Examines the relevance of decoding, comprehension, and reading rate as used by teachers for evaluation of their students' reading competence. Finds that teachers claim to rely only on decoding and comprehension in assessing reading competence, but that in practice teachers rely quite heavily on reading rate as a diagnostic tool. (RS)

Four experiments were conducted to determine the effects on decoding mistakes and comprehension of text passages at fastest and slowest reading rates. Subjects included 181 Israeli first graders and 60 American first graders. Subjects reading at their normal maximum speed averaged fewer errors and higher comprehension. (Author/LMO)

Four experiments with 23 second graders in Haifa (Israel) tested the hypothesis that comprehension gains in fast-paced reading are attributable primarily to changes in short-term memory (STM) functioning. Results confirm the hypothesis, providing support for a causal role of STM functioning in text processing. (SLD)