A series of research studies on the consistency of reading specialists' diagnoses of students with reading problems have indicated that clinical agreement has been astonishingly low. To investigate which factors seem to lead to consistency in clinical diagnosis, a study was conducted based on a theory of clinical problem solving called inquiry…

A survey of reading teachers and Title I program directors in Kansas indicates that 50 percent of the former and 90 percent of the latter do not judge themselves adequately prepared to teach handicapped children under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (CJ)

The reactions of participants to the presentation sessions of a staff development training program were assessed using participant questionnaires and non-verbal metabehavior estimates of participant attitudes. Fifty reading specialists and administrators participated in a two-session workshop dealing with reading material and methods. Each session…

Thirty-eight college students were the subjects of a study designed to examine the efficacy of training graduate reading specialists through a diagnosis simulation program versus the use of a traditional child study approach. The major task of this investigation was to compare, by way of univariate or multivariate analysis, various combinations of…

A reading practices survey of 138 Arizona secondary learning disabled teachers was conducted. Among results were that 65 percent of special educators indicated access to reading specialist/instructed programs; the Individualized Reading Approach was the method used most; and the special educator was the professional mainly responsible for reading…

By means of educational and psychological tests, 10 reading specialists thought aloud about a simulated case of reading and spelling disability in fourth-grade boy. Protocols were transcribed and scored. Despite choosing from common information sources, experts differed substantially in diagnoses and recommendations. Found no indications for…

A study compared the evaluations of junior and senior preservice teachers, supervising teachers, and reading specialists who observed a student's performance using the Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA). Four groups of subjects participated in the study. The first group consisted of 12 elementary education juniors who had just completed a…

What reading consultants do varies considerably from person to person as there is variability in the role each reading consultant perceives as his or her responsibility. To assist reading consultants in prioritizing their roles to meet their constituents' needs, 113 elementary teachers enrolled in graduate reading classes at the University of…

Reports on a survey used to evaluate the secondary school reading program in Polk County, Florida. (DF)

Explains results when graduate students studying to become reading specialists tutored struggling readers in one-on-one sessions in which the clinicians were required to make significant use of technology in their instruction. Concludes that clinicians often did not have clear reading or literacy objectives when using computer-based instruction.…

Six studies in laboratory and classroom settings investigated the diagnostic and remedial performance of 66 reading and learning disabled specialists and classroom teachers. Ss were asked to diagnose simulated cases of either reading or learning disability and suggest an initial remediation plan. Two related findings were revealed across all…

In this survey, teachers in 46 elementary schools in the San Francisco Bay area were asked to describe how they worked with reading specialists, if at all. Of 414 teachers reporting, 49.3% reported that the reading specialist instructs selected students, usually outside the classroom, and provides no other services to the teacher. Only 20% of the…

As the first in a four-volume final report of a Right to Read preservice, competency-based modular reading specialist project, this volume contains a guide for the project implementor and a description of the first component of the project entitled, "Reading/Language Arts, K-12." The implementor guide discusses the philosophy,…

In response to concerns about the adequacy of the preparation provided for reading specialists in light of the duties spelled out for them in a 1977 Wisconsin statute, a study was undertaken to obtain perceptions of the responsibilities of reading professionals from Wisconsin school administrators and reading specialists. A total of 253…

Thirty-six reading specialists and classroom teachers enrolled in a graduate reading diagnosis course participated in a study to determine whether clinical performance could be improved by alterations in a clinician's memory and strategy. Overall procedures in this study included pretests, 30 hours of clinical training in diagnosis, and posttests.…