A research project was carried out to investigate the reading situation in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades of French-language schools in Ontario. Specifically, the project sought to determine the nature of reading deficiencies found in these schools, the percentage of the student body affected by these deficiencies, and the psychological,…

In teaching reading in English as a second language, teachers must diagnose student difficulties and individualize instruction. They must analyze why students are in the course, determine what their individual reading backgrounds are in their native language and in English, and adapt class activities and reading materials to students' expectations…

This quarterly newsletter contains articles on a variety of subjects relevant to teaching English as a second language. The first article concerns cloze procedures to test reading ability; the article includes a list of procedures in non-technical terms for teachers to follow. The second article discusses the use of games in teaching English as a…

Hearing-impaired students (32) and staff (25) of a 4-week summer program were interviewed. Among the conclusions are that teachers of hearing-impaired students should expect heterogeneity in terms of their preferred mode of communication, reading ability, lip reading ability, interest in science, etc. Effective instructional techniques include…

During the 2004-2005 academic year, an evaluation study was conducted of the Building Academic Vocabulary (BAV) program. The findings from this study, reported in the document "Marzano Program for Building Academic Vocabulary: Preliminary Report of the 2004-2005 Evaluation Study" (Marzano, 2005), found that students who participated in the BAV…

This training manual was designed to provide information and support to Head Start teachers, staff, and parents in the area of emergent literacy. The first section, "What is Emergent Literacy and Why Should We Do It?" addresses the concept of emergent literacy, identifying six key elements: (1) learning to read and write begins very…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 29 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the relationship between self-concept and reading ability in secondary school students; (2) students' perceptions of their reading groups and peers within…

Intended for teachers, this book on beginning literacy examines questions and solutions concerning literacy theories and practices. Chapter 1, "An Open Approach to Literacy," explores some assumptions about literacy and characteristics of a model for language learning. Chapter 2 presents historical viewpoints and current practices,…

Data from Project Talent and the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 provided comparable data on changes between 1960 to 1972 in reading ability and other characteristics of high school seniors, college entrants, and Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) takers. Each group showed a decline in reading ability, but the drop for SAT…

It was hypothesized that a positive improvement in Hispanic junior high school students' Spanish and English reading abilities, reading attitudes and academic self-concepts would result after being provided special reading time with a wide variety of reading materials in Spanish. An experimental (E) group of approximately 200 grade 7 and 8…

Ways in which institutions can attract and aid re-entry women students by offering courses, workshops and support personnel to help them refresh, upgrade, and update basic academic skills are suggested. A wide range of possible actions is included so that institutions can pursue those most appropriate to their individual circumstances. Reasons why…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 56 titles deal with a variety of topics concerning the relationship of reading achievement to many variables such as memory, listening comprehension, intelligence, self-concept, classroom behavior, reading attitude, home…

An annotated bibliography on minimum competency testing is arranged by subtopics: overview; basic skills; compensatory education; competencies; cost effectiveness; curriculum; district programs; graduation requirements; handicapped students; legal aspects; readiness; reading; writing; state programs; teacher education; tests; math; and testing.…

The study focused on defining the needs of migrant and former migrant students where "need" was defined as a difference between their performance and that of nonmigrant students. Migrant students' needs were assessed in seven domains of development--background, social, ability, self-concept, achievement, gross motor, and fine motor.…

This volume of the Florida Journal of Communication Disorders contains the following featured articles: (1) Using Descriptive Language Assessment Procedure with African-American English Preschool Child Speakers: Advantages and Limitations (Kenyatta O. Rivers and Linda J. Lombardino), which discusses best practices for using descriptive language…