ABSTRACT
Assessing Readability: Formulas and Alternatives
It is inappropriate to use readability formulasforpurposes other than to obtain "ballpark" estimates ofthe appropriateness of non-instructional materialsforgeneral audiences.After a review of the history,purposes, and text-based nature of formulas,this paperpresents alternatives to the use of formulas- -alternatives which are more reader-based and, thus,more consistent with current definitions of the reading
process.