The Pre-reading Skills Program (PRS) was developed at the Wisconsin Research and Development Center for Cognitive Learning. Research on prereading skills was conducted from 1966 to 1969. The developmental period, 1970 to 1974, included piloting and field testing instructional materials, teachers' manuals, assessment instruments, and a management…

Reading research in which different methods or materials have been compared has proven inconclusive. This paper is restricted to beginning reading, defined as the acquisition of letter-sound decoding ability, and raises the question: what skills are required by current tests? Available reading readiness and achievement tests consist of batteries…

Based on research supported by U.S. Office of Education Contract No. OEC-5-10-154.

This working paper presents the background, justification, and development plan for a kindergarten program to identify and correct deficits in prereading skills. The program provides for individual differences in: (a) patterns of skill deficits, (b) rates of learning, and (c) degrees of assistance required. It is intended for optimal use in the…

Defining prereading skills, discussing their discovery, and determining their value in reading readiness are the primary concerns of this paper. Prereading skills are defined by logical analysis of the reading task and by instructional conventions. From an analysis of initial reading tasks, prerequisite skills are identified. Those skills which…

The assumption that the learning of letter names in their proper sequence is a prerequisite for literacy can be questioned. There is disagreement over the value of early letter-name training. It is variously said to aid in letter or word discrimination, to aid in attaching sounds to letters, and to interfere with both of these tasks. An analysis…