Results

Tests of reading comprehension presently used do not provide one important item of technical data: the extent to which questions used in the test could be answered without leading the paragraphs upon which those questions are based (paragraph dependency). This leaves the test user guessing as to whether the students taking the test and performing well did or did not understand the written material contained in the test. Indices of paragraph dependency for five widely used standardized tests of reading comprehension were obtained. Five tests were administered to 1200 students each, not allowing these students to read passages. In addition, control data were obtained by administering the tests in their normal format to 600 students each. Students were selected from 10 locations covering Indiana and were equally divided over grades 4, 5, and 6. The results indicated that none of these major test