A study investigated the effect of phonemic awareness and cognitive flexibility training on the phonemic awareness, cognitive flexibility, reading, and spelling ability of kindergarten and first-grade students. Subjects were 280 students from 12 classrooms in 3 urban elementary schools. Four pre- and posttest measures were administered. Students…

A study determined if pairing children for reading in first grade would have an effect on their reading achievement. The subjects in this study came from one first grade class in a suburban school district. For 6 weeks, one group of emergent readers was paired with more able readers, while another group of emergent readers in the same class was…

Representing a shift toward performance based education, this content guide and framework is designed to help schools in Idaho develop a K-12 English language arts curriculum and program and formulate some realistic goals for themselves and their students. An introductory section discusses performance based education, goals for English language…

Expanded to cover prereading through grade 12, this book presents a simple method for effectively assessing the reading proficiency of students K-12. The second edition of the book provides, using preprimer and primer passages, a means for assessing the emergent/beginning reading skills of students just entering school. The book includes a special…

A study examined the effectiveness of a Reading Recovery program. Subjects, 14 first-grade students who received the Reading Recovery program and 20 first-grade students who did not receive the program, were administered the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in the spring of 1994. The subject population was comprised of 100% minority students attending…

Suggesting that too many educators and parents believe the myth of declining student literacy, this fastback puts student literacy in focus by examining trends in reading achievement from 1840 to the 1990s. The fastback discusses "then-and-now" studies, test restandardization studies, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress,…

A study investigated Swedish students' attitudes about the point of being able to read. Subjects were 53 Swedish students in grades 5 and 8. Their answers were distributed into three categories: a survival and participation perspective; a dynamic-instrumental perspective; and a personal experience perspective. Regardless of performance level, most…

The addition of captions to television is a technological breakthrough that can be used to enhance the vocabulary and comprehension skills of young readers. Taken together, several studies suggest that captioned television is a motivating medium for below-average readers and bilingual students, and that simultaneous processing (audio/video/text)…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the June 1998 administration of the English 30 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…

A study examined reading performance data on 659,214 students in grades K-12 for the 1994-95 school year to determine the possible effect of literature-based reading practice on student performance in schools of various kinds. Using a computer-based testing program to measure student reading practice, the study compared the amount of practice…

A study examined the effect of cooperative learning on the reading comprehension of 16 second-grade students. A modified Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program was used with the experimental group over a 20-week period. A control group of 17 students was taught to read using traditional whole-group instruction with a…

This study tested the hypothesis that Distar Reading's demonstrated effects with disadvantaged children can be generalized to children with disabilities. The study compared the effects of two synthetic phonics reading programs, Direct Instruction "Reading Mastery" (which incorporated features of Distar Reading) and Addison Wesley's…

This paper describes the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), a federally funded center that intends to carry out research to discover what promotes readers' engagement in literacy activities, foster their critical thinking and strategic learning, and prepare them to meet the challenges of a technological age. The paper describes the mission…

As a result of criticism of the schools, educators have made modifications in many reading curricula that have resulted in an increased emphasis on reading achievement and a lessened emphasis on using reading to help students develop citizenship, social responsibility, and caring. Reading instruction needs to be thought of not only in terms of the…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether significant mean differences exist in standardized reading scores between a district that utilized a single basal series to develop reading ability and a district utilizing a tri-basal approach to reading. A cross-section of elementary teachers from two similar suburban school districts that…