An Interactive View of Reading Comprehension: Implications for Assessment.

Purpose: This clinical focus article explores further the multidimensional view of reading comprehension put forward by Catts and Kamhi (2017) in this clinical forum and its implications for reading assessment.

Method: It is argued that a multidimensional or interactive view of reading predicts variability in student performance on reading assessments as a function of the interaction among reader, text, and task factors.

Result: Student performance on any given reading assessment should be interpreted in relation to the specific reading demands of the assessment, rather than as a fixed ability that generalizes to any given reading situation.

Conclusion: This view implies a different approach to the use of both summative and classroom assessment than is currently common practice.