Abstract:
The Degrees of Reading Power tests (DRP) are standardized tests designed to assess reading comprehension in grades 4-12 through the use of a cloze format. Students read non-fiction English prose passages at different levels of difficulty which have words or sentences deleted from them. Five grammatically correct and semantically plausible options are presented for each deletion, all of which are related to the theme of the passage. Examinees must use their understanding of what they have read to select the best word or sentence for the context. Scoring is usually done by the publisher although it can be done locally. Scores are reported in DRP units which are translated into percentile ranks and stanines. DRP scores offer further information by identifying readability levels at which examinees have a 90% likelihood of successful comprehension (Independent Level), a 75% likelihood of success (Instructional Level), and a 50% likelihood of success (Frustration Level). Examples of texts at these levels are provided for reference. The tests should be used diagnostically or to measure achievement. Reliability and validity were established n a sample of 5000 students with parallel forms reliability ranging from r=.86 to r=.91. The KR 20 measure of internal consistency is .95 for each form. The DRP tests were cross-validated on similar cloze tests with coefficients ranging from .56 to .80, but the names of those tests are not reported in the documentation. No significant differences in scores have been found across sex and race boundaries. Administration time and procedures are given in the Test Administration Manual, which is not part of the EAC East collection.