What do students need to achieve in reading? Students need to master phonics elements as needed. Ten cautions in teaching phonics are outlined, which also offer a framework for reading across the curriculum. Reflective thinking in reading is important, and students should be taught to ponder and probe ideas gleaned during and after reading…

Noting that language arts and reading across the curriculum are in vogue, this paper asserts that reading is an important and distinct part of the language arts and overall school curriculum. It discusses actions and methods involved in the teaching of reading itself, including: (1) oral reading to and by students; (2) availability of a variety of…

To determine quality sequence in pupil progress, evaluation approaches need to be used which guide the teacher to assist learners to attain optimally. Teachers must use a variety of procedures to appraise student achievement in reading, because no one approach is adequate. Appraisal approaches might include: (1) observation and subsequent…

Reading for students beyond the primary and lower elementary grades gets relatively little attention. Despite the widespread acceptance of the importance of higher levels of literacy for students, levels that can only be achieved across the years of elementary and secondary school, most educators, researchers, and policymakers focus their…

Reprints a classic article originally published in this journal in October 1973, which argues that the problems vernacular-dialect-speaking students suffer in school are not the direct result of so-called dialect interference but rather the result of educators' negative attitudes (based on deficit theory) toward learners who speak vernacular…

States that the reading teacher needs to study diverse methods of teaching reading. Finds that the method chosen should harmonize with the pupil's present achievement and ability level. Considers that a major goal in teaching reading is to guide pupils to solve problems. (PA)

Discusses four clear contributions of cognitive research that deserve special attention: (1) skilled readers read words rather than skip them; (2) less skilled readers do rely on context; (3) skilled readers use phonology in reading; and (4) children learn to read successfully by learning how their writing system works. (RS)

Presents a synthesis of the responses of 13 researchers in the field of language and literacy to the theme of this issue. Discusses the varying perspectives on literature-based instruction, the effect of language empowerment, language knowledge and reading/writing achievement, social context and cognition, and technology and education. Notes the…

Argues that informal reading inventories (IRI) and the cloze procedure may provide inaccurate information and inhibit the progress of poor readers. Examines the concept of frustration level in both IRI and cloze testing. Posits that, in attempting to avoid frustrating students, educators fail to provide students with sufficient challenges.…

This response to Bashir and Scavuzzo (EC 602 669) suggests that their view that dyslexia is a chronic, pervasive condition is too limiting. An alternative view of dyslexia as an acute, interactive condition is proposed, and related implications for instructional curricula and reading achievement are offered. (Author/ DB)

This paper presents a theoretical model illustrating L. Siegel's revisionist conceptualization of learning disabilities and then presents an alternative underachievement model. The paper argues that the alternative model applies standard regression procedures which would lead to a more appropriate definition of learning disabilities and applies…

Discusses problems with the 1991 Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) in reading (given to six and seven year olds in England) and problems in the ways in which the results were interpreted. Suggests that SATs, designed to assess children's reading, may actually have obstructed teachers in their assessment of children. (RS)

Examines four "puzzling" results of the National Adult Literacy Survey: (1) the ability to use printed information effectively is unevenly distributed in the United States; (2) adults exhibited a large gap between performance and perception of literacy skills; (3) increased literacy did not always correspond with significant earnings…

Claims the data from the Ohio Proficiency Test is rich but hard to use. Describes a process for analyzing the data to make it more manageable. Provides suggestions for using the results to make data-driven decisions. (NH)

Offers a critique of the interwoven nature of politics and literacy learning and teaching. Identifies political acts as interventions by those in positions of power and in government that determine how literacy is learned and taught. Focuses on: an ideological view that has most influenced literacy research; literacy instruction; literacy…