Haggerty: The Ability to Read 15 



Third Fourth Fifth SMb Serentb Eidhth CoUcfe 





























































Jlti'4 















Median 















liiL'Ji 











































1 



1 















ChUdrea mO 



209J 



202fl 



1366 





/W5 





FIGURE III — Understanding of Sentences. Median score of all 

 children, in grades 3 to 8. Also median scores for each grade in cities 4 and 

 14. Figures on ordinate indicate steps (sets) on scale. 



The Tests as Scales 

 The foregoing tables and figures offer very striking evidence 

 of the scale nature of these reading tests. Figure 5 shows the 

 median curves for the two tests together. In general, these curves 

 are'ahke. They begin at a low mark on the left for the third 

 grade and step up at each successive grade. A gradual increase 

 of reading abilitj^ from grade to grade is exactly what we should 

 expect for schools in general. That this increased ability is shown 

 by linear extension along these scales is evidence that the scales 

 are what they pretend to be, namely, scales of difficulty increas- 

 ing toward the upward end. The intergrade steps for the entire 

 group of cities is shown in the following table: 



TABLE 5. — Showing the Increase of Reading Ability 

 FROM Grade to Grade in Two Reading Tests 



Grade Intervals 



3-4 



4-5 



5-6 



6-7 



7-8 



Average 



Visual vocabulary 



1.26 



.74 



.66 



.63 



.65 



.79 



Understanding of sentences 



1. 10 



1.00 



.90 



.26 



.28 



.71 



