Two hundred and twenty-five fourth, fifth, and sixth graders who represented a relatively wide range of abilities and socioeconomic backgrounds were the subjects of this study designed to investigate the relationships between language-pattern encoding (spelling) and reading proficiency. The two primary null hypotheses were (1) that knowledge of…

This demonstration booklet illustrates the kinds of exercises or test questions and tasks used in the assessment of student achievement in reading and writing by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Each student will be asked to complete the background section and the cognitive sections for one subject, and the assessment will…

Each state and jurisdiction that participated in the Grade 4 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) 2003 reading assessment receives a one-page snapshot report that presents key findings and trends in a condensed format. The 53 reports in this series present bulleted text describing overall student results, bar charts showing NAEP…

Each state and jurisdiction that participated in the Grade 8 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) 2003 reading assessment receives a one-page snapshot report that presents key findings and trends in a condensed format. The 53 reports in this series present bulleted text describing overall student results, bar charts showing NAEP…

This critique brings together psychometric theory, reading theory, and social critique to analyze reading assessment and to consider the assumptions that underlie reading assessment as practiced. The chapters are: (1) "What Counts as Evidence of Reading?"; (2) "Evidence, Validity, and Assessment"; (3) "Multiple-Choice Standardized Reading Tests in…

The state-by-state comparisons of results on the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) present the literacy community with some good news and a bit of a puzzle: scores have improved, but the results cannot provide answers as to why one grade or state is doing better or worse than in the past. State-by-state results show that…

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) administered Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) tests in Spring 2004. IMAGE tests are administered to Limited English Proficient (LEP) students who have been in either a Transitional Bilingual Education (TBE) or Transitional Program of Instruction (TPI) program since September 30 of…

Educators have kept up a continual bombardment against one-room schools. It has been pointed out that one teacher working alone with all grades and with pupils of all ages can not be expected to accomplish results equal to the results made possible by the specialization of the well-graded school. The present-day practice of attempting to evaluate…

Explores the problems faced in the testing of reading. Discusses research that assists administrators and instructors in choosing various standardized tests, and describes existing alternatives to traditional forms of testing. (RS)

In the mid-1990s, the Chicago Public Schools declared an end to social promotion and instituted promotional requirements based on standardized test scores in the third, sixth, and eighth grades. This article examines the experience of third and sixth graders who were retained under Chicago's policy from 1997 to 2000. The authors examine the…

Year after year, students, teachers, administrators, politicians, and parents are faced with the dilemma of reading assessment. Sheila Valencia (1990) feels that reading assessment has become a hot topic because the outcome tends to differ from school to school. Evaluations should be authentic and trustworthy. Roger Farr (1992) has noted that the…

The applicability of a standardized performance measurement procedure is critically investigated, in order to assess reading growth for students with severe reading difficulties in a longitudinal design. To establish an appropriate growth model, several approaches are reviewed. Among them, a simplex model is chosen and tested with various…

Results covering a period of two years (including three academic years) fail to give any evidence that elementary school children who are bussed do any better academically than those who remain in inner-city schools. (Author/AM)

Designed to improve standardized reading scores, a structured reading program was implemented for third grade students at Community Elementary School 73 in the Bronx, New York City. From 1982 to 1987, this school ranked near the bottom of all New York City elementary schools in reading achievement, a ranking based primarily on results of reading…

The equipercentile assumption states that students in traditional classrooms who receive no other instructional assistance, will maintain their relative rank order over time. To test this assumption, fall to fall test results on the SRA Achievement Tests were obtained for grades 2-3, and 6-7. Total reading and total mathematics growth scale values…