Three issues in the debate over reading are (1) choice of instructional materials; (2) methods of teaching and testing; and (3) national standards for reading. Advocates a rational approach that recognizes limitations of tests to assess reading attainment and uses social dimensions and links with other language modes. (SK)

The author was startled by the carelessness and selectivity of Robert Slavin's comments, which give his words the ring of a promotional release rather than of intellectual reflection. He agrees that Slavin is accurate in saying that the scores on reading tests at P.S. 65 in the South Bronx improved during a period in which, among a number of other…

Testing reading by testing the bits and pieces of reading leads to teaching the bits and pieces instead of teaching reading. Reading is a total skill rather than a subject, and a skill can best be tested by performance. Some of the purposes for reading tests include showing test score improvement, diagnosis, satisfying parents, grouping or sorting…

Discusses David Wyatt's paper, "Computer-Assisted Teaching and testing of reading and Listening," focusing on the interactive computer testing of reading proficiency. Makes suggestions for the shape of an interactive diagnostic reading test and discusses software development and on-site delivery mechanisms of the tests. (SED)

A survey of the field of learning disabilities is presented and applied to adults. A review of diagnostic tests reveals concentrated knowledge about learning disabled children and adolescents, and a scarcity of knowledge on adult populations. Pertinent areas for research are proposed for learning disability specialists and adult educators.…

Examines the controversy surrounding the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Test on reading and the subsequent recall of the results data by the chancellor of the New York City schools. (IRT)

A new breed of standardized reading tests, slated for use in Michigan and Illinois, measures integrative thinking instead of isolated skills and gives teachers a valuable diagnostic tool. A breakdown of content areas is given, as well as a preview of actual questions. (IAH)

Refutes Leslie MacLean and Harvey Goldstein's charges (in the January 1988 "Kappan") that the National Assessment of Educational Progress Reading Proficiency Scale is based on a single assumption (reading proficiency) accounting for responses to all reading tasks. Characterizes the scale as developmental, with points corresponding to…

Rebuffs Leslie Maclean and Harvey Goldstein's claims that the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Proficiency Scale is unidimensional. Critics' confusion may stem from failing to separate what a test measures from a score's usefulness. The Lexile Reading Scale should be integrated with the NAEP scale. Includes eight…

Suggests that both portfolio and performance-based assessment can be implemented in ways that retain vestiges of standardized testing. Compares aspects of standardized testing to aspects of portfolio and performance-based evaluation. Discusses responsibility to those assessed. (RS)

Reading instruction can be transformed into cynical test-beating exercises. Victory arises from frequent practice in taking similar tests. Students who spend most of their time on test-type activities generally do better on reading tests than those who "waste" time reading for information or pleasure. Teachers whose students score highest on…

Past reading research suggests that measures of reading comprehension should be made context dependent. Reading comprehension test questions that are context dependent are best answered by examinees only after the accompanying passages have been read. Recently, there has been some disagreement concerning the exact importance of context dependence…

The author reviews the advantages and disadvantages of standardized reading tests, with special reference to the new national reading tests designed by the Assessment of Performance Unit of the Department of Education and Science. (SJL)

Provides insights and procedures used in clinical approaches to reading diagnosis and suggests ways classroom teachers might use them. (FL)

Demonstrates how a universal taxonomy of reading goals might be related to a taxonomy of reading means. (FL)