Children's Reading Comprehension and Assessment (Center for Improvement of Early Reading)

Originating in a recent CIERA conference held at the University of Michigan, this book brings together the nation's most distinguished researchers to examine how readers understand text and how comprehension is assessed. The first part provides both national and historical contexts for the study of reading comprehension. The second part examines how vocabulary, motivation, and expertise influence comprehension, and it includes analyses of the developmental course and correlates of comprehension. Chapters in the third part consider how schools focus on comprehension for instruction and assessment. The fourth part includes chapters on large-scale assessment that analyze how test formats and psychometric characteristics influence measures of reading comprehension. At the end of each part is a commentary --written by an expert-- that reviews the chapters, critiques the main points, and synthesizes critical issues. Key features of this outstanding new book include: *Integration of Research and Practice--provides a bridge between conceptual issues studied by researchers concerned with reading comprehension theories and practical issues addressed by educators concerned with classroom instruction and assessment. *Comprehension Focus--provides a thorough history and rigorous research-based analyses of reading comprehension. *Assessment Focus--provides innovative approaches to comprehension assessment that include the influences of vocabulary, decoding, and motivation. *Synthetic Commentaries--provides periodic summaries that analyze and synthesize research, practices, and issues discussed in each part. *Expertise--contributing authors and commentators are highly respected authorities on reading comprehension (see table of contents). This text is appropriate for educational and psychological researchers, reading educators, and graduate students in education and psychology. It is part of the CIERA series, which includes the following volumes: Taylor and Pearson: Teaching Reading: Effective Schools, Accomplished Teachers (2002) Van Kleeck, Stahl, and Bauer: On Reading Books to Children: Parents and Teachers (2003) Hoffman and Schallert: The Texts in Elementary Classrooms (2005) Originating in a recent CIERA conference held at the University of Michigan, this book brings together the nation's most distinguished researchers to examine how readers understand text and how comprehension is assessed. The first part provides both national and historical contexts for the study of reading comprehension. The second part examines how vocabulary, motivation, and expertise influence comprehension, and it includes analyses of the developmental course and correlates of comprehension. Chapters in the third part consider how schools focus on comprehension for instruction and assessment. The fourth part includes chapters on large-scale assessment that analyze how test formats and psychometric characteristics influence measures of reading comprehension. At the end of each part is a commentary--written by an expert--that reviews the chapters, critiques the main points, and synthesizes critical issues. Key features of this outstanding new book *Integration of Research and Practice --provides a bridge between conceptual issues studied by researchers concerned with reading comprehension theories and practical issues addressed by educators concerned with classroom instruction and assessment. *Comprehension Focus --provides a thorough history and rigorous research-based analyses of reading comprehension. *Assessment Focus --provides innovative approaches to comprehension assessment that include the influences of vocabulary, decoding, and motivation. *Synthetic Commentaries --provides periodic summaries that analyze and synthesize research, practices, and issues discussed in each part. *Expertise --contributing authors and commentators are highly respected authorities on reading comprehension (see table of contents). This text is appropriate for educational and psychological researchers, reading educators, and graduate students in education and psychology. It is part of the CIERA series, which includes the following Taylor and Teaching Effective Schools, Accomplished Teachers (2002) Van Kleeck, Stahl, and On Reading Books to Parents and Teachers (2003) Hoffman and The Texts in Elementary Classrooms (2005) Originating in a CIERA conference at Michigan University, this book examines how readers understand text and how comprehension is assessed. It provides contexts for the study of reading comprehension, examines how vocabulary, motivation, and expertise influence comprehension, and analyses the developmental course and correlates of comprehension. Contents; Foreword; Preface; Part I: Historical and Theoretical Foundations; 1 Assessment of Reading Comprehension: The RAND Reading Study Group Vision; 2 The Assessment of Reading Comprehension: A Review of Practices-- Past, Present, and Future; 3 Comprehension; 4 Comprehension of What for What: Comprehension as a Nonunitary Construct; Part II: Developmental and Motivational Factors in Reading Comprehension; 5 Assessment of Comprehension Abilities in Young Children; 6 Spurious and Genuine Correlates of Children's Reading Comprehension.

this Volume Emerged From An October 2002 Conference Held At The U. Of Michigan Examining What It Means To Understand Text And How Comprehension Can Be Assessed. Seventeen Chapters Are Organized Into Sections On The Historical And Theoretical Foundations Of The Study Of Reading Comprehension, Developmental And Motivational Factors, Assessment In School Contexts, And Large-scale Assessments. A Sampling Of Topics: The Rand Reading Study Group Vision, Spurious And Genuine Correlates Of Children's Reading Comprehension, Using Study Groups And Reading Assessment Data To Improve Reading Instruction Within A School, And The Use Of Multiple Item Formats To Assess Reading Comprehension. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, Or