Impact of Oregon Education: A Pilot Assessment of Reading 1974; Oregon Statewide Assessment Program. General Report [and] Executive Summary.

This report provides a description of the steps in planning the assessment of reading on a statewide basis. Work on the 1974 Oregon Statewide Assessment Program began in September 1973 and culminated in a set of reports and related informational packets in November 1974. The assessment plan involved the following procedures: selection of 25 reading objectives grouped into the four areas of word attack, vocabulary comprehension, and application skills; selection of 96 items for a reading test; sampling of a scientifically drawn sample of fourth grade pupils; testing; analysis of the assessment data; and review and interpretation. Results of the testing are discussed and recommendations for action are proposed. Some of the findings are that the general performance across the state was good; the relative performance of the district types was consistent across the four skill domains; and the performance across the state was lower for comprehension and application skills than for word attack and vocabulary skills. Numerous tables and graphs illustrate the findings of the assessment. (MKM)