Testing reading by testing the bits and pieces of reading leads to teaching the bits and pieces instead of teaching reading. Reading is a total skill rather than a subject, and a skill can best be tested by performance. Some of the purposes for reading tests include showing test score improvement, diagnosis, satisfying parents, grouping or sorting students for instructional purposes, and comparing students across time or areas for purposes of funding. Some tests include ones by the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) and the California Assessment Program (CAP). The CAP cannot obtain results for an individual student but gives estimates of the total school program. It heavily emphasizes comprehension. Other appropriate measures of reading are: how many books are checked out of the school library; how many books are written, published, purchased, and read; and how many hours students spend reading at home. (TJ) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document: Procedures (Exercise Development).