Most Commonly Asked Questions

How do I know if students need help with fluency?

What is reading fluency?
Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately, quickly and with expression. It has been recognized as one of the five critical areas of reading by the National Reading along with phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary and comprehension.

Why is reading fluency important?
The major reason it is critical is because of the relationship between fluency and comprehension. Numerous studies have examined students’ fluency and their subsequent comprehension. As student fluency increased, there was a subsequent increase in comprehension. There are two other benefits as well. Students who read fluently will choose to read more independently. When reading is not laborious, students often choose to read for pleasure. The advantages of reading are many- vocabulary building and acquisition of increased knowledge among them. Fluent readers will also be better able to complete assignments and homework.This is significant given the amount of reading assigned as students progress through school.  

How is reading fluency measured?
Oral reading fluency is measured by listening to a student read for one minute from a grade level unpracticed text and determining the number of correct words read (cwpm). Fluency for beginning reading skills can also be measured by counting the correct number of letter names or sounds.

How do I know if students need help with fluency?
Compare student scores against standardized norms provided by DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) and/or Hasbrouck, J., & Tindal. G. (2005). Oral Reading Fluency Norms Grades 1-8. Table summarized from Behavioral Research & Teaching (2005, January). Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Assessment (BRT Technical Report No. 33), Eugene,OR.

What is the best way to build reading fluency?
The Report of the National Reading Panel found that the following Techniques to be highly effective in developing fluency: Having students read and reread text three to five times or until a certain level of fluency is reached Using audiotapes, tutors or peers for repeated reading practice

Giving feedback to guide the reader’s performance
Two of the many reading fluency programs currently on the market include:

The Six Minute Solution : A Reading Fluency Program by Gail Adams and Sheron Brown (www.sopriswest.com) incorporates the research of repeated reading, progress monitoring and peer assisted learning into a fluency building program in which partners read passages to each other, give feedback and record scores using only 6 minutes of the instructional period once students are trained in the procedure.

Read Naturally by Candyce Ihnot (www.readnaturally.com) an individualized pioneering program which combines teacher modeling, repeated reading and progress monitoring into one strategy which develops the reading fluency of special education, ELL, Title One and mainstream students.