The Motivation to Read Profile (MRP) is a public-domain instrument designed to provide teachers with an efficient and reliable way to assess reading motivation qualitatively and quantitatively by evaluating students' self-concept as readers and the value they place on reading. The MRP consists of two basic instruments: the Reading Survey (a…

This study investigated parents' perceptions of their child's reading abilities. Parents of 92 fourth grade students completed questionnaires to measure the perception parents held of their child's reading ability in relation to the ability of their child based on standardized test scores. Correlations between the Terra Nova Standardized Test and…

A portfolio approach to classroom literacy assessment offers a different way to evaluate and document students' growth and progress in literacy. Portfolios place a high premium on using a variety of real literacy activities over a period of time which involves the interaction of teachers and students in the development and maintenance of the…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) methods and procedures used in the 1979-80 assessment of reading and literature are described. The objectives of the assessment are categorized into four main areas. These include values reading and literature, comprehension of written work, response to written work, and application of study…

This manual contains typed texts for each level of the Summative Booklist for Narrative Texts. The 38 typed texts are included for use with running records and oral reading strategies analysis. Each form and/or procedure is accompanied by specific explanations, directions, and where appropriate, examples to guide usage. The manual is intended to…

A study was conducted in response to a request from the Illinois State Board of Education to examine closely which reading programs work best for Illinois students and schools. In some Illinois schools, students exhibit consistently high levels of reading achievement--the teaching, learning, and other practices of these schools may point the way…

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)

The action research project report began when the teacher researchers determined that students at Sites A and B struggled with reading achievement. The purpose of the project was to improve students' reading achievement through increased motivation, specific skill instruction, and additional practice time. The project involved 26 students: 17…

The present study sought to examine the relationship between teacher quality and student achievement in public elementary schools in a community district school of the New York City. It has 23 elementary schools, more than 7,600 students and around 350 teachers. For this study, participants consist of a sample of 117 full-time teachers who were…

Scores were compared for two experimental assessment instruments constructed as examples of the techniques used by the Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) of J. M. Royer and others (1979) and the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) of the Michigan Department of Education (1987, 1988) to measure reading comprehension as an interactive…

This report describes a project for improving reading comprehension through the use of multiple intelligences. The action research took place from September 2001 to January 2002. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students living in two suburbs of a major metropolitan city. The two communities range from low income to upper middle…

This report presents results from a 3-year evaluation of the Title I "Success for All" (SFA) schoolwide program being implemented at four elementary schools in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District, Alaska. SFA meets the criteria of Title I regulations and has a strong reading component with frequent assessments of student…

Presenting the positive role phonics can play in a student's ability to learn to read, this book emphasizes that phonics can be extremely beneficial when it is integrated as a part of a balanced reading program. Based on the author's real-world experience, the book covers the entire range of practical phonics applications for the elementary…

Presents an alternative performance-based assessment of reading comprehension and readability called the "Opin" procedure, a macroclosure procedure in which sentence endings instead of single words are deleted. Notes that readers' responses are rated on a continuum from low to high proximity with the author's intentions. (RS)

Researchers have studied the affects of class size on student achievement for years. Therefore, the size of classes presently is disturbing. In regards to class size reductions, Murphy, 1998 states that students enjoyed significantly greater improvements in test scores in reading, language arts, and math. A class size research study was conducted…