Abstract:
The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests measure achievement in reading for students from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. The nine test levels include a pre-reading evaluation, two levels that can be used with first-graders depending on level of instruction, separate levels for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades, and three upper levels for grades 5/6, 7/9, and 10/12. The first level takes the longest to administer (1 hour, 45 minutes) since the teacher must read the questions to examinees. Levels 1-10/12 take only 55 minutes and contain vocabulary and reading comprehension sections. The vocabulary sections provide five choices of definition for a word presented in a sentence or phrase. Comprehension sections involve choosing one of four answers to questions relating to a text passage. These test have been extensively normed for both fall and spring administration and yield scores expressed in several different ways including grade equivalencies and percentile rankings. Test booklets are reusable after level 3 and answers may be scored manually or electronically. Information on reliability and validity studies is available from the publisher but is not part of the EAC East collection, and cross-validation has been established with the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.