Assessment of Reading Comprehension: A Comparison of Constructs

Theoretical models describing reading comprehension have implications for how reading comprehension is assessed. Because of the need for objective and standardized scoring, most reading comprehension tests utilize formats which involve multiple choice questions based upon a passage which is read. Another assessment technique utilizes free recall. This study investigates whether standardized tests measure the same construct as free recall assessment techniques, by evaluating for a sample of 108 high school students the relationship between scores from written recalls and scores from a standardized reading test (as well as skill area scores based on subsets of items from the standardized test).