This edition of "NAEPFacts" highlights findings from the first attempt by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to measure elementary students' oral reading on a large scale. This article presents data on 1,136 fourth graders' oral fluency and its relationship to 3 other aspects of reading ability: comprehension,…

This focused newsletter features articles about reading, reading research, and teaching reading. The newsletter's lead article, "The Challenge of Improving Reading," enumerates the problems that schools and families can encounter when trying to raise student performance in reading. Another article in the newsletter, "The Longest…

Elements of economic production theory are applied to the relation between time and student learning. The analysis takes into account that individual students matter, that students are often taught in classes, and that jointness in production is the rule rather than the exception. The values teachers place on the different possible educational…

Much debate is concerned with providing quality reading instruction to students who experience difficulty. This bulletin explores the various approaches advocated for teaching reading instruction to at-risk students, discusses the research underpinnings of these approaches, and examines the practical implications of the models. Two approaches…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 17 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effects of a remedial reading program upon reading attitude, reading achievement, self-concept, and intellectual achievement responsibility; (2) a reading…

Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1996 Long-Term Reading Assessment show that overall student reading performance, as tested at age levels 9, 13, and 17, has increased for both 9- and 13-year-olds since the first assessment in 1971. Scores for 9- and 13-year-olds in most racial/ethnic and gender subgroups reflected…

The responses to two questionnaires by the principals and 186 randomly selected teachers from 40 elementary schools from Hillsborough county (Florida) provided the data for a study that examined whether principals of schools demonstrating high and low levels of student reading achievement differed in leadership behavior and/or demographic…

According to results of the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), teachers of fourth- and eighth-grade students were using a variety of assessment methods to measure their students' progress in reading. At both grades, teachers' reports indicated that in comparison with multiple-choice questions, written paragraphs were used…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 25 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) reading comprehension and visual creativity; (2) family interaction and reading achievement in high school males; (3) conceptual tempo, Piagetian level of…

Noting the continuing concern about reading standards, reading processes, and methods of teaching reading, this booklet reviews current research in reading. Sections of the booklet discuss: (1) research on reading processes; (2) how fluent readers recognize words; (3) what beginning readers need to know about language; (4) what beginning readers…

A study was conducted to determine if participation in a pre-first grade transactional program would be more effective than grade repetition in enhancing first grade readiness. The transition program emphasized the acquisition of academic and behavioral skills necessary for a successful first grade experience. Students in the program were trained…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. Among the topics covered in the 26 titles are the following: self concept and reading achievement; eye movement patterns and reading ability; psychological and neuropsychological measures of performance of children with variations in…

A study was conducted to determine (1) the extent to which the degree of use of PRI/RS (the Prescriptive Reading Inventory Reading Systems, a criterion referenced management system developed by CTB/McGraw Hill) affected comparable groups of students on standardized achievement measures; (2) whether the degree of use differentially influenced…

Spanning the annual meetings of the North Central Reading Association from 1971 to 1974, this yearbook presents papers dealing with programs and centers, materials and techniques, a new research field, and in honor of Roger S. Pepper. Papers include: "Attitudinal Factors among Marginal Admission Students" (Roger S. Pepper and John A. Drexler,…

Data from the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) 1998 Reading Report Card show increased scores for low-performing students in the 4th and 8th grades in 1998 as compared to 1994, but no change at the 12th grade. Scores for low-performing students in the 8th grade were higher in 1998 than in either 1994 or 1992. Scores for…