An overall look is taken at the cloze research method as a new tool for measuring readability. The construction of a cloze readability test is described as well as several studies made on the reliability and validity of such tests. Included also are some methodological considerations to be kept in mind when constructing a cloze test. Data is reported from some cloze technique investigations, using children from first grade through high school and adults from a variety of populations, which suggest that the cloze technique is applicable to many types of communication and that it can be used to discriminate among the readability levels of passages and among the reading comprehension levels of readers. A description is given of the most valid and reliable cloze test for measuring passage difficulty as shown by research. It is suggested that more research must be done in several fundamental areas about this relatively new technique and that there are several new areas in which the technique may be used. A bibliography is included. (NH)