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 more frequently to assess reading. Among the major findings, a significant relationship between having students provide written responses to reading and higher reading scores was observed, however the relationship was somewhat stronger at grade 4. (Contains 16 references, 2 notes, and 2 tables of data.) (RS)