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Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA000800350008-7 LAS$IFICATION SECR a /COIJTROL - tr: s.OFFICIALS O7]LY CENTRAL, INTELLIGENCE i; I4 II O R PART NO. 1CFORATPON REPORT CD NO. 25X1 COUNTRY East Germany SUBJECT Loading Performance of the East German Railroads PLACE ACQUIRED DATE OF INFO. k Kii'w7(L. W=911416-111 25X1 25X1 THIS DOCU$iEKT CONTAIRS INFORIiA7ION AFFS.CTINO THE I1AYIONAL OIFIRRI OF TNI UNITED SYATI6. WITHIN THE ERANINS OF ftLI Ra. SECTIONS 755 AAD 754. OP TIRE U. B. CODE. AS ARENOEO. ITS TRAI96YIIISI01t OR RIVIL? AYION OF VIS CORTENTS TO OR RECIIPY BY AA UNaUTNOAIIED PEROON SOURCE 0 25X1 ~c.i o a g ia"uet a or L?a .. roan curs ure,xoe loaded. in last Germany from 7 . d1 ouugh 10 .February 1953 Date in Total For Occupatizzin With Coal 11 24,v626 352 8 18,1624 276 9 23853 7.11) '110 24{.890 490 25X1 DATE DISTR. 23 April 1953 NO.OF PAGES 2 140, OF ENCLS. YBJSTE? EELOV- SUPPLEMENT TO REPORT NO. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 98,1,12 7,790 8,040 8;500 1$171 1,013 13,102 11190 1 25X1 0? the 0 o ng numbers of railroad cars were loaded for the . oviet occupation f?rcas)and 25X1 with coal. "An he railroad districts meaitioned from 22 through 31 January 19533 Date in Fie-lin Greil'awald Schwerin Cottbus 212 75 117 20 12 78 16 2 150 2.3 63 81 77 11 53 2 62 '- 6: 79 46 15 12 59 13 2 203 25 30 50 69 18 11 32 13 2 081 rya 129 94 21 10 5 70 - 2 185 27 77 95 17 22 2 76 68 2 239 28 122 99 7 12 - 7 9 - 2 175 29 96 102 16 8 7 5 3 2 098 30 133 1.06 39 16 11 8 1 17 2 243 :31 51 109 8 10 86 5 8 55 2 221 CLASSIFICAflON SWRET/CONTROL - .LS. OFFI(?,IM 3 OILY _ ARMY AiR STATE x ~anV'f _ tdSR6 61STWBUTION Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80-0081OA000800350008-7 Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000800350008-7 S VT/COI n0L -, U.S. OFFICIIW3 014LY Date in g! biIz ~ ,_ &Axt mi aamr-v C Cova ~r+ .RI[i In foil C Cea ._. 22 15 612 43 47 24 32 704 73 397 23 22 701 32 49 21 19 673 48 420 24 18 666 99 49 12 79 676 17 437 25 2 656 11 50 12 27 362 1. 394 26 7 713 111 50 90 122 589 43 410 27 59 712 73 49 13 52 664 8 372 28 16 797 85 42 89 93 731 11 384 29 45 663 19 46 31 34 749 31 410 30 43 680 21 47 89 28 761 10 398 25X1 31 14 747 92 46 21 104 767 23 426 2 25X1 t~. 4$ compared with the last reported period the total loading; performance of the lost German railroads decreased slightly. This decrease is believed to be due to operational difficulties., because the number of cars requested remained constant 25X1 The loading performance for the Soviet occupation forces was normal., It probably predominantly served supply traffic,: 2, These data supplement information contained in previous reports and 'break down the number of care loaded for the Soviets and loaded with coal ?ccordi.ng to the eight railroad districts. SMET//COl W-j - U.S. 0FFICIA .`3 ONLY 25X1 Approved For Release 2002/07/29 : CIA-RDP80-00810A000800350008-7

Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP81 B00879R000900080013-5 MYD.&38-59 geyt er 159 25X1A9a ' the sub eat Ct VbI sew 3. n r ra Studies auril8 the od cove' 1 N s r 19 5 9 to 3 JULY 3.979? 25X1A9a 25X1A9a AwIfte hebher or :. rs. and the erect `satisfactory it E dot,, Citrec~t W, DPD DPD DD/P ~ ape Distr. 1~ t 1 WG-8737 T&P 1-Chrono 25X1A9a 25X1A9a Approved For Release 1999/09/08: CIA-RDP81 B00879ROO 00080013-5 009

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CONFIDENTIAL - Approved For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RD 8 1 R00401 14191919 MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence VIA: Deputy Director of Central Intelligence FROM: 11 July 1980 DCI/CT-80-0022 Deputy to the DCI for Collection Tasking SUBJECT: Senior Review Panel Examination of the Intelligence Community Performance Regarding the Soviet Military Presence in Cuba REFERENCE: TCS-3146/80/l/b - 30 May 1980 1. As a general comment, I endorse the thorough examination and conclusions reached by the Senior Review Panel. The report was well written, thought provoking, and pertinent well beyond the specific subject matter. (U) 2. Comments on specific sections and recommendations follow: a. Section IV, "The Policy - Intelligence Community Interface," is to us the most interesting section in the report and portrays an informed discussion of the problem. The concluding recommendation appears to be weak however in that it suggests the creation of another vehicle which would in fact duplicate the formulation of the NITS. I would suggest that emphasis be placed on investigating ways to improve the NITS development process as a more viable solution. (U) b. Recommendation 5 calls for the provision of a coherent, cross-disciplinary assessment of Soviet goals, capabilities, and intentions for extending the USSR's influence in the Third World in estimative publications. I subscribe to this recommendation and intend to extend this view to development of a cross-discipline collection study on the same topic if, as a result of the NFAC action, such a collection study appears useful and feasible. 0 25X1A 25X1A ORIGINAL CL BY 005166 D DECL Q REVW ON 11 July 1986 EXT SYND 6 YRS BY .- REASON 25X1A Approved For 9efease 2DQ2/Q8/21I: CIk-RDPk1 B00401 R00030040003-7 Approved F& Re eJse12B0i/d/11 Z 6A-- RIYP 1600401 R000 c. Recommendation 10 concerns the need for the D/DCI/CT, in coordination with the Director, NSA, to define procedures and mechanisms for resolving problems within the dissemination of SIGINT material or utilization of SIGINT material, and the estab- lishment of an auditing procedure within the process to ensure Community responses to analytic complaint. The SIGINT Committee has occasionally addressed these types of issues in the past. The general outcome was an acknowledgment by some users that summary reporting and gisting by NSA was a prudent approach for worldwide distribution, with the understanding that analysts in the Community could request more specific data from NSA. On occasion the Chairman, SIGINT Committee, has been directly involved in resolving issues between NSA and an individual user, e.g., NFAC with regard to specific ELINT raw data. I note that a dialogue has recently been established between the Director, NFAC, and the Deputy Director, NSA, regarding the overall problem of gisting. Further, the Collection Tasking Staff has a responsi- bility to ensure timely dissemination and exploitation of collected data. I have asked the Chairman, SIGINT Committee, to remind the Committee members that issues of this nature should be brought to his attention along with specific documentation for adjudication and to assure them that appropriate follow-up action. will be taken to address their needs. If Recommendation 10 of the Senior Review Panel Study is approved, I will of course work with DIRNSA toward a more generalized solution vice considering each issue on an individual case-by-case basis as and if it is brought to our attention. (C) d. I support wholeheartedly the need.to enhance mutual under- standing and dialogue among the members of the Intelligence Community agencies and departments. We are ready to assist in the implementation of Recommendation 11. (U) 25X1A 25X1A CONFIDENTIAL - Approved For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RDl 25X1A 25X1A Approved For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RDP81 800401 R000300020003-7 Approved For Release 2002/08/21 : CIA-RDP81 800401 R000300020003-7

Approved For Release 2002/08/14: CIA-RDP81 B00878R000800100046-8 PIC/D-16-61 6 February 1961 MEMORANDUM FOR: Acting Chief, DPD-DD/P SUBJECT: Performance Evaluation of the PIC Minicard Installation 1. Under Contract EQ-1806 a set of Minicard equipment was procured for OCR and another for PIC. The PIC set has been in general operation since the summer of 1959 and recently the OCR set was transferred to PIC where its components are being integrated into an enlarged system. This system provides for the rapid retrieval of a large volume of photography for comparison purposes. As such it is an integral part of the data handling process and is considered an indispensible element in terms of the utilization of available manpower. 2. The original design of the Minicard equipment has basically been fulfilled. It is recognized that the Minicard equipment we acquired under this contract was actually a prototype developed to meet existing urgent requirements. The equipment produced unquestion- ally was the best of its kind in existence at that time and in our opinion represented the best efforts of the manufacturer considering the pressures from the Agency to push the state of the art. We currently are modifying the equipment to meet more sophisticated requirements; with advancements in the state of the art more changes are visualized. 3. Considering the foregoing, the absence of any direct participation on our part in contract administration and the intended reliance on Minicard in future operations of PIC we have no objection to a reasonable additional payment to the contractor in final settle- ment provided that such a payment is permissable under terms of the 25X1A Director, Photographic Intelligence Center Approved For Release 22'I4 : CIA-RDP81 B00878R000800100046-8

Approved For Release 2006/06/29: CIA-RDP78B04770A001800020048-0 23 January 1965 SUBJECT: Trip Report: 19 January visit to : for materials in association with "P.I. Performance Study -- part of the Project DIMVIEW program 9 For the current accelerated study on P.I. performance as a function of stereo covergence and obliquity, we are faced with a March deadline which makes any sort of overflights for acquiring actual photographs out of the question. We are thus, for the meanwhile, abandoning "objective" techniques which are being developed for the longer-term DIMVIEW program and are resorting to subjective "preference" tests similar to those recently used for color evaluation program. DD/S&T has been funding a project withi to produce a detailed, 25 realistic scale model which can be photographed for the purposes of simulating I hi h altitude, high resolution photography. Consequently, we have turned to as an expeditious source of simulated photography for the performance 25 stud 2. Funding will be assumed by DD/S&T under their existing contract withion this particular effort. The two efforts are entirely compatible 25 since one of DD/S&T's charges to is to prove the "utility" of the model 25 in its present state, before furt er unds are allotted. The model is only partially completed -- to an 81' x 8' area -- but will eventually extend over a 20' x 20' area. It is, however, luxurious in detail and contains a variety of terrain and subject matter: for instance, a rural area with hilly, natural landscape; a cliff of some proportion which forms the boundary to a superhighway and provides the support for one side of a bridge which crosses over the highway; a railroad track (with trains) parallel to the highway; a light industry; a housing development with detail down to the size of lawnmowers and a bird approaching a birdbath; cars, etc. . . Plans are in store for at least part of an airport, military activity in the natural terrain, an apartment building. -uupe Approved For Release 2006/06/29: CIA-RDP78BO477OA001800020048-0 Trip Report -- 19 January 1965 The model is housed in a ramshackled, unheated old theatre in center. "Aerial" photographs can be made from a catwalk at approximately 55-60' above the model, which is on a revolving disc and can be oriented as preferred. Sky lighting is simulated by a cone of lights which are movable and form the framework of a sort of enormous tepee over the model. A sun can be "hung" at almost any elevation and Qz:imuth. Our interest is, of course, in simulating the sun angles common to the Soviet geography. We specified two sets of photographs: 1.) at 00 obliquity, stereo convergences of 100, 150, 200, and 300; 2.) each of the above convergences at obliquities of 100, 200, 300, 450 and 600. Priorities will be put on the 00/0o reference vertical, on angles of convergence between 200 and 300, and on obliquities of 200, 450 and 600. Each condition is to be photographed four times with two varying sun angles and three orientations of the model for different stereo effects. Not all of the photographs will be used, but we hope to provide the asI people with some alternatives from which they can narrow a selection they see fit. All other specifications which we have set pertain specifically to simulating one particular new acquisition system. 25 25 is coordinating this short-term effort for us because 25 w of some special clearances ^which we share; and is acting as 25 _ 25 technical advisor for f hel lnre Development Branch, P & D S

Approved F elease 2005/02/10 : CIA-RDP78BO47W00090003 G "P. I. Performance Studies" Status Report for the Period of 29 January through 24 March 1968 This status report covers approximately a two month period of work performed with Work during the previous reporting period ended with the taking of photographs suitable for use in the radar ground resolution study. Work during this reporting period included three major efforts. These were: 1. The production of test material stimuli. 2. The selection of subjects and teams. 3. Conduct of the study and analysis of the P. I. results (overlays) by radar specialists. 1. Two duplicate sets of positive transparencies were compiled for each of six resolutions. Two sets of enlargement prints from a single frame of the stereo pair were made to control the scale of the P. I. overlays. A trip was made by on February 13th to have review the transparencies. A trip was also made to Headquarters to develop the radar requirements (EEI) for which the P..I.'s would have to respond. 2. Six P. I.'s were selected as subjects for the study. They were divided into three teams of two men each. Each man initially worked independently and then together with his team partner to make a consenus overlay. 3. The study was run from February 27th to March 14th. All subjects were highly motivated and it is felt that they deserve recognition for the fine cooperation given in the performance of their duties. NGA Review Complete Approved For Release 2005/02/10 : CIA-RDP78BO477OA000900030013-7 STAT STAT 0 Approved Foe lease 2005/02/10 CIA-RDP78B047,000900030013-7 STAT The results generated by the P. I.'s were reviewed in detail by two radar specialists F- I STAT Their analysis is being used as a base for determining the ground resolution needed for the interpretation of radar equipment. A trip to Headquarters and STAT made during this phase of tile MR. I Total hours expended to date are funds remaining. There is approximately Approved For Release 2005/02/10 : CIA-RDP78BO477OA000900030013-7 STAT

This paper examines how different test methods may tap different aspects of second language knowledge. It employs multiple-choice (MC) and constructed response (CR) items which yield distinct or convergent information in the computer delivered testing of English in its presentation of this factor. In order to examine the effects of test method, a CFA approach to a multitrait-multimethod design was adopted to examine the convergent as well as discriminant validity of the two skill area traits and the two test methods. After comparing the hypothesized model with a nested series of more restrictive models using X[superscript 2] difference tests (Byrne, 2006; Widaman, 1985), based on the information from the path coefficients, and also using principal factor analyses, it was found that: 1) the skills are factorially separable, yet, highly correlated, 2) MC and CR methods are separable, and very weakly correlated, 3) there is thus a method effect, and 4) the MC method may not be suitable in sampling the unique ability characteristics of reading and listening skills.

This study presented a secondary analysis of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset. The paper explored the differences between fourth grade reading scores by examining (1) how often the fourth graders discuss their school work at home with family and (2) how often the fourth graders discuss what they were reading with friends. The results by NAEP Data Explorer indicate that the average scale score (M = 214, SD = 36) of students who report "never or hardly ever" talking about studies at home was significantly (p

As in processing oral speech, proficient reading involves "chunking" written texts into meaningful phrase units. Unlike oral speech, however, cues for segmenting the written text at the proper points are not clearly marked in the text. One method for helping readers identify and use phrase boundaries is to mark such boundaries in the text. A study reviewed research conducted over the past four decades that has attempted to facilitate subjects' reading by providing marked cues to phrase boundaries. Although as a whole the research is not conclusive as to the efficacy of phrase-cued texts in aiding comprehension, it shows promise for helping improve the reading performance of at least certain types of readers, particularly for younger, poorer, and hearing-impaired readers. Phrase-cued texts seem to be facilitative for readers who have yet to achieve maturity in syntactic sensitivity. However, a level of competency in word recognition may be necessary before phrased texts can be effective. Issues to be explored in future research include topics such as points of transfer to and maintenance of facilitation on conventional texts. (One table of data is included and 73 references are attached.) (SR)

As in processing oral speech, proficient reading involves "chunking" written texts into meaningful phrase units. Unlike oral speech, however, cues for segmenting the written text at the proper points are not clearly marked in the text. One method for helping readers identify and use phrase boundaries is to mark such boundaries in the text. A study reviewed research conducted over the past four decades that has attempted to facilitate subjects' reading by providing marked cues to phrase boundaries. Although as a whole the research is not conclusive as to the efficacy of phrase-cued texts in aiding comprehension, it shows promise for helping improve the reading performance of at least certain types of readers, particularly for younger, poorer, and hearing-impaired readers. Phrase-cued texts seem to be facilitative for readers who have yet to achieve maturity in syntactic sensitivity. However, a level of competency in word recognition may be necessary before phrased texts can be effective. Issues to be explored in future research include topics such as points of transfer to and maintenance of facilitation on conventional texts. (One table of data is included and 73 references are attached.) (SR)

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 OLL 85-4013 1 Office of Legislative Liaison Routing Slip Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 ACTION INFO 1. D/OLL x 2. DD/OLL X 3. Admin Officer x 4. Liaison - 5. Legislation x X X 9. 10. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87M01152R000100040002-0 ('LL 85-4C:13 Office of Legislative Liaison Routh sap 5. Legislation SUSPENSE Actlon mks: Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87M01152R000100040002-0 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 3. ROUTING AND TRANSMITTAL SLIP TO. (Name, office symbol, room number, Initials Date 4. L~qion File Note and Return proval For Clearance Per Conversation Requested For Correction Prepare Reply ircutate For Your Information See Me mment Investigate Signature Coordination Justify DO NOT use this form as a RECORD of approvals, concurrences, disposals, clearances, and similar actions FRAM: (Name, org. symb9l, Agency/Post) M U, 5041-102 Room No.-Bldg. i-r A- t5 Phone No. X87-S6 /9 OPTIONAL FORM 41 (Rev. 7-76) Prescribed by GSA FPMR (41 CFR) 101-11.206 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN FOR RESEARCH SERVICES STAT STAT STAT STAT 8s'. yo /3 U N L I L Fff C/ n t - ' ' 9 ` ?s t I ' December 31, 1985 It is requested that the following employees of this agency's Federal Research Division, who are engaged in special projects for the Defense Intelligence Agency, be granted learances - which are needed in the performance of their official duties: Additional information relating to this request, if needed, can be obtained from Personnel Security Officer, Library of Congress (tel: 287-5618/5619). Director tor. Genera a erence Research Services Director of Central Intelligence Washington, D.C. 20505 Attn: Office of Legislative Liaison FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/02/16: CIA-RDP87MO1152R000100040002-0 o THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Z

This article is from Frontiers in Psychology , volume 5 . Abstract DRC (Coltheart et al., 2001) and CDP++ (Perry et al., 2010) are two of the most successful models of reading aloud. These models differ primarily in how their sublexical systems convert letter strings into phonological codes. DRC adopts a set of grapheme-to-phoneme conversion rules (GPCs) while CDP++ uses a simple trained network that has been exposed to a combination of rules and the spellings and pronunciations of known words. Thus far the debate between fixed rules and learned associations has largely emphasized reaction time experiments, error rates in dyslexias, and item-level variance from large-scale databases. Recently, Pritchard et al. (2012) examined the models' non-word reading in a new way. They compared responses produced by the models to those produced by 45 skilled readers. Their item-by-item analysis is informative, but leaves open some questions that can be addressed with a different technique. Using hierarchical clustering techniques, we first examined the subject data to identify if there are classes of subjects that are similar to each other in their overall response profiles. We found that there are indeed two groups of subject that differ in their pronunciations for certain consonant clusters. We also tested the possibility that CDP++ is modeling one set of subjects well, while DRC is modeling a different set of subjects. We found that CDP++ does not fit any human reader's response pattern very well, while DRC fits the human readers as well as or better than any other reader.

Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-003W000200080039-2 cl}'I' L(:v IH 1 1;1;;;(1M u?;I, I;~l1P,(;I:; II;jJ I' Inturdd(jency 110v isory b??oul) 1900 E S tree L , I1.0. l?/ioshingt011, U.C. 20115 Minutes of the IAG Committee On Performance Appraisal April 13, 1979 Ms. Mary Sugar, Chairperson of the Performance Appraisal Task Force, opened the meeting by saying that OPM was planning to hold a series of symposia featuring speakers on different aspects of performance appraisal. She introduced Ms. Kathleen Colbourn of the Training Leadership Division, who handed out a questionnaire asking for agency suggestions for speakers and topics. It was emphasized that the symposia should be practical rather than theoretical and should use speakers who have had operating experience. Ms. Sugar announced that a special session of the course in performance appraisal and standards setting would be held on May 4 for IAG committee members (principals and alternates). Agencies were invited to submit nomination forms marked "IAG member" through regular channels. Dr. James Caplan of OPM's internal Office of Personnel, assisted by Mr. Michael Barrett of the Compensation Group, discussed the revised production standards recently developed for OPM's retirement claims examiners. The standards, currently being validated, are designed to provide equitable treat- ment of employees through incentives for handling the more complex cases. The underlying research had indicated that units of work previously treated alike for production measurement purposes were not always truly comparable. As useful byproducts of the new standards, the assignment and orderly processing of cases are facilitated and management is provided with information on what types of cases are causing processing problems. Performance standards will be established based in part on the production standards.. Mr. Bruce Tomaso of IRS discussed the computerized rating system in use at IRS Service Centers. The system is based on peer group comparisons, floating stan- dards, and forced distributions and was designed primarily to identify the top performers for competitive promotion purposes. The system will have to be changed to meet the requirements for appraisal of current job performance in relation to established standards communicated in advance. Mr. Ken Lawrence of OPM's Workforce Effectiveness and Development Group announced that Part II of the handbook on Suggestions on Implementing Performance Appraisal Systems will soon be issued following a limited period for review and comment by selected agencies. Part II will focus on "how to do it" while Part I, issued in February, was primarily concerned with "what to do." 1 The next IAG committee meeting will be held on April 24, 1979. Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-00314R000200080039-2 Approved FQeleas '2gb2M&12' :PCIAI DP81,003W000200080039-2 T900 E Sire e l: , Wash ing Lori, D.C. 20415 Minutes of the IAG Committee on Performance Appraisal April 24, 1979 Ms. Mary Sugar, Chairperson of the Performance Appraisal Task Force, announced that two special FPM Bulletins will soon be issued. One is a discussion of the state of the art of performance appraisal, and the other is a checklist for appraisal system statutory and reg- ulatory compliance. Copies of these bulletins will be mailed to all committee members. It was also announced that the course for IAG members previously scheduled for May 4 will be rescheduled for a later date. Mr. Bill Stacy of the Air Force Office of Civilian Personnel Operations discussed Air Force's performance appraisal research project, which began approximately two years ago. Field testing is underway, and Air Force is aiming at implementation in 1980. Ms. Sugar distributed a draft statement clarifying the options available to an agency when employee performance falls below the minimum standard for a critical element of the position. The state- ment was discussed at length among those in attendance. Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-00314R000200080039-2

Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-003W000200080039-2 cl}'I' L(:v IH 1 1;1;;;(1M u?;I, I;~l1P,(;I:; II;jJ I' Inturdd(jency 110v isory b??oul) 1900 E S tree L , I1.0. l?/ioshingt011, U.C. 20115 Minutes of the IAG Committee On Performance Appraisal April 13, 1979 Ms. Mary Sugar, Chairperson of the Performance Appraisal Task Force, opened the meeting by saying that OPM was planning to hold a series of symposia featuring speakers on different aspects of performance appraisal. She introduced Ms. Kathleen Colbourn of the Training Leadership Division, who handed out a questionnaire asking for agency suggestions for speakers and topics. It was emphasized that the symposia should be practical rather than theoretical and should use speakers who have had operating experience. Ms. Sugar announced that a special session of the course in performance appraisal and standards setting would be held on May 4 for IAG committee members (principals and alternates). Agencies were invited to submit nomination forms marked "IAG member" through regular channels. Dr. James Caplan of OPM's internal Office of Personnel, assisted by Mr. Michael Barrett of the Compensation Group, discussed the revised production standards recently developed for OPM's retirement claims examiners. The standards, currently being validated, are designed to provide equitable treat- ment of employees through incentives for handling the more complex cases. The underlying research had indicated that units of work previously treated alike for production measurement purposes were not always truly comparable. As useful byproducts of the new standards, the assignment and orderly processing of cases are facilitated and management is provided with information on what types of cases are causing processing problems. Performance standards will be established based in part on the production standards.. Mr. Bruce Tomaso of IRS discussed the computerized rating system in use at IRS Service Centers. The system is based on peer group comparisons, floating stan- dards, and forced distributions and was designed primarily to identify the top performers for competitive promotion purposes. The system will have to be changed to meet the requirements for appraisal of current job performance in relation to established standards communicated in advance. Mr. Ken Lawrence of OPM's Workforce Effectiveness and Development Group announced that Part II of the handbook on Suggestions on Implementing Performance Appraisal Systems will soon be issued following a limited period for review and comment by selected agencies. Part II will focus on "how to do it" while Part I, issued in February, was primarily concerned with "what to do." 1 The next IAG committee meeting will be held on April 24, 1979. Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-00314R000200080039-2 Approved FQeleas '2gb2M&12' :PCIAI DP81,003W000200080039-2 T900 E Sire e l: , Wash ing Lori, D.C. 20415 Minutes of the IAG Committee on Performance Appraisal April 24, 1979 Ms. Mary Sugar, Chairperson of the Performance Appraisal Task Force, announced that two special FPM Bulletins will soon be issued. One is a discussion of the state of the art of performance appraisal, and the other is a checklist for appraisal system statutory and reg- ulatory compliance. Copies of these bulletins will be mailed to all committee members. It was also announced that the course for IAG members previously scheduled for May 4 will be rescheduled for a later date. Mr. Bill Stacy of the Air Force Office of Civilian Personnel Operations discussed Air Force's performance appraisal research project, which began approximately two years ago. Field testing is underway, and Air Force is aiming at implementation in 1980. Ms. Sugar distributed a draft statement clarifying the options available to an agency when employee performance falls below the minimum standard for a critical element of the position. The state- ment was discussed at length among those in attendance. Approved For Release 2002/08/12 : CIA-RDP81-00314R000200080039-2

The performance art show "Dreams" was held live in Chicago 02/03/04 by Janet Kuypers, and this is a video of the television display (one of them), where the camera was fized on Janet Kuypers throughout her performance. This video shows one of the television sets, showing her perform the pieces she read, wearing different glasses even during different parts of the show. The video camera was fixed on Janet Kuypers as she read poems and stories for a live audience.

This study investigates the effect of Jordanian Eleventh grade students' self-assessment on their performance in reading in English. The sample of the study consisted of an experimental group and a control group; each group consisted of two eleventh grade sections (67 male and 69 female students). A reading test was developed and its validity and reliability were established. To collect data about the students' progress, I used student self-assessment through one-minute papers and rating-scale sheets. The findings of the study revealed that student self-assessment had positive effect on their performance in reading in English. In light of the findings, it is recommended that students be trained on how to use self-assessment, and that instructors become aware of the positive effect of student self-assessment on their performance in reading. (Contains 5 tables, 1 figure and 1 note.)

This study was conducted in order to identify the major reading, cognitive, and linguistic skills that contribute to individual differences in performance on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at third, seventh, and tenth grades. The authors were also interested in understanding the primary deficiencies in skill and knowledge that are associated with below grade level performance on the FCAT (levels 1 and 2). The expectation was that this knowledge would be helpful in planning more effective methods to prevent performance difficulties on the FCAT and more effective remedial procedures for students who have demonstrated deficiencies on the FCAT. The results provide substantial evidence for the construct validity of the FCAT test as a measure of reading comprehension in which the proportion of items that assess "higher order thinking skills" increases substantially from third through tenth grade. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.) [Preliminary report was prepared December, 2004, by the Florida Center for Reading Research.]

This study was conducted in order to identify the major reading, cognitive, and linguistic skills that contribute to individual differences in performance on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at third, seventh, and tenth grades. The authors were also interested in understanding the primary deficiencies in skill and knowledge that are associated with below grade level performance on the FCAT (levels 1 and 2). The expectation was that this knowledge would be helpful in planning more effective methods to prevent performance difficulties on the FCAT and more effective remedial procedures for students who have demonstrated deficiencies on the FCAT. The results provide substantial evidence for the construct validity of the FCAT test as a measure of reading comprehension in which the proportion of items that assess "higher order thinking skills" increases substantially from third through tenth grade. (Contains 6 tables and 3 figures.) [Preliminary report was prepared December, 2004, by the Florida Center for Reading Research.]

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1948

Turkish students on average had lower scores than OECD countries on mathematics, science, and reading at international assessment programs. As PISA measures the extent to which 15-year-old students are prepared to handle the challenges they may encounter in their future lives, and evaluates students' ability to reflect and to apply their knowledge and experience to real-life situations, low scores on this assessment should be investigated carefully. Therefore, in this study we aimed to explore the relationships between new literacy skills, reading, mathematics, and science performance of Turkish students. The results showed that new literacy skills measured in PISA had two dimensional structure including at and outside of school new literacy skills. These new literacy skills were shown to predict reading performance significantly, at school negatively and outside of school positively. It was also shown that reading performance and new literacy skills were effective in the prediction of both mathematics and science performances.

This study aims at measuring the amount of the effect of the reader's background knowledge on performance in reading comprehension tests through the assessment of information gained in reading comprehension (RC) tests across-four testing techniques, short answer questions ,true-false items, multiple-choice items, and cloze test and re-test. This technique involves the examinees in two types of tasks, i.e. pre-reading and post-reading task. Two hypotheses have been proposed to achieve the aims of this study. They are 1-There are no significant differences between the prereading and post-reading performances of examinees on reading comprehension(RC). 2-There are no significant differences in information gain scores across the different techniques of testing reading comprehension (RC) in EFL. To verify the validity of these two hypotheses, a number of statistical procedures have been used such as arithmetical mean, t-test for correlated and independent samples to analyze the performance of third and fourth year College students studying at the Department of English at University of Baghdad/Ibn Rushd College of Education for Humanities on two reading passages taken from TOEFL practice tests (2011). The analysis of the data has shown the following results: 1-The background knowledge has an effect on the performance on reading comprehension (RC). 2-There is a significant difference in students' performance on reading comprehension (RC). 3-The effect of background knowledge is investable on reading comprehension (RC) tests, but it can be identified or neutralized. Based on these conclusions, the researcher presented a number of recommendations.

A study examined the degree to which audiotaped progressive muscle relaxation training influenced the oral and silent reading performance of eight adolescents who were legally classified as emotionally disturbed. A single-case ABAB withdrawal design was used to examine the effects of relaxation training on oral reading. In addition, a quasi-experimental between-subjects pretest-posttest design was used to contrast the effects of relaxation training and group counseling on the Total Reading Score of the Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT). Withdrawal design findings indicated that relaxation training positively influenced oral reading performance. Between-subjects comparisons showed that the relaxation group did significantly better on the MAT posttest than the counseling group. (One table of data and two figures are included and 27 references are attached.) (Author/MG)

A study examined school personnel perspectives on barriers to the implementation of a statewide program to influence change in curriculum and instruction. Interviews were conducted with personnel from 5 schools and districts and generally positive results were reported in moving from their existing curriculum and assessment programs to the mandated state program. Interview data from teachers, principals, and curriculum coordinators demonstrated that adherence to the mandated statewide program was not without considerable challenges. School personnel reported that the implementation of the program and intended school change was made difficult by barriers related to the lack of alignment between existing and mandated instruction and performance assessment, lack of alignment between teacher practices and beliefs with those implicit in the statewide program, lack of resources to help implement change mandated by the state program, the performance assessment materials and procedures themselves, and the lack of sufficient communication from the state-related to the mandated program. Results suggest that overcoming the barriers to implementation of the statewide program requires a systematic approach that provides the resources to support change of classroom practice, helpful communication between those people involved in the curriculum, instruction, and assessment change processes, and ongoing refinement of the assessment program and the performance assessment materials and procedures. (Contains 21 references.) (Author/RS)

Experimental analyses for improving reading fluency deficits have rarely targeted generalized increases in academic responding. As a consequence, the variables that may help students to generalize newly learned forms of academic responding like reading are not well understood. Furthermore, experimental analyses of reading fluency interventions have not systematically examined difficulty level as a variable that may affect instructional outcomes. The experiment reported in this paper expands (a) the measurement of the dependent variables to include generalized increases across tasks (reading passages) and (b) the combination of independent variables used to produce measurable generalized increases. The results demonstrate the importance of combining reward and instructional variables (including difficulty level) to produce generalized increases and how those variables can be meaningfully investigated prior to making treatment recommendations.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between reading ability and academic performance of junior college freshman and to what degree a measure of reading ability could predict academic performance. The 313 Pensacola Junior College freshman for whom 1970 Reading Index Scores on the Florida Twelfth Grade Test were available, and who had completed a minimum of 12 hours course work in both the fall and spring terms, 1971-72, were used as subjects. The criterion for academic performance was the cumulative GPA. On the basis of the criteria used and the resultant findings, it was concluded that: (1) The Reading Index Score was found to be a significant predictor of the cumulative GPA in the freshman year of college in terms of the institution participating in this study; (2) The linear trend showed that 23 percent of the variation in GPA could be accounted for by variance in the Reading Index Score. The report includes a review of the literature as well as tabular data and a discussion of the statistical methods. (Author/MJK)

At present, there is virtually no empirical evidence of the success of educational techniques designed to minimize the interference of black English on the acquisition of reading skills. The 180 black, inner-city third and fifth graders who participated in this study were selected in order to determine whether the discrepancy between performance on reading tasks, presented in standard English, black English standard orthography, and black English nonstandard orthography, varies with grade level. Subjects were administered equivalent listening comprehension, oral reading, and oral reading comprehension tasks in standard English and black English. An analysis of data suggests that, while there is no significant difference between the correlations between scores for standard and black English forms of the listening comprehension tasks at either grade level, correlations between scores for standard English, black English standard orthography, and black English nonstandard orthography forms of the oral reading and oral reading comprehension tasks were significantly higher at the fifth-grade level than at the third-grade level. (KS)

This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of 20 research articles containing 89 effect sizes related to the use of digital tools and learning environments to enhance literacy acquisition. Results (weighted effect size of 0.489) demonstrate that technology can have a positive effect on reading comprehension, but little research has focused on the effect of technology on metacognitive, affective, and dispositional outcomes. We conclude that although there is reason to be optimistic about using technology in middle-school literacy programs, there is also reason to encourage the research community to redouble its emphasis on digital learning environments for students in this age range and to broaden the scope of the interventions and outcomes they study. [This report was produced by Learning Point Associates.]

This study determined the level of home learning support given by the parents and the level of reading performance of primary pupils in Alat-Alatin Elementary School, a multi-grade school in Lopez West District, Lopez, Quezon. This utilized the quantitative method anchored by a descriptive-correlational design. Moreover, the researchers used a survey questionnaire consisting of 15 questions pertaining to parental involvement, home learning resources, and home literacy practices to determine the level of home learning support given by the parents and conducted a reading session to determine the reading performance of the primary pupils. The study found that home learning support is sometimes given to primary pupils, and the level of reading performance of the primary pupils in Alat-Alatin Elementary School during the implementation of modular distance learning is at a frustration level. Using Spearman's rho non-parametric statistical tool, the Alpha level is 0.05. Since 0.395 is greater than the alpha level (0.05), the null hypothesis is accepted. Therefore, based on the result, there is no significant relationship between home learning support extended by the parents and the reading performance (in both oral reading and comprehension scores) of the pupils. Furthermore, the researchers designed Project BASA (Be A Servant Alat-Alatinian), a reading intervention program in distance learning settings that aims to improve the reading performance.

Reading is core to functioning in our daily lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that numerous tools have been developed to help maximise reading efficiency in both skilled and less skilled readers. In this registered report, we will examine the potential of selective bolding of characters within words to improve reading performance in skilled readers. Building on two pilot studies, we will compare reading comprehension, word skipping, landing positions, target word reading times, and sentence readings under two bolding conditions (start bolded, middle bolded) with an unbolded condition, where sentences contain a four- or eight-letter target word. Based on prior results, we expect to observe effects of bolding on word skipping and landing positions within words, but not on comprehension or reading time measures. Observing this pattern of results would indicate that the bolding of characters within words does not promote reading performance.

oPTIc IAt_ ro RM No. to MAY 1:12' F(,: I ION GSA FI'F:e (u e/-F) lol-lt.O Ila UNITED S,1,A#ppr dEF,pc Rqse 2003/04/29: CIA-RDP83-00058R000100120007-6 12 le'I20rra 26111n2 TO Director, OTR STAT FROM SUBJECT: Program Performance Measurement. The Emerging Kole of OTR in establishing Requirements for Training. AIp..80 DATE: 20 July 1973 I am submitting this memorandum intended as a discussion of (1) how to provide the data base necessary to tell OTR ho,,:ell the programs are meeting their objectives on a current basis (2) an approach to determine to what extent the knowledge rn';%cr skills imparted are applied on the job and (3) how OTR can establish requirements as contrasted with historically reacting to requirements. A concept of a data base is presented which is intended to aggregate all of this and also attached is a basic form that can be used to respond to all of these goals. In order to institute the best type of (program) performance measurement a number of aspects must be considered which not only influ

oPTIc IAt_ ro RM No. to MAY 1:12' F(,: I ION GSA FI'F:e (u e/-F) lol-lt.O Ila UNITED S,1,A#ppr dEF,pc Rqse 2003/04/29: CIA-RDP83-00058R000100120007-6 12 le'I20rra 26111n2 TO Director, OTR STAT FROM SUBJECT: Program Performance Measurement. The Emerging Kole of OTR in establishing Requirements for Training. AIp..80 DATE: 20 July 1973 I am submitting this memorandum intended as a discussion of (1) how to provide the data base necessary to tell OTR ho,,:ell the programs are meeting their objectives on a current basis (2) an approach to determine to what extent the knowledge rn';%cr skills imparted are applied on the job and (3) how OTR can establish requirements as contrasted with historically reacting to requirements. A concept of a data base is presented which is intended to aggregate all of this and also attached is a basic form that can be used to respond to all of these goals. In order to institute the best type of (program) performance measurement a number of aspects must be considered which not only influ

Reported was a two part study of 59 educable mentally retarded (EMR) primary grade children which examined the possibility of ascertaining continuous word-association norms, word-association norms, and sentence norms for EMR children, and of utilizing the high word and sentence associations to facilitate reading instruction. Collection of both word-association and sentence-association responses indicated that a substantial number of stimulus words and sentences yielded a high degree of response commonality. However, contrary to hypothesized results, data indicated that nonassociation word pairs may be read with greater accuracy than high association words. Data also failed to support any facilitative effect of high associations on pupils' gain in reading at either the sentence recognition level or the sentence comprehension level. Anecdotal records examined teaching styles and lessons for each class. Failure of the data to confirm the authors' hypothesis was thought to be due to the children's prior exposure to phonic/analytic methods of instruction and to their inability to organize verbal materials according to semantic or associative properties. Instructional materials were included in the appendix. (GW)

Reported was a two part study of 59 educable mentally retarded (EMR) primary grade children which examined the possibility of ascertaining continuous word-association norms, word-association norms, and sentence norms for EMR children, and of utilizing the high word and sentence associations to facilitate reading instruction. Collection of both word-association and sentence-association responses indicated that a substantial number of stimulus words and sentences yielded a high degree of response commonality. However, contrary to hypothesized results, data indicated that nonassociation word pairs may be read with greater accuracy than high association words. Data also failed to support any facilitative effect of high associations on pupils' gain in reading at either the sentence recognition level or the sentence comprehension level. Anecdotal records examined teaching styles and lessons for each class. Failure of the data to confirm the authors' hypothesis was thought to be due to the children's prior exposure to phonic/analytic methods of instruction and to their inability to organize verbal materials according to semantic or associative properties. Instructional materials were included in the appendix. (GW)

This paper is a report on the effects of using WebQuest on Saudi male EFL students reading comprehension performance. WebQuests expose students to several online resources and require them to gather information about a specific topic. The experimental group received traditional teaching plus WebQuests as supplementary activities. The control group received the traditional teaching only. The students' comprehension performance in the post-test was compared for both groups in order to determine whether there were significant differences between the groups in relation to the treatment. Significant differences occurring in the experimental group's post-test comprehension performance when compared to the pre-test indicate that using WebQuest can improve students' reading comprehension performance. The results indicate WebQuests have potential for use in promoting reading comprehension. Teachers and students do, however, need to be trained in order to use WebQuests more effectively. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

This study was conducted to examine teachers' expectations regarding the reading achievement of children from divorced and intact families. Sixty elementary school teachers participated by completing a survey. Four variations for the survey were distributed. Each version differed from the others only to the extent that the introductory statement was modified to change the sex of the hypothetical child and the marital status of the hypothetical child's mother. The teachers numerically rated their hypothetical child on seven academic characteristics and four questions that required personal opinions. Results indicated that teachers' performance expectations were lower for children from divorced families. Furthermore, lower expectations were held for boys than girls regardless of their family dynamics. (Contains 47 references and 2 tables of data. The four versions of the survey instrument are attached.) (Author/RS)

Content integration in performance assessment involves mixing different areas of knowledge in one assessment. In this type of testing situation, assessment tasks are designed to measure the ability of students to solve problems by applying their knowledge and skills in multiple content areas. This study examined the effect of integrated science and reading items on the reliability and construct validity of reading assessment for the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). Using the MSPAP 1998 reading data, this study demonstrated that the integrated science-reading items provide reliable and valid information about the students reading abilities that are comparable to the nonintegrated items. Results suggest that the integrated science-reading items did not compromise the integrity of reading scales in question. There is evidence that the scales are essentially unidimensional. However, there are minor task-related factors that warrant further analysis on the latent structure of the reading scales. This finding is complemented by the high local item dependency among tasks. (Contains 4 tables and 23 references.) (Author/SLD)

Content integration in performance assessment involves mixing different areas of knowledge in one assessment. In this type of testing situation, assessment tasks are designed to measure the ability of students to solve problems by applying their knowledge and skills in multiple content areas. This study examined the effect of integrated science and reading items on the reliability and construct validity of reading assessment for the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). Using the MSPAP 1998 reading data, this study demonstrated that the integrated science-reading items provide reliable and valid information about the students reading abilities that are comparable to the nonintegrated items. Results suggest that the integrated science-reading items did not compromise the integrity of reading scales in question. There is evidence that the scales are essentially unidimensional. However, there are minor task-related factors that warrant further analysis on the latent structure of the reading scales. This finding is complemented by the high local item dependency among tasks. (Contains 4 tables and 23 references.) (Author/SLD)

One characteristic of human learning, which most psychologists and educators appear to deem highly desirable, is that of attending long enough to a stimulus so that learning occurs. It is this principle that gave a major purpose to the study to investigate the relationship between a simple and a complex attention span task and the reading performances of Mexican-American children at the third grade level. Secondary objectives of the study were to explore the relationship between behaviors observed during the attention span tasks and to ascertain if a relationship existed between teachers' judgment of attention span and reading performances. Two conditions, a simple attention span task and a complex attention span task, were administered to one hundred randomly selected subjects. Both tasks involved correct and false detections of a signal word or signal word series among a list of nine signals appearing at regular intervals for ten minutes. Significant differences as measured by the complex attention span task and teachers' judgment of attention span have been obtained between these two variables and reading performances of the Mexican-American children at the third grade level. (Author)

This study examines the underlying structure of the teacher language arts and science questionnaires from a project studying the impact of the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP). The dimensions of the questionnaire concerning practices and attitudes related to the MSPAP were studied, as well as the extent to which the on-grade and off-grade teachers differed on these dimensions. The extent to which principals and students differed from teachers with respect to a subset of the dimensions was also examined. The final samples for language arts included the teachers, principals, and some students from 59 elementary and 31 middle schools. For the science questionnaire, the final sample contained 103 elementary and 58 middle schools. Overall, evidence suggests that the MSPAP is having an impact on classroom instruction to some extent. The majority of the language arts and science teachers indicated that they have made changes in their classroom activities to reflect the Maryland learning outcomes and the MSPAP. According to the teachers, the impact has been similar between the on- and off-grade levels. When differences occurred, they were primarily between elementary and middle school teachers, with elementary school teachers tending to respond more favorably than middle school teachers. Most teachers indicated that the MSPAP is a useful tool for improving instruction, but the majority also indicated that they oppose using the MSPAP for identifying schools for rewards or recognition. (Contains 29 tables and 21 references.) (SLD)

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Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1943

This research brief highlights key findings from a study that is a subset of a larger study being conducted jointly by NCSALL's John Strucker and Kentaro Yamamoto and Irwin Kirsch of the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This study builds on the proposition that a reader's comprehension performance is largely determined by his or her abilities in two areas--print components and meaning components--and that learners' skills, and therefore instructional needs, vary depending upon their relative strengths and weaknesses in these component areas. Print components include decoding accuracy and fluency; meaning components include oral vocabulary skills. The study also continues work done by Strucker and NCSALL's Rosalind Davidson to develop reading profiles of IALS Levels 1 and 2 adults that will be informative for teachers, administrators, and policymakers in the field of adult literacy. (Contains 1 figure.)

The relationship among WMC (working memory capacity), reading performance and academic achievement is both logically and theoretically undisputable. However, what may not be as obvious is that such capacity and performance, and as a result, achievement, could be higher among ECBL (early childhood bilingual) students. To reaffirm the obvious and explore what may not be so obvious in some quarters, two groups of randomly selected female third graders (200 Farsi speaking and 200 Farsi and Kurmanji speaking) were tested and compared on these characteristics. The measures used were Riding's instrument for measuring WMC and Kormi-Nouri and associates' tests of reading performance. Moreover, academic achievement was defined to be the average of scores obtained by students at their final school exams in math, science and Farsi. Analysis of regression was then performed to determine which construct served as the best predictor of academic achievement in both groups. Based on the results, ECBL girls were superior to their ML (monolingual) counterparts in all three areas. Findings also showed that both WMC and reading performance are strong predictors of school achievement for both groups. However, the memory capacity was the strongest predictor of achievement for both groups. Possible links among bilingualism and better WMC and reading performance are discussed in order to explain the better school achievement by ECBL students. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study aimed to know the effectiveness of using e-texts in enhancing the performance in reading comprehension of the Grade 11 - TVL students of San Isidro National High School, Tagkawayan, S.Y. 2019-2020. This study used a pre-experimental research design using pre-tests and posttests. The researcher used mean, MPS (mean percentage score), and z-test to test the significant difference. The Mean Scores of the Pre Test averaged 6.848 (elementary) while the Post Test mean, 22.455 (intermediate). The Mean Percentage Scores (MPS) of the Pre Test MPS was 17.120 (Low) while the Post Test MPS was 56.140 (average). The test statistic Z equaled to -24.97, was not in the 95% critical value accepted range. Therefore, H[subscript 0] was rejected. The researcher recommended: (1) training both students and teaching staff in the use of digital texts to optimize their learning outcomes for school governing personnel; (2) using different strategies and practices when reading digital among teachers; (3) teaching of technology skills explicitly to primary and sometimes secondary students is seen as a necessity for developing 21st century skills in children for both teachers and students; and (4) developing digital texts that are user-friendly in developing new reading enhancement programs among teachers.

Good news about reading achievement of career-bound students at High Schools That Work (HSTW) sites includes the following: (1) 60% of the 260 sites that tested students in 1993/94 and again in 1996 saw improvement in reading scores; (2) the performance of all students majority and minority improved significantly; (3) HSTW sites widened the gap between their career-bound students and vocational students nationally; and (4) students completing business, marketing and health concentrations had average reading scores that met or exceeded the HSTW reading goal of 279. However, well over half the students at HSTW sites were reading below the performance goal level and a disproportionately large number of career-bound males continue to enroll in basic and general English classes that do not lead to reading improvements. In order for English departments and teachers to take the lead in advancing the reading, writing and communication skills of career-bound youth the following recommendations are made: enroll career-bound students in higher- level English courses to improve reading achievement; give students more intellectually challenging assignments that require them to work harder in and out of class; create assignments that require students to collect, evaluate, organize and present information; get students to apply reading, writing and speaking skills to advance learning in other courses; and act on the message in the HSTW data. (Includes 2 figures.) (MO)

This report describes a project for improving reading comprehension through the use of multiple intelligences. The action research took place from September 2001 to January 2002. The targeted population consisted of fourth grade students living in two suburbs of a major metropolitan city. The two communities range from low income to upper middle class socioeconomic status. The problem was noted in literature by researchers that found that students were faltering in the area of reading comprehension. The problem was documented further through data collected from surveys, teacher-constructed tests, district-adopted tests, Illinois Standard Achievement Tests (ISAT), Burns and Roe's Informal Reading Inventories, and anecdotal records. Analysis of the probable cause data, as well as the professional literature revealed that several possible reasons existed for students' deficiency in the area of reading comprehension. Students lacked sufficient strategies to enable them to construct meaning from text. A review of the solution strategies suggested by experts in the field of reading, combined with an analysis of the problem setting, resulted in this intervention: the use of Multiple Intelligence strategies to improve reading comprehension. The effect of this intervention was demonstrated through improved reading comprehension as measured by district-adopted achievement tests, teacher-constructed tests, and Burns & Roe's Informal Reading Inventories, and anecdotal records. Across both sites, reading comprehension improved. Students focused upon new strategies and enhanced their current levels of performance in the academic area. Appendixes contain survey instruments, checklists, self assessment forms, and blank forms for reflective journal entries and a predicting chart. (Contains 77 references, and 7 tables and 4 figures of data.) (Author/RS)