College and university adoption and use of books as common reads has increased over the last several years. The growing popularity has also brought to light significant variations in how colleges and universities select and use common read texts. In some higher educational institutions, one tome is selected for all freshmen to read and discuss…

A series of nine booklets was developed to help members of textbook adoption committees, teacher educators, inservice leaders, and policymakers gather information, develop evaluation guidelines, and organize their findings as they select new reading programs and evaluate existing ones. Each booklet focuses on a specific aspect of instruction.…

The process of evaluating and selecting basal readers has long been a primary concern for educators. Educators directly involved with textbook adoptions have expressed several concerns, including: time pressures on evaluators; lack of training for evaluators; concerns related to publishers; and correlations with state or district curriculum.…

Serving as the basis for the first administrative complaint alleging sex discrimination in textbooks to be filed under federal law, the findings presented in this report are based on an analysis, made by parents and citizens in a midwestern city, of 12 texts in the elementary reading program of a major publisher. Generally, the findings are stated…

This annotated bibliography contains 37 references on reading material selection dating from 1986-1989. Included are guidelines for selection of appropriate materials for various age groups; examples of various reading programs; and conflicting opinions regarding censorship, bibliotherapy, and books for special needs populations. (MS)

When elementary school teachers serve on a committee to select a new basal reader program, they must represent their school's unique needs. To develop their awareness, the selection committee should address such questions as: What kind of program improvements are teachers hoping to get? What kind of articulation will be needed between this program…

Intended for use by Title I teachers, this handbook is designed to aid in the selection and use of commercially prepared reading games and game-like teaching materials that teach or reinforce (1) basic sight vocabulary, (2) spelling, (3) word meaning, (4) comprehension, (5) reading readiness, (6) perception, (7) study, (8) listening, (9) fluency,…

A guide for teachers selecting reading textbooks, this report brings together information about basal programs on the market and clarification of important issues in reading instruction. A general analysis of 20 basal programs includes a prose explication and a table comparing contents (skills), reading selections, methodology, assessment tests,…

This report provides administrators and supervisors of reading programs with information to help them evaluate and select commercially developed reading materials. Part 1 opens with a description of the problems researchers studying the adoption of basal reading programs have observed and then offers suggestions (based on both research and…

Efforts of a junior-college staff to provide materials which students in college transfer, terminal, or noncredit programs can read are described. Since the community college has an open enrollment plan, the needs in this regard are widely varied. In order to meet those needs, a study was made of the 358 students in the college's initial…

The results of an APEID (Asia and the Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development) workshop on producing textbooks and other teaching and learning materials, especially in reading, for the first level of education are provided in this book. An initial overview presents the objectives and the organization of the workshop. The second…

Intended for use by Title I reading teachers, this handbook is designed to aid in answering questions about the selection and use of instructional materials. The handbook lists materials according to the following skill areas: (1) auditory discrimination, (2) comprehension, (3) critical thinking, (4) dictionary skills; (5) fine motor skills, (6)…