Whether assessment items administered using screen reading software measure students learning better than assessment items in a paper-and-pencil format was studied. Using a computer to present a test orally controls for standardization of administration and allows each student to complete the assessment at his/her own pace. In this study, 96 students completed a science assessment and 110 completed a social studies assessment. One version was administered in the traditional paper-and-pencil format while the other version was administered through a computer using screen reading software. To compare student performance on the two versions of the assessment, a repeated-measures design using the general linear model was used. The results of the repeated-measures analysis of covariance reveal that for both the social studies and science assessments, the students' reading score had a significant effect. However, format (screen reading versus paper/pencil) did not have a significant impact on the scores on this assessment when controlling for a student's reading ability. While this study revealed no significant differences between the performance of students completing the pencil-and-paper format version versus the screen reading format when controlling for reading performance, using screen reading software as an accommodation in science for students with poor reading skills might still be effective. It is likely that the lack of significant results are compounded by the lack of appropriate instruction for students with poor reading skills. That is, if reading is the primary instructional method for students to learn concepts in the content areas of science and social studies, then students who performed poorly on these assessments, performed poorly because of lack of knowledge about science or social studies rather than inability to comprehend the test questions. (Contains 5 tables and 21 references.) (Author)