Proposes a research design for estimating for a given population the extent to which items with high context dependence (CD) measure a construct that is independent from that measured by items with low CD, shows how this design can be used empirically to compare the utility of alternate CD indices, and provides findings of two studies. (HOD)

Reports preliminary findings of a study (in progress) on the statistical and content validity of eight reading achievement tests. (JM)

Investigates the effects of a classroom reading program in which students who passed pretests on basal skills were excused from subsequent instruction and practice on those skills. Finds that most students were able to pass pretests on reading skills before the skills were covered in the basal reading program. (RS)

This report reviews and evaluates the tradition of assessing early literacy with formal tests. It begins with a historical account of the readiness movement, focusing on the development of formal measures of early literacy and tracing the development of the movement into the 1980s. Next, the paper analyzes in depth tests that are currently…

This document sets forth the design of a test of reading comprehension. The exam requires students to read passages of written English text--either literary or informational--and to answer questions about what they have read. In some cases, the questions deal with facts in the text or vocabulary. In other cases, a complete answer requires a clear…

Indicates that the assessment of reading comprehension should be evaluated in the light of potentially differential benefits resulting from the test form and its interactive effects on children with particular trait dispositions. (Author)

The Inventory of Teacher Knowledge of Reading was administered to a sample of 60 freshmen, 60 juniors, and 60 seniors in elementary education at the University of Illinois. In addition, it was administered to 60 experienced teachers who had not attended the University of Illinois as undergraduates. An analysis of variance of the test scores was…

A sample of 175 students, constituting grades 10, 11, and 12 of two high schools, was used in the validation of a new Syllabication Skills Test. On the first day, the students completed four forms of the syllabication test; on the second, they completed Survey F of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests. Means and standard deviations were similar for…

This study explored the validation of a criterion or reference score for determining the adequacy of any individual's cloze score. The hypothesis tested in this research was that a cloze preformance of 40 percent on materials ranging in difficulty from grades 4 to 8 will predict a 75 percent criterion level of reading comprehension based on a…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students who had been diagnosed as reading learners (by scoring above the mean on the advanced California Reading Test) or listening learners (by scoring above the mean on form Am of the Brown Carlsen Listening Comprehension Test) achieve at the same level using programed material presented in a…

A study designed to identify specific reading skill development among children generally described as disadvantaged is reported. In October 1966 1,057 children in grades 3 through 6 from two New Orleans elementary schools were tested in intact classroom groups using the reading subtest of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), the Silent Reading…

As part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress on reading, this volume reflects the theme of reference materials. Divided into subthemes, the first requires the individual to know appropriate reference sources, since reference sources are best utilized when an individual knows which type of reference to consult for a specific kind of…

As part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading, this volume reports the results of the study concerned with critical reading--that part of reading behavior which requires analysis and reasoning. Results of the reading exercises are reported for four age levels (9, 13, 17, and young adult, 26-35), four regions of the country…

The objectives of this investigation were: (1) to construct test problems which assess skill in resolving problems in teaching reading, (2) to develop criteria for assessing performance on these problems, and (3) to explore the usefulness of the constructed problems in discussing the professional skills of those who teach reading. Data on…