June 1990
                                                              
                       POLICE PRACTICES:                                   
                  THE NELSON-DENNY EXPERIMENT
                               
                                                                  
     The Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA) 
provides statewide law enforcement basic training to officers who 
have no other basic training available to them.  Over 100 
agencies train their cadets at ALETA.                             

THE PROBLEM
                                                       
     A major problem encountered at the academy was the large 
number of academic failures among minority police recruits, 
especially Native Americans.  One of the critical areas in which 
the trainees were deficient was reading comprehension, which 
impacted on their ability to read and understand material from 
the required reading list.                                       

THE SOLUTION
                                                      
     To address the problem, at the outset of basic training, the 
Nelson-Denny Reading Test was administered to the recruits in 
order to determine their individual reading comprehension level. 
The test has been standardized and validated with a primary 
purpose of providing a trustworthy ranking of a student's ability 
in reading comprehension, vocabulary development, and reading 
rate--the three most important skills in the reading process.     

     In addition to being standardized and valid, the 
Nelson-Denny Reading Test has a simple format, is administered 
easily, can be graded quickly by converting answer sheets to a 
computer Scantron grading process, and is equated to a public 
school grade level range of 3.6 to 16.9.  Total administration 
time is less than 45 minutes.  Forms of the test can be used 
interchangeably as a pretest and post-test to measure the 
recruits' growth in vocabulary and comprehension.                 

     Pretest scores showed that Native Americans, Hispanics, and 
blacks usually scored in the low grade levels (5 to 11), while 
the majority of the nonminorities scored in the higher levels (12 
to 16.9).  In an effort to improve minority reading levels, it 
was decided to have recruits with high comprehension levels tutor 
those with lower comprehension levels.  After the pretest was 
administered during orientation, the cadet classes, which ranged 
in size from 40 to 50 recruits, were divided into four squads of 
10 or more recruits.  The high Nelson-Denny scorers were assigned 
to tutor (or be a mentor to) the low scorers throughout the 12 
weeks of training.  This concept was facilitated by assigning a 
pair as roommates in the dormitories, whenever possible.          

THE RESULTS                                                       

     The results of the Nelson-Denny experiment were immediate 
and dramatic.  The academic failure rate among minorities fell 
from around 80 to 85% to below 15%.  Overall academic failures of 
all ethnic classes fell from 20% to 10%, excluding terminations 
due to physical training deficiencies or resignations.            

     After a minimum of 300 recruits had been tested for a 
statistical base, a grade level of 10.9 was determined to be 
critical for success in the basic training.  Thus, a police 
recruit with a Nelson-Denny grade level below 10.9 would 
experience academic difficulties at ALETA.  The critical grade 
level proved to be extremely accurate with each new recruit 
class.                                                            

     The Nelson-Denny Reading Test has gained statewide 
acceptance as a pre-employment screening instrument once the 10.9 
grade level was identified as critical for success.  On September 
1, 1989, the Arizona Law Enforcement Officers Advisory Council 
made it a requirement that all certified basic training academies 
in Arizona administer a reading test, with the recommendation 
that the Nelson-Denny Reading Test be used.  And while the test 
should never be the sole determinant of success in police basic 
training, it can be a screening device, in conjunction with other 
test results, for pre-employment screening of a police applicant, 
if properly used.                                                 

____________

    Information for this column was submitted by Lt. Samuel T. 
Ragland of the Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy, Tucson, 
Arizona.