The "TextEvaluator"® text analysis tool is a fully automated text complexity evaluation tool designed to help teachers and other educators select texts that are consistent with the text complexity guidelines specified in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). This paper provides an overview of the TextEvaluator measurement approach and…

This paper examines how different test methods may tap different aspects of second language knowledge. It employs multiple-choice (MC) and constructed response (CR) items which yield distinct or convergent information in the computer delivered testing of English in its presentation of this factor. In order to examine the effects of test method, a…

In two experiments, we examined fourth and fifth graders' comprehension of the source of information in texts presenting controversial issues. In Experiment 1, participants read short texts in which two people presented different arguments regarding an issue. Participants identified who said what and evaluated each source's knowledge of the issue.…

This study examined the psychometric proprieties of the Arabic version of the Curriculum-Based Measurement Oral Reading Fluency (CBM ORF) for Jordanian students. A sample of 200 students (six to eight years old) was recruited from four public primary schools in Jordan. Results indicated that the CBM ORF had adequate reliability and validity…

Possible integrated and independent tasks were pilot tested for the writing section of a new generation of the TOEFL[R] (Test of English as a Foreign Language[TM]). This study examines the impact of various rating designs and of the number of tasks and raters on the reliability of writing scores based on integrated and independent tasks from the…

Presents an instrument for assessing an individual student's decoding abilities by having a teacher analyze a student's attempts to pronounce a fictitious list of children's first and last names. Argues that the instrument is valid and reliable. (MG)

Technical characteristics of Slosson Phonics and Structural Analysis Test (SP-SAT) scores were studied using three independent samples of boys and girls aged 6 years, 6 months, through 9 years, 11 months. A decision efficiency study (n = 100) resulted in a total predictive value of .86 (sensitivity = .95, specificity = .77, positive predictive…

Assessment of student performance is critical for developing effective instructional policy and designing programs responsive to individual students' needs. To gauge the adequacy of available assessment tools for achieving these ends, the Reading First Assessment Committee (RFAC) developed criteria for evaluating the adequacy of reading measures…

A study examined the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measurement for assessing growth in 43 second-graders whose reading performance was measured monthly over the school year with the maze task. Results showed that the maze task had good alternate-form reliability, sensitively reflected improvement of student performance, and revealed…

This study evaluated the validity, reliability, and utility of five of the six subtests of Clay's (2002) Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (OS), including Letter Identification, Word Reading, Writing Vocabulary, Hearing and Recording Sounds in Words, and Text Reading. In addition to a review of studies providing assessment of the…

A study measured student awareness of a variety of reading and study skill elements: author attitude and bias, signal words, vocabulary, organizing to read, notetaking, mental imagery, and reading flexibility. It also established a reliability coefficient for the Survey of Study-Reading Habits instrument, a 15-item, 4-point Likert type scale…

The paper outlines the development of a scale describing the progression of literacy skills, based on similar scales used in second-language acquisition. The scale is shown to have high reliability and appropriate criterion validity. Use of the scale to analyze student reading development is illustrated. Appended are descriptions of the scale's…

The use of standardized achievement tests as the primary criterion measures in the evaluation of basic skills programs has been criticized. In a comparative study of three types of tests, this article examines the major issue behind this criticism. (Author/JAZ)

A description is given of "The Wisconsin Test of Adult Basic Education (WITABE)" which was developed specifically to measure the achievement of the individuals enrolled in the Rural Family Development (RGD) program at the University Extension, University of Wisconsin. The test is divided into three main parts or subtests: subtests 1 and…

Early identification of problem readers and appropriate interventions would reduce subsequent failure and would enhance reading skills. Screening instruments measure the risk/probability that reading problems will occur. In this article we discuss certain aspects with regard to the most important indices of screening measures: predictive accuracy,…