The Group Analysis of Instruction Matrix and the Individual Analysis of Instruction Matrix are presented as two content-free methods for objectifying assessment by observation in a naturalistic environment. The assessments provide a structure for recording observations of reading performance within a content area class. (JDD)

The Mukilteo (Washington) School District developed an assessment plan to provide reliable feedback on primary students' reading performance, allow documentation of student progress over time, and enlighten parents. Collaborating with the University of Washington, the district decided to employ timed oral reading fluency measures to screen all K-3…

Discusses the desirability of creating lifelong readers and suggests that the use of formulas to measure the reading levels of books and tests that assign reading levels to students do not help. Offers suggestions for school librarians to encourage reading, including helping students select books through readers' advisory. (LRW)

Experiments that assign intact groups to treatment conditions are increasingly common in social research. In educational research, the groups assigned are often schools. The design of group-randomized experiments requires knowledge of the intraclass correlation structure to compute statistical power and sample sizes required to achieve adequate…

The purpose of this article is to provide readers with an overview of Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM). Special education is often used for meeting the needs of African American children and youth. Assessment reform is needed that emphasizes reliable and valid alternative assessment, linkages to the curriculum, and progress monitoring. CBM may…

A number of criticisms have been made of currently available standardized pre-reading test materials in terms of their appropriateness for administration to urban children, their standardization, their content, and their required testing procedures. This new pre-reading skills battery has been designed as an urban oriented testing instrument to…

"Straight A's: Public Education Policy and Progress" is a biweekly newsletter that focuses on education news and events both in Washington, DC and around the country. The following articles are included in this issue: (1) House Subcommittee Passes Education Funding Bill: Appropriations Bill Would Provide Large Increases for Title I and…

What can teachers do in their classrooms to help students prepare for a high-stakes, standardized, multiple-choice reading test without sacrificing what they know to be best practice? Decreasing class sizes or other solutions that require substantial changes in school finance are not usually realistic options. This article outlines five…

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) earned a performance grade of "B" for the second year in a row and was just seven points short of the points required to earn an "A." This Research Capsule summarizes several key elements that contributed to the district's achievement. Results indicate that, in most cases, students'…

This paper discusses several evaluative methods that are available for use in a reading program that is aimed at English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The contents include: "Evaluation," which discusses the role of evaluation in reading; "Teacher Observation," which looks at how the teacher can evaluate the reading progress of students…

Argues that second-language reading comprehension and its assessment can be usefully divided into two aspects: (1) comprehensions (different levels of comprehension the reader adopts to suit different purposes of reading); and (2) interpretations (different readings of the same text resulting from different background knowledge or preoccupations…

Describes how a microcomputer with a word processing program can be used efficiently to generate cloze tests, offering teachers an effective method of producing individualized materials for reading and language arts instruction. Examples of grammar worksheets focusing on proper nouns and adjectives, adjectives and adverbs, and plural words are…

Tells how children's performances on informal spelling and writing tasks can be analyzed to develop appropriate instructional activities. Argues that the real utility of assessment procedures comes from the qualitative interpretation that a sensitive diagnostician makes, based on a knowledge of the student and of the process of reading. (AEA)

Describes a reading recognition test called Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) that is designed to identify low literacy levels in patients. Notes that information thus obtained is useful in directing patient-physician communications and in promoting patient understanding of commonly used oral and written medical information. (SR)

This brief article describes the development and content of a braille adaptation of the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability. Differences in the braille form of the test and precautions in its use are noted. (DB)