Generating readable texts for readers with low basic skills

Most NLG systems generate texts for readers with good reading ability, but SkillSum adapts its output for readers with poor literacy. Evaluation with lowskilled readers confirms that SkillSum's knowledge-based microplanning choices enhance readability. We also discuss future readability improvements

Generating Feedback Reports for Adults Taking Basic Skills Tests

SkillSum is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Generation (NLG) system that produces short feedback reports for people who are taking online tests which check their basic literacy and numeracy skills. In this paper, we describe the SkillSum system and application, focusing on three challenges which we believe are important ones for many systems which try to generate feedback reports from Web-based tests: choosing content based on very limited data, generating appropriate texts for people with varied levels of literacy and knowledge, and integrating the web-based system with existing assessment and support procedures

SkillSum: basic skills screening with personalised, computer-generated feedback

We report on our experiences in developing and evaluating a system that provided formative assessment of basic skills and automatically generated personalised feedback reports for 16-19 year-old users. Development of the system was informed by literacy and numeracy experts and it was trialled 'in the field' with users and basicskills tutors. We experimented with two types of assessment and with feedback that evolved from long, detailed reports with graphics to more readable, shorter ones with no graphics. We discuss the evaluation of our final solution and compare it with related systems

Three Approaches to Generating Texts in Different Styles

Natural Language Generation (nlg) systems generate texts in English and other human languages from non-linguistic input data. Usually there are a large number of possible texts that can communicate the input data, and nlg systems must choose one of these. We argue that style can be used by nlg systems to choose between possible texts, and explore how this can be done by (1) explicit stylistic parameters, (2) imitating a genre style, and (3) imitating an individual’s style

Generating basic skills reports for low-skilled readers

We describe SkillSum, a Natural Language Generation (NLG) system that generates a personalised feedback report for someone who has just completed a screening assessment of their basic literacy and numeracy skills. Because many SkillSum users have limited literacy, the generated reports must be easily comprehended by people with limited reading skills; this is the most novel aspect of SkillSum, and the focus of this paper. We used two approaches to maximise readability. First, for determining content and structure (document planning), we did not explicitly model readability, but rather followed a pragmatic approach of repeatedly revising content and structure following pilot experiments and interviews with domain experts. Second, for choosing linguistic expressions (microplanning), we attempted to formulate explicitly the choices that enhanced readability, using a constraints approach and preference rules; our constraints were based on corpus analysis and our preference rules were based on psycholinguistic findings. Evaluation of the SkillSum system was twofold: it compared the usefulness of NLG technology to that of canned text output, and it assessed the effectiveness of the readability model. Results showed that NLG was more effective than canned text at enhancing users' knowledge of their skills, and also suggested that the empirical 'revise based on experiments and interviews' approach made a substantial contribution to readability as well as our explicit psycholinguistically inspired models of readability choices

Deriving content selection rules from a corpus of non-naturally occurring documents for a novel NLG application

We describe a methodology for deriving content selection rules for NLG applications that aim to replace oral communications from human experts by written communications that are generated automatically. We argue for greater involvement of users and for a strategy for handling sparse data

Readability of textbook vs Linus screening text: Implication on year 4 post Linus pupils

Reading is one of the most important skills that need to be acquired. Due to this the Malaysian government implemented the LINUS programme in school to help pupils master the basic skill involved English. The problems for most LINUS pupils come after they pass their LINUS screening. They were not able to read most materials in the text and read with difficulty. It is hoped that by finding the readability level of the texts in the textbook and the LINUS screening it will shed a light on how teacher could handle the problems. For this study 6 texts; 3 from each the Textbook and LINUS screening respectively was chosen randomly. The texts were calculated using the SMOG, FOG, Flesch-Kincaid and Spache formula to obtain their readability level. Spearman correlation test was conducted to see the consistency between the readability formulas in predicting the difficulty level. It is found that the texts in the textbook is more difficult compared to the LINUS texts

Guidance on the principles of language accessibility in National Curriculum Assessments : research background

This review accompanies the document, which describes the principles which should guide the development of clear assessment questions. The purpose of the review is to present and discuss in detail the research underpinning these principles. It begins from the standpoint that National Curriculum assessments, indeed any assessments, should be: - appropriate to the age of the pupils - an effective measure of their abilities, skills and concept development - fair to all irrespective of gender, language, religion, ethnic or social origin or disability. (Ofqual, 2011) The Regulatory Framework for National Assessments: National Curriculum and Early Years Foundation Stage (Ofqual, 2011) sets out a number of common criteria which apply to all aspects of the development and implementation of National Assessments. One of these criteria refers to the need for assessment procedures to minimise bias: “The assessment should minimise bias, differentiating only on the basis of each learner’s ability to meet National Curriculum requirements” (Section 5.39, page 16). The Framework goes on to argue that: “Minimising bias is about ensuring that an assessment does not produce unreasonably adverse outcomes for particular groups of learners” (Annex 1, page 29). This criterion reinforces the guiding principle that any form of assessment should provide information about the knowledge and understanding of relevant content material. That is to say that the means through which this knowledge and understanding is examined, the design of the assessment and the language used should as far as possible be transparent, and should not influence adversely the performance of those being assessed. There is clearly a large number of ways in which any given assessment task can be presented and in which questions can be asked. Some of these ways will make the task more accessible – that is, easier to complete successfully – and some will get in the way of successful completion. Section 26 of the Fair Access by Design (Ofqual, 2010) document lists a number of guiding principles for improving the accessibility of assessment questions, although the research basis for these principles is not made completely clear in that document. The aim of the current review is to examine the research background more closely in order to provide a more substantial basis for a renewed set of principles to underpin the concept of language accessibility. In the review, each section will be prefaced by a statement of the principles outlined in Guidance on the Principles of Language Accessibility in National Curriculum Assessments and then the research evidence underpinning these principles will be reviewed

An Analysis of the Use of Picture in Helping Students’ Generating Ideas in Writing Descriptive Text

This research aims to investigate whether or not the use of picture helps students’ ability in generating ideas in writing descriptive text and to explore the students’ responses toward the use of pictures in generating ideas in writing descriptive text. This research used descriptive quantitative approach; and the data were collected through test and questionnaire. This research was conducted at second grade of SMPN I Danau Paris; and the writer took class VIII-A as the sample of this study by using random sampling. The result of the study revealed that the pre-test was 13, 40 and the post-test was 15, 88; it means that post-test was higher than pre-test. It can be concluded that picture helped students in generating ideas in writing descriptive text. Furthermore, the finding of the questionnaire showed that 10 students (37%) had high score while 17 students (63%) had very high score, and none of the students had very low score and low score. In conclusion, students gave positive responses toward the use of picture in helping them in generating ideas

Adolescent Literacy and Textbooks: An Annotated Bibliography

A companion report to Carnegie's Time to Act, provides an annotated bibliography of research on textbook design and reading comprehension for fourth through twelfth grade, arranged by topic. Calls for a dialogue between publishers and researchers