This study examines the feasibility of using the "Porch Index of Communicative Ability in Children" (PICAC), a standardized test of general communication, as an out-of-setting school discourse evaluation tool. The rationale for considering the PICAC was based on the expectation that the test creates a teaching-learning context where…

Thirteen poor readers, aged 9-12, listened to and read audiotaped stories, while 13 controls read from basal readers. Experimental subjects showed improved oral reading, whereas controls showed significantly larger gains in word attack skills. There were no between-group differences in silent reading, a cloze comprehension test, or isolated word…