations do not support the…

This study explored whether visual discrimination problems impair achievement in children with and without learning disabilities. Children (N=66) with learning disabilities were tested for visual discrimination problems, tracked throughout elementary school, and compared to a normally achieving sample. Results indicated lower reading and general…

Reports on a congenitally blind young girl who learned to read Braille. Suggests that phonological awareness can be well developed even without word or letter experience, and the logographic phase of reading can be bypassed in favor of an alphabetic phase. Notes that her level of skill is similar to that of sighted children. (RS)

Studies fourth-grade children's lexical acquisition ability for aurally taught words. Finds that reading ability predicted facility at learning novel phonological sequences, while intelligence was the only factor which accounted for performance level for the semantic content of the words. Suggests that vocabulary deficits of less-skilled readers…

Reports on research studies into the role that reading volume plays in shaping the mind. It is possible to outline the reciprocal influence of early reading acquisition and reading volume as determinants of later reading comprehension and other cognitive abilities. Early success at reading unlocks a lifetime of reading habits, as research shows.…

A study investigated how, when, and under what conditions 60 highly successful adults with dyslexia managed to develop high literacy levels. For both men and women with dyslexia, interest-driven reading was key to the development of high literacy levels. Fascination with a subject area was a common theme. (Author/CR)

Presents results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1998 Reading Assessment for the nation. Includes average scores and achievement-level performance for the United States, comparisons with 1994 and 1992 results, and results for subgroups of students. (Author)

An ETS adult-literacy study, ignored by the media, showed that teachers' prose, document, and quantitative literacy was higher than that of most other professionals. Administrators scored lower than teachers in all three literacies. Meanwhile, a highly publicized Home School Legal Defense study glorified privileged students' predictable test…

Provides qualified support for the work of Martin and colleagues in that kindergarten measures of negative emotionality were correlated with grade 1 reading measures. Results show that persistence and intelligence affected reading achievement. Implications for school psychological assessment process, classroom instruction, and primary prevention…

The Mukilteo (Washington) School District developed an assessment plan to provide reliable feedback on primary students' reading performance, allow documentation of student progress over time, and enlighten parents. Collaborating with the University of Washington, the district decided to employ timed oral reading fluency measures to screen all K-3…

Describes how the author became concerned that she and other teachers were focusing so much on reading levels that other ways of describing children as readers were being ignored and devalued. Describes how she involved her students in engagements to examine and challenge the ways students were describing and defining themselves as readers. (SR)

Examined the developmental relationship of children's motivational orientations and reading skills from preschool through grade 2. Results for 48 children show that regressive and progressive reading career groups of matching initial phonemic awareness and verbal ability did not differ motivationally at preschool but motivational orientation did…

Notes that less skilled readers have difficulty suppressing active, but irrelevant, information during comprehension. Investigates whether the mechanism responsible for suppressing the inappropriate meaning of a word is an automatic process or a strategic, controlled one. Finds that less skilled readers may have difficulty executing a strategic…

Test results were compared for 925 11-year-olds who completed Summer Literacy Schools before transfer to secondary education and 1,097 controls. Both groups declined significantly between pre- and posttesting, with no significant differences between groups. Anxiety about transition may lead to decline in achievement. (SK)