ABSTRACT
The purposes of this chapter are: to draw attention to the signs of comprehension problems, to offer an overview of more or less formal ways to assess reading comprehension and to increase the awareness of various indicators of test quality. The chapter is about the signs of comprehension problems - what children with comprehension problems "look like" - and how comprehension problems can be assessed. Most children's reading comprehension skills develop quite naturally as they are taught to read words, but a substantial minority of children have some level of comprehension problem. There are numerous tests of reading comprehension suitable for a variety of age ranges. However, our intention in the chapter is not to provide a review of such tests but, rather, to outline some key points that should be considered when using a test and interpreting the scores obtained.
