Offers a worksheet for evaluating the readability of content area textbooks. (RL)

Notes the readability level of many high school chemistry textbooks is far above students' reading levels. Conducts two separate studies, making every effort to keep the two classes as similar as possible in all aspects except text. Finds strong evidence that changing the chemistry textbook resulted in an increase in student achievement. Suggests…

Discusses reading levels of books in the sciences, and explains the use of the Readability Graph. Also reported are reading levels of selected high school physics texts. (GA)

Presents an annotated list of textbooks in a number of vocational content areas and includes the readability level of each text. (TO)

A study examined 58 home economics education textbooks in terms of reading difficulty, writing style, and interest level for special population learners. The objective was to identify texts, using six different readability formulas that were significantly more difficult and provided educational obstacles to special populations in their preparation…

Provides a check list of evaluation criteria to supplement the SMOG readability formula in choosing new content area textbooks. (Author/KS)

Discusses the evaluations of U.S. history textbooks conducted by People for the American Way. Concludes that the higher-rated textbooks are useful only for college-bound students and the lower-ranked textbooks seem to be aimed at children with reading difficulties, thus pointing out some of the problems facing selection committees. (KO)

This textbook evaluation instrument is provided to assess (1) content properties; (2) instructional properties; (3) physical properties; (4) readability; and (5) other properties such as cultural mix, organization of text, and suitability for various grade levels in secondary level world geography and global studies textbooks. For the first three…

Cloze tests assess the readability of a book for students in a far more personal way than formulas or standardized tests of reading comprehension. The cloze procedure reflects the total language abilities in the following ways: familiarity with sentence structure, context clues, and vocabulary, and the ability to draw inferences from written…

The target population of this project consists of students enrolled in four regional vocational education centers which serve selected students who desire to receive enriched and specialized vocational education during the 11th and 12th years of public school. The project goals for the first year related to identification of students' reading…

Vocational agriculture teachers can assist the poor reader by matching the reading ability of the student with the reading level of the textbook or reference. There are a variety of methods for rating the reading level of printed subject matter, and through their use teaching effectiveness can be increased. (LRA)

This paper discusses methods of teaching reading in the content areas at the middle school, junior high school, and secondary school levels. If a textbook is to be used, teachers should examine it by administering a readability formula and by checking the book's vocabulary, sentence patterns, and introduction of abstract concepts. To find how well…

To provide learners with the most reliable information, individuals and committees responsible for text selection examine texts for classroom use in steps. Since very few people have the specialized knowledge of all the technical fields like drafting, electronics, or graphics that make up the field of Industrial Arts, a committee is required to…

A British publisher conducted a readability study of its English language content area texts being used in foreign countries to determine how the texts could be made more readable. A cloze procedure assessment of a secondary school Hong Kong social studies series indicated that the English texts were too difficult for 91% of the pupils tested.…