Directions: Read the following statements, and circle one of the number responses that will indicate the relationship of the statement to your feelings about reading and reading instruction. SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD (select one best answer that reflects the strength of agreement or disagreement--SA is strong areement, and SD is strong disagreement)

1. A child needs to be able to verbalize the rules of phonics in order to assure proficiency in processing new words.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
2. An increase in reading errors is usually related to a decrease in comprehension.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
3. Dividing words into syllables according to rules is a helpful instructional practice for reading new words.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
4. Fluency and expression are necessary components of reading that indicate good comprehension.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
5. Materials for early reading should be written in natural language without concern for short, simple words and sentences.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
6. When children do not know a word, they should be instructed to sound out its parts.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
7. It is a good practice to allow children to edit what is written into their own dialect when learning to read.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
8. The use of a glossary or dictionary is necessary in determining the meaning and pronunciation of new words.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
9. Reversals (e. g., saying "saw" for "was") are significant problems in the teaching of reading.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
10. It is good practice to correct a child as soon as an oral reading mistake is made.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
11. It is important for a word to be repeated a number of times after it has been introduced to insure that it will become a part of sight vocabulary.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
12. Paying close attention to punctuation marks is necessary to understanding story content.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
13. It is a sign of an ineffective reader when words and phrases are repeated.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
14. Being able to label words according to grammatical function (nouns, etc.) is useful in proficient reading.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
15. When coming to a word that's unknown, the reader should be encouraged to guess based upon meaning and go on.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
16. Young readers need to be introduced to the root form of words (run, long) before they are asked to read inflected forms (running, longest).	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
17. It is not necessary for a child to know the letters of the alphabet in order to learn to read.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
18. Flashcard drill with sight words is an unnecessary form of practice in reading instruction.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
19. Ability to use accent patterns in multi-syllable words (pho to graph, pho tog ra phy, and pho to graph ic) shoul be developed as a part of reading instruction.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
20. Controlling text through consistent spelling patterns (The fat cat ran back. The fat cat sat on a hat.) is a means by which children can best learn to read.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
21. Formal instruction in reading is necessary to insure the adequate development of all skills used in reading.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
22. Phonic analysis is the most important formof analysis used when meeting new words.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
23. Children's initial encounters with print should focus on meaning, not upon exact graphic representation.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
24. Word shapes (word configuration, b i g) should be taught in reading to aid in word recognition.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
25. It is important to teach skills in relation to other skills.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
26. If a child says "house" for the written word "home," the response should be left uncorrected.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
27. It is not necessary to introduce new words before they appear in the reading text.	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD
28. Some problems in reading are caused by readers dropping the inflectional endings from words (e.g., jumps, jumped).	SA 1 2 3 4 5 SD

1. Identify items 5, 7, 15, 17, 18, 23, 26 and 27.

2. Score all other items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25 and 28 by giving the number of points corresponding to the number circled in each item, i.e., if a 4 is circled, give 4 points, etc. Do not score items 5, 7, 15, 17, 18, 23, 26 and 27 when doing this.

3. Now score items 5, 7, 15, 17, 18, 23, 26 and 27 by reversing the process. If a 1 is circled, give 5 points. If a 2 is circled, give 4 points, a 3 = 3 points, a 4 = 2 points, and a 5 = 1 point.

4. Add the total of the two scores for one total score and compare with the following scale.

• 0 - 65 points indicates a decoding perspective.
• 66 - 110 points indicates a skills perspective.
• 111 - 140 points indicates a whole language perspective.

  Note: A score in the 85 - 120 range would probably indicate the ability to learn to use a balanced approach to reading instruction.

This test was copyrighted by the International Reading Association in 1985.