A Survey of Comprehensibility of Eighth Grade Social Studies Textbooks in the Norfolk Public School System

A comparison between publishers suggested grade levels and readability grade levels derived by the Dale­ Chall readability formula were investigated. In a junior high school social studies class of 104 students, cloze tests of comprehensibility were administered and a comparison was made with the readability grade levels of the text­ books, The results demonstrated that there was a significant difference between the publishers' suggested grade levels and those grade levels derived by the readability formula. There was also a significant difference between the grade levels and the results of the cloze tests. These findings seemed to indicate that publishers need to give additional attention to the degree of continuity between and within the levels of social studies materials. A re­evaluation of the assignment of the textbooks was indicated.