This chapter is concerned with prevention, assessment, and intervention for reading disability (dyslexia). The initial section is concerned with the reading wars that have fought over the most appropriate way to teach reading. The development of this debate over the past century is outlined and the current focus upon the highly publicized “science of reading” movement is examined and evaluated. The chapter then considers the prevention of reading disability and the nature and role of screening. In so doing, the chapter highlights the complexities of screening for dyslexia when this latter term is used both as a synonym for reading disability and alternatively as a discrete condition that applies only to some struggling readers. The bulk of the chapter is concerned with an examination of “what works” for struggling readers of different ages and levels of difficulty. The often disappointing effects of what are considered to be the most promising interventions are considered. Findings from other, less scientifically grounded, alternative treatments are reported and critiqued. Finally, the lack of any meaningful relationship between a dyslexia diagnosis and differential intervention is examined. It is noted that programs for struggling readers cannot be meaningfully determined on this basis.

Chapter 20: Reading Assessment. Reading assessments are used for many purposes, but all appropriate uses of assessment begin from an understanding of the reading construct, an awareness of the development of reading abilities, and an effort to represent the construct in assessment tasks. This chapter first presents a straightforward framework that categorizes the many uses and purposes for assessment. The chapter then outlines and describes a number of major options, though not a comprehensive set, under each category in the assessment framework. These assessment options are equally applicable in both L1 and L2 contexts, though important L2 tests and assessment practices are noted where relevant. The third section considers a number of reading-assessment innovations and challenges. The fourth section addresses two further important issues for reading assessment: Consequences of reading assessment and teacher training for reading assessment. The chapter closes with implications for teachers and for instruction.