PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study shows 'readability' scores are largely inaccurate

2014-01-08
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University
Study shows 'readability' scores are largely inaccurate Teachers, parents and textbook companies use technical "readability" formulas to determine how difficult reading materials are and to set reading levels by age group. But new research from North Carolina State University shows that the readability formulas are usually inaccurate and offer little insight into which age groups will be able to read and understand a text.

"Teachers often use readability levels when giving reading assignments to students," says Dr. John Begeny, an associate professor of psychology at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the work. "We wanted to know if the readability formulas are valid, or if teachers who think they're assigning a simpler book to struggling readers, for example, may actually be assigning a more difficult one."

For the study, researchers had 360 students – ranging from second to fifth grade – read six written passages out loud. The researchers assessed the students' performance, giving each student an "oral reading fluency" score, which is considered a good metric for measuring reading ability.

The researchers then used eight different readability formulas to see which level each formula gave to the six written passages. Results varied widely, with one passage being rated from first grade to fifth grade level.

The levels assigned by the readability formulas were then compared with researchers' assessments of each student's actual ability to read the material. Seven of the eight readability formulas were less than 49 percent accurate, with the worst formula scoring only 17 percent accuracy. The highest-rated formula was accurate 79 percent of the time.

"Overall, this work shows that teachers and parents should be very cautious about using readability levels when giving reading assignments to students," Begeny says.

### The paper, "Can Readability Formulas Be Used to Successfully Gauge Difficulty of Reading Materials?" is published in the January issue of the journal Psychology in the Schools. The paper was co-authored by Diana Greene, a former graduate student at NC State.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Scientists find a new mechanism underlying depression

2014-01-08
Scientists find a new mechanism underlying depression Hebrew University research could lead to efficient and fast-acting antidepressant drugs The World health Organization calls depression "the leading cause of disability worldwide," causing more years ...

Lower fat content and exercise for the diet of adolescents

2014-01-08
Lower fat content and exercise for the diet of adolescents A study by the UPV/EHU-University of the Basque Country links dietary fat content with the excess of abdominal fat in adolescents, irrespective of the physical exercise they do This news release is available ...

Study explains origins of giant underwater waves

2014-01-08
Study explains origins of giant underwater waves Large-scale tests in the lab and the South China Sea reveal the origins of underwater waves that can tower hundreds of feet CAMBRIDGE, Mass-- Their effect on the surface of the ocean is negligible, producing ...

Older firefighters may be more resilient to working in heat

2014-01-08
Older firefighters may be more resilient to working in heat FALLS CHURCH, Va. (January 8, 2014) — Older firefighters who are chronically exposed to heat stress on the job could be more heat resilient over time. A recent study published in the December ...

Scientists make your stomach turn bright green if you have an ulcer

2014-01-08
Scientists make your stomach turn bright green if you have an ulcer Doctors may soon be able to diagnose stomach ulcers without taking tissue samples from the stomach. Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark now report to have developed a new, safer and noninvasive ...

Does the body's immune response to viral vector delivery systems affect the safety or efficacy of gene therapy?

2014-01-08
Does the body's immune response to viral vector delivery systems affect the safety or efficacy of gene therapy? New Rochelle, NY, January 7, 2014—Packaging replacement genes in viruses is an effective method to deliver them to target ...

Research reveals new therapeutic target for Huntington's disease

2014-01-08
Research reveals new therapeutic target for Huntington's disease

Geography has impact on grapevine moth's success in French vineyards

2014-01-08
Geography has impact on grapevine moth's success in French vineyards Study sheds light on how regional differences, local temperatures influence immune function of pests 'Location, location, location' is an adage also true for the European grapevine moth, it seems. Research ...

Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars

2014-01-08
Laundering money -- literally -- could save billions of dollars A dollar bill gets around, passing from hand to hand, falling on streets and sidewalks, eventually getting so grimy that a bank machine flags it and sends it to the shredder. Rather than destroying ...

Newly discovered celestial object defies categories

2014-01-08
Newly discovered celestial object defies categories Scientists asking if it is a new kind of planet or a rare kind of failed star TORONTO, ON – An object discovered by astrophysicists at the University of Toronto (U of T) nearly 500 light years away from the Sun ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

[Press-News.org] Study shows 'readability' scores are largely inaccurate