ABSTRACT
Standardized tests and informal reading inventories provide only gross estimates of a student's ability to fully comprehend the textbooks utilized in the classroom. There are some aspects of comprehension that cannot be evaluated through the use of standardized tests or informal reading inventories as these tests use short reading passages and superficial questioning mainly at the literal comprehension level. Higher-level comprehension skills are virtually untested. It may be possible for a child to read and understand explicit information in short passages, but not grasp the implicit message of a longer text or book. In addition, passages in both standardized and IRI tests utilize mostly narrative and expository genres, leaving other genres, such as poetry and persuasive essays, rarely evaluated.
