This book is intended primarily for classroom teachers and other personnel who work directly with teachers in selecting reading readiness tests or achievement tests. The first chapter lists and briefly explains the criteria used by the authors in reviewing the tests included. These criteria are concerned with norms, standardization, objectivity,…

Suggests how test consumers can improve the evaluation of students' reading performance by (1) carefully examining tests to match teaching objectives, (2) employing a wider variety of evaluation techniques, (3) abandoning the use of standardized reading tests as indicators of instructional reading level, and (4) interpreting subtest scores of…

This review of the history of the measurement of reading comprehension follows the development of formal and informal reading comprehension tests dating from 1913 to the present. Upon reviewing the aspects, procedures, and criteria of these tests, the author noted that most of these tests resembled group verbal intelligence tests. Makeup of the…

The idea that some definite designation of a child's reading ability can be gained from a grade level or percentile score on a standardized test is rejected in favor of the idea that such a score is only an estimate of ability. Informal tests in which children read from passages varying in difficulty can give much helpful information to teachers.…

Discusses issues in reading assessment, including the concern that tests can not measure the reading process. Concludes that tests will never be more than useful indicators; calls for more research and examination of existing and new types of reading comprehension tests. (MM)

Three major points covered by this report are (1) What are the demands for reading assessment and how have the demands increased?; (2) How adequately do present standardized reading tests meet these demands?; and (3) What possible approaches exist for developing assessment procedures which meet these demands? An extreme interest in finding out how…

A review of public demand for accountability uncovers three types of educational assessment problems: demand for valid reading measures, need for a broader range of assessments, and value of assessments for various audiences. Integration of the various types of assessments is recommended. (SK)

This two-part guide was designed to serve as a comprehensive source of information on published reading tests. Part I provides the following descriptive information about each test: (1) the name as listed on the front cover of the test booklet, (2) the publisher's suggested grade or age level for test use, (3) the type of test-individual or group,…

The third in a series of studies to assess the reading achievement of Indiana students, a study compared the reading achievement of sixth and tenth graders in 1944-45, 1976, and 1986. The same edition of the Iowa Silent Reading Test (ISRT) was administered to sixth- and tenth-graders in 1944-45, 1976, and 1986. The 1944-45 sample consisted of 25%…

This testimony presented before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities presents an expert's conclusions about the status of reading in the United States. It points to several studies comparing reading achievement scores of students today to scores of students of several years ago; discusses data that are used to…

Describes the complex and sometimes conflicting components involved in reading assessment issues and proposes a solution that involves linkages among assessment audiences and approaches. Concludes with remarks about how school districts might pull together all the pieces and solve the assessment puzzle for themselves. (PRA)

This article presents views of proponents and opponents to standardized tests, isolates the major weakness of testing--questionable validity--and offers several recommendations for the betterment of test development and use. Some major misuses of tests include the following: (a) tests are at times administered with no clear purpose; (b) test…

Research literature on measurement and evaluation in reading is described under six chapter headings: Measurement in reading: general perspectives, Problems in measuring reading subskills, Methods for assessing reading achievement, Assessing growth, Measurement of reading-related variables, and Summary: test uses and research needs. Following each…

The effects of test-item selection on total test reliability and validity were investigated. It was posited that in a reading comprehension test, the knowledge displayed by the examinees is of interest only as it is a valid measure of how much a student learned from reading or comprehending a stimulus paragraph. Selection of items solely on the…