Focuses on the role of pictures in books used for reading instruction to determine how they are used, how their content has changed over the years, and how pictures affect reading comprehension. (FL)

Discusses the various phases of studies designed to determine the best ways to train readers and reading teachers to be "metacognitively aware." Concludes that these studies can be used to prove the superiority of any one technique over another. (FL)

Argues that the tests used to measure reading achievement do not reflect recent advances in the understanding of the reading process, and that effective instruction best can be fostered by resolving the discrepancy between what is known and what is measured. (FL)

Encourages teachers to evaluate the strategies used by their students in comprehension. Argues that this will provide information that will help in planning instruction. (FL)

Notes that classroom assessment of literacy is dominated by methods more appropriate to external mandates. Suggests an alternative method grounded in the teacher's professional judgment and in the relations between curriculum, instruction, and assessment. (FL)

Argues that process-oriented evaluation of children's literacy by the classroom teacher is more efficient and more instructionally valid than current test-driven evaluation procedures. (FL)

Describes a collaboration among policy makers, test developers, curriculum specialists, researchers, and classroom teachers in Michigan that has produced a new interactive definition of reading, new statewide reading objectives, and efforts to develop statewide tests that are more consistent with current theory and research. (FL)

Notes that because reading and writing are separate but complementary aspects of a single language system, the way teachers plan activities determines the way in which children's writing helps them develop insights into their reading. (FL)

Points out that children's growth in response to literature is not assessed by existing standardized tests or by progress from one textbook to another. Suggests guidelines for teacher observation of children's responses and provides a checklist for assessing oral and written reactions. (FL)

Reports findings of a study of current practices in kindergarten programs showing that teachers seldom use test results to adapt instruction to individual needs. (FL)

Points out that sound assessment programs should (1) be a part of instruction, (2) use varied methods and instruments, (3) focus on a broad range of skills and knowledge, (4) occur continuously, (5) occur in a variety of contexts, and (6) be appropriate for age and level of development. Offers examples of practices based on these points. (FL)

Offers a model of assessment for disabled readers that yields information not only about current performance but also about the potential for learning. (FL)

Provides insights and procedures used in clinical approaches to reading diagnosis and suggests ways classroom teachers might use them. (FL)

Offers a humorous look at the problem of assessment. (FL)

Demonstrates how a universal taxonomy of reading goals might be related to a taxonomy of reading means. (FL)