Ep. 179: The RAND Reading Model with Hugh Catts

Summary
In this episode, the hosts discuss the RAND Model, a heuristic for thinking about reading comprehension. The model was developed in the late 1990s by the RAND Corporation in response to a need for more research on comprehension. The model considers three main components: the reader, the text, and the purpose or activity of reading. It emphasizes the active role of the reader in constructing meaning from the text and highlights the importance of text complexity, coherence, genre, and the context in which reading takes place. The hosts also explore the challenges of measuring reading comprehension and suggest a curriculum-based assessment approach.

Takeaways

• The RAND Model is a heuristic for thinking about reading comprehension that considers the reader, the text, and the purpose or activity of reading.
• Text complexity, coherence, genre, and the context in which reading takes place are important factors in comprehension.
• Measuring reading comprehension with standardized tests can be challenging due to the complexity of the construct.
• A curriculum-based assessment approach that measures comprehension within specific disciplines may provide a more accurate and fair assessment of reading ability.

Resources

• Ep. 177: The Five Pillars of Reading with Hugh Catts
• Ep. 178: The Simple View and Scarborough’s Reading Rope with Researcher Hugh Catts Five Pillars of Reading with Hugh Catts 
• Follow researcher Hugh Catts on Twitter (or X)
• A Heuristic for Thinking About Reading Comprehension, or the RAND Model 
• ICYMI: Ep. 118: Rethinking Reading Comprehension with Researcher Hugh Catts

We answer your questions about teaching reading in The Literacy 50-A Q&A Handbook for Teachers: Real-World Answers to Questions About Reading That Keep You Up at Night.

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