The dissertation explored the efficacy of using a POMDP to select and apply appropriate instruction. POMDPs are a tool for planning: selecting a sequence of actions that will lead to an optimal outcome. RTI is an approach to instruction, where teachers craft individual plans for students based on the results of screening test. The goal is to…

This study examined the longitudinal performance of a district-wide cohort of students who had accumulated scores for both kindergarten and third grade analysis. The sample was disaggregated by Pre-kindergarten participation and student demographics such as gender, age, minority status, rural class, and socio-economic status. STAR Early Literacy,…

"Success for All" ("SFA"®) is a whole-school reform model (that is, a model that integrates curriculum, school culture, family, and community supports) for students in prekindergarten through grade 8. "SFA"® includes a literacy program, quarterly assessments of student learning, a social-emotional development program,…

A New Zealand (NZ) version of Word Identification Fluency (NZWIF) was administered to 120 children in their second school year at the beginning, middle, and end of the year, along with a curriculum-based measure of oral passage reading fluency at mid- and end-year. Outcome measures included standardized and high-stakes school-used indicators of…

Concludes that, although first-grade students generate more haphazard responses on standardized reading tests than do older students, they nevertheless do apply similar reasoning strategies to vocabulary and comprehension items. (FL)

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, this invaluable book provides teachers and coaches with the information and tools they need to get started on the complex process of reading assessment. Grounded in a solid scientific framework, the book presents practical strategies that enable teachers to recognize "good reader" behaviors, assess…

The extent and direction of curriculum bias in standardized reading achievement tests were examined. Bias was estimated by comparing the relative overlap in the contents of five separate reading achievement tests with the contents of seven commercial reading series at first-grade and second-grade levels. Overlap between each achievement test and…

The reading progress of 96 disadvantaged children from kindergarten through grade 3 was analyzed to determine rate and consistency of reading growth as estimated from several reading measures. Although steady growth was observed on all measures, rate and consistency varied with the type of reading measure used, as well as with the specific test…

This study was designed to determine (1) the relevance of a child's "language map"--his expressed attitude toward reading as developed by early experiences with reading material and oral reading--to his potential reading achievement and (2) the accuracy of a previously developed instrument for measuring the "language map" and thus the semantic…

Two hypotheses were tested in this study: that second grade students who receive instruction and practice in nonsubstantive test taking techniques will achieve higher standardized reading test scores than second grade students who do not receive this instruction and practice both immediately following treatment and four months after treatment. The…

Data collected during the standardization of the 1976 Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) were examined to provide information on sex differences in prereading skills. The MRT are designed for administration either at the beginning of kindergarten or between kindergarten and first grade. Performance on the six subtests and the total test on both…