A Test of Alternative Cloze Test Formats at the Sixth-Grade Level

In seeking a more valid and reliable doze test format, a repeated-measures design was used to compare performances of sixth-grade readers on a traditional and three alternative types of cloze tests. Significant main effects were found for deletion pattern and cue-condition factors. The most accurate performance occurred on the total random deletion plus word length and initial-letter cue format. Validity coefficients for all three alternatives were at least comparable to the traditional cloze format, and each of their reliability coefficients surpassed the traditional form. Results confirm and extend the findings of earlier studies investigating cloze alternatives. Psychometric and psycholinguistic advantages of the alternate cloze forms are discussed