This study investigated the relationship between instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by an informal reading inventory (IRI). Fifty male and 50 female subjects were randomly selected from the total fifth grade population of five schools chosen from a total of 22 midwestern elementary schools. The testing of five null hypotheses resulted in significant correlation coefficients at the .01 level between instructional level scores as determined by: an IRI and instructional level scores as determined by a cloze test (.78); and IRI and teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels (.82); a cloze test and teachers' estimates of their pupils' instructional levels (.74); a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by the word recognition subtest of the IRI (.78); and a cloze test and instructional level scores as determined by the comprehension subtest of the IRI (.69). Findings indicate that high correlation coefficients are an inadequate criterion on which to accept the cloze procedures as a valid technique for determining the instructional levels of pupils, and teachers' estimates are inaccurate to the point where their continued use cannot be justified. (Author/RB)