Haggerty: The Ability to Read 



11 



Each child or group is graded on the basis of 80 per cent ac- 

 curacy. This allows for each child 1 error per line up to line 11. 

 For the class as a whole, there is allowed a 20 per cent error. 

 No line gives exactly this per cent, line 7 coming nearest with 

 16. 6 per cent of error. This means that the class could have done 

 a line somewhat more difficult than line 7 within the limits of the 

 allowable error. Just how much more difficult can be figured 

 from a table of intermediate values given by Thorndike.^ Re- 

 ferring to this table, we are told in case of 16.6 per cent error to 

 add .32 to the value of the line. This gives for the class a score 

 of 7.32. That is, this class of 41 pupils could have done with 

 20 per cent of error a line the difficulty of which was indicated 

 by 7.32. 



Understanding of Sentences 



The method of scoring the individual papers in Scale Alpha 

 was much more complicated. Many of the questions admitted 

 of more than one answer, and there was much difference of opinion 

 as to what answers should be accepted as adequate. No definite 

 instructions were given the scorers on this point, and when the 

 results reached the University, it was found that while the returns 

 from some cities were graded by dependable methods, the re- 

 turns from other cities were not. In reworking the results, 

 Thorndike'skey^for Scale Alpha was used and all the returns were 

 evaluated on this basis. 



Table 2 shows the record for a 4B class of 25 pupils in Scale 

 Alpha. Reading across the top. Pupil 1 made no errors in Set A, 

 1 error in Set B, 2 errors in Set C, and 3 errors in Set D. Totaling 

 the results, the record for the class is 3 errors or 4 per cent for 

 Set A, 36 errors or 28.8 per cent for Set B, 47 errors or 47 per cent 

 for Set C, and 91 errors or 91 per cent for Set D. Thus it is seen 

 that the class comes nearest 20 per cent of error in Set B, but that 

 this set is somewhat too difficult. Referring again to Thorndike's 

 table and subtracting from the value of Set B, we get 4.58 as the 

 difficulty which this class could have done with just 20 per cent of 

 error. The score for this class is, therefore, 4.58. 



3. Thorndike, E. L. "IMeasurement of Ability in Reading." Teachers College 

 Record, XV, No. 4, pp. 16-19. 



4. Thorndike, E. L. "Measurement of Ability in Reading." Teachers College 

 Record, XV, No. 4, pp. 49 ff. 



