Presents a computerized readability scoring system that allows for the calculation and comparison of several formulas with no corresponding increase in teacher effort. (FL)

Suggests that the popular and simple readability formulas may not be accurate enough to predict the instructional materials best suited to the reading abilities of secondary school students. (FL)

A comparison of the difficulty in underlying structure of basal reading texts with the difficulty in surface structure raises questions on the validity of the Fry Readability Formula and other traditional readability formulas. (CJ)

Reports that the McCall-Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading were never sufficiently standardized to justify their widespread use as the basis for readability formulae. (DD)

Describes a study that analyzed the readability of documentation designed for physicians searching the Physician's Data Query cancer database, using the readability formulas in AT&T's Writer's Workbench software package. The results of the analysis are discussed and suggestions for future research are made. (20 references) (CLB)

Investigates whether readability is a key criterion for college and university professors in selecting textbooks. Finds that many selected textbooks are at too high a level for the students. Suggests that students have a difficult time learning when the text is even slightly above their level. (PRA)

Describes a quick new academic readability estimate; ways to correct adult learners' writing errors; and high school reading programs in Ohio. (RS)

Readability indices were used to evaluate job-related reading matter; comparison with high school textbooks was made to determine a reading-level gap. A minimum high school reading comprehension level was assumed in workplace materials; textbooks often exhibited lower scores on reading formulas. (SK)

Literacy in the United States is a widespread problem. There are many Americans who do not have the ability to read at a level above the ninth grade. Today's technological advances have resulted in more information being placed on the Internet. Consequently, the same individuals who had a limited capacity to read information from traditional…

This report presents information regarding Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) guidelines as they relate to the Accelerated Reader program. The report states that a student's zone of proximal development is the range of book readability levels that will challenge a student without causing frustration or loss of motivation. It discusses factors…

The history of the evaluation of non-English written materials through the use of various mathematical formulae is reviewed. This process began in 1939 with Tharp's work in French, and has continued until the present. Formulas have been developed for Spanish, Russian, German, Hebrew, Chinese, and Vietnamese. In Europe, modifications of the Flesch…

The development of readability formulas for the evaluation of foreign language texts began with research in the United States on reading materials used in second language learning and has extended to many other countries first by adaptation of formulas intended for English language texts and then by original investigation. There exist now many…

"Writeability" is concerned with helping writers and editors produce materials on easier readability levels. A major input of most readability formulas is vocabulary difficulty. One way to increase readability is to use simple vocabulary or shorter words since word frequency studies show that more common words are shorter. The other…

The Fry Readability Formula was used to investigate the readability levels of stories contained in basal readers of the 1979 edition of the "Open Court" series for grades one through six. The average readability levels of the stories were then compared to those found in the 1976 edition of the same series. The purposes of the study were…

This paper on readability begins with a brief discussion of comprehension, including a definition, and then lists factors that influence comprehension, such as knowledge of vocabulary, long passages that are ambiguous, digressions, and unnecessary restatements. The paper then explores readability and presents a graph for estimating readability and…