This ERIC/RCS Special Collection contains 10 or more Digests (brief syntheses of the research on a specific topic in contemporary education) and FAST Bibs (Focused Access to Selected Topics--annotated bibliographies with selected entries from the ERIC database), providing up-to-date information in an accessible format. The collection focuses on…

Experienced teachers enrolled in two graduate reading classes examined seven informal reading inventories (IRIs)--three at the elementary level and four at the secondary level--to (1) discover what text types (narrative or expository) they used at each level to measure student comprehension skills and determine instructional levels and (2)…

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

Many effective classroom teachers profess reluctance to use miscue analysis, either because they experience interference by their previous use of informal reading inventory procedures or because they find the procedures for miscue analysis too involved for use in the classroom. Such teachers need a brief explanation of the psycholinguistic…

Designed particularly with secondary school teachers in mind but applicable to elementary school teachers as well, this publication summarizes research and suggests activities for improving student reading skills in the content area of science. Sections of the publication provide the following information: (1) how to determine student reading…

The studies reported in this document reflect the interests and concerns of reading and language arts teachers. Topics of the 10 studies were: a comparison of basal and individualized reading approaches to vocabulary acquisition of fourth graders, a comparison of a formal reading program and an informal general readiness program in kindergarten,…

Group and individual informal reading inventories have brought about considerable improvement over standardized reading tests in the placement of students at their proper reading levels. Parents and school administrators want more individualization, however, so a comparatively effective, but quicker, test is needed. A combination of "cloze"…

This paper addresses the question, How can the teacher become an instructional manager, turning informal feedback into pupil progress? Particular attention is given to ways teachers may use test data to help them plan lessons for the students. A number of suggestions for improving students' reading skills are also provided. (RB)

Constructed to aid teachers in the diagnosis of specific reading problems of individual students or groups of students, this kit is recommended for use by elementary classroom teachers, secondary content-area teachers, reading specialists at various levels, and elementary and secondary school administrators. Section one of the kit gives directions…

The reading progress of 96 disadvantaged children from kindergarten through grade 3 was analyzed to determine rate and consistency of reading growth as estimated from several reading measures. Although steady growth was observed on all measures, rate and consistency varied with the type of reading measure used, as well as with the specific test…

Prepared for use in grade seven, this language arts curriculum guide bases its reading strand on "Discovery through Reading" (Ginn 100), its English strand on "Roberts English Series" (Harcourt), its spelling strand on "Sound and Sense in Spelling" (Harcourt), and its handwriting strand on "Better Handwriting for…

Analyzes four informal reading inventories to determine the text type of each passage, whether narrative passages are well formed, and whether expository passages are well organized. Finds almost half the narratives poorly formed. Concludes that the lack of continuity in text type and organization could result in children's comprehension scores…

Designed for courses on the diagnosis and remediation of reading, this book introduces readers to running records, informal reading inventories, miscue analysis, retellings, think-alouds, writing rubrics, portfolios, and student self-evaluation while offering theoretical background for decision making. The book emphasizes careful observation of…

This study, conducted during the fall semester by tutors who were secondary education majors at the University of West Alabama, sought to determine if tutoring on specific reading skills helped at-risk secondary school students improve their frustration levels. Of the initial 24 participants, 12 students completed both the pretest and the posttest…