Effects of a Read-Aloud Modification on a Standardized Reading Test

Researchers investigated the effects of a read-aloud modification on students' performance on a reading comprehension test. A total of 338 students in Grades 4 and 5 participated; 76 of these students (22%) received special education services, the majority of whom were labeled learning disabled. Students completed a standardized reading comprehension test under two conditions: (a) standard administration, and (b) video administration. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between educational classification and administration format. We compared teacher judgments related to the importance of the read-aloud modification for individual students to students' actual test performance. Teacher judgment was the most accurate for students in special education. Findings were interpreted within three different contexts: (a) previous research on teacher decision making, (b) theoretical explanations of reading versus listening comprehension, and (c) the importance of research methodologies in answering test modification questions.