Across stages of acquisition, second language (L2) competencies are contingent on the variation among individuals learning the language, in both informal and formal learning contexts. This study investigates a group of outliers whose extreme test scores serve as a foundation to examine them as individuals. The study addresses the outliers'…

The Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will establish technical standards and guidelines to ensure that the survey design and implementation processes of PIAAC yield high-quality and internationally comparable data. This document provides a revised version of the technical standards and guidelines originally…

For the past three decades and more, researchers in adolescent literacy have illuminated the challenges and opportunities facing adolescent learning. This article explores the connection between what we know about adolescent literacy and the mandates and initiatives of the No Child Left Behind Act in the United States. It connects what we know…

A gifted reader is defined, and the needs of gifted readers are discussed. Suggestions for meeting those needs are given. (MT)

The answer to the question "How well do young people and adults read?" is central to modern societies. Despite new forms of oral and visual communication, the written word is more important than ever in economic and social interaction. As the world becomes more complex, all citizens need to use reading and writing effectively to thrive…

Examines the skills readers bring to the reading act, the print requirements of social studies textbooks, why breakdowns in learning sometimes occur during reader interactions with text, and possible solutions. (SR)

Hispanic students are notably behind their white counterparts in the core academic skills. Although the precise size of the gap depends on the subject area, age or grade, and the assessment, by all measures, a significant gap in mathematics, reading skills and science exists between Hispanic and white students. Educational achievement, or…

Large differences exist among individuals in their ability to process speech sounds within syllables and words, and this ability is crucial for reading and spelling alphabetically beyond a very elementary level. The conception that speech is made up of segments (phonemes) is natural to those who read and spell alphabetically, but arguably: (1)…

An implicit contract between author and reader during discourse production and comprehension that defines the liberties each may take in relation to the text is proposed in this report. Discussed in the report are the writer's responsibilities in such a contract--to be sincere, informative, relevant, and clear and to establish points of contact…

Reaffirming that all students, regardless of home language or socioeconomic background, can and must have an equal opportunity to excel in reading, this booklet presents 10 recommendations that form the basis of a comprehensive and balanced reading program to help children in California learn to read. Recommendations in the booklet address: (1)…

In recent years, some prominent scholars and historians of reading have emphasized the gradual nature of change in reading practices in the early modern period as opposed to sudden transitions. This article discusses the varying opportunities to acquire skills consequent on "engaged reading" (defined below) available to the children of different…

This brochure (which can be used in the classroom as a poster) is intended to provide "a quick way into" the Assessment of Achievement Programme (AAP) English language survey and its findings. The brochure pinpoints the reading purpose and strands that the survey covered. It contains brief sections on performance over time; gender…

Examines why the whole-language approach to literacy development has failed, presenting several definitions of whole language, discussing some of the research on whole language and whether it works, and providing information about the impact of whole language in California (which suggests that California's reading-performance problems are not…

This article discusses the teaching of English in universities in Eastern Europe and suggests that the emphasis be shifted from oral skills to reading and writing skills. (CFM)

The Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised (WRMT-R) is advertised as usable with English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students (with provisions to ensure students' understanding of instructions). This articles describes new features of the WRMT-R and examines criticisms of it since its debut in 1973. (SM)