INDIVIDUAL VARIABILITY AMONG LESS ABLE READERS

This research explored the implications for assessment derived from a view of literacy as an interactive process that varies from reading situation to situation. Specifically, this research examined the variability existing within and among a group of less able readers with comparable scores on a standardized reading test under reading conditions representing different combinations of familiarity, text type, length, and mode of reading. The results indicated that each factor investigated had a differential effect on individual student's reading comprehension. These results imply the need to identify the various conditions that contribute to functional literacy and incorporate them in our assessments and instructional procedures.