Fluency

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Fluency
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Survey of Knowledge

• Accuracy
• Automaticity
• Fluency
• Grade-level texts
• Independent level

• Instructional level
• Prosody
• Rate
• Reading level
• WPM

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Survey of Knowledge

• Fluency
• Accuracy
• Automaticity
• Grade-level texts
• Reading level

• Independent level
• Instructional level
• Prosody
• Rate
• WPM

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Why is Fluency Important?

• Fluent readers are better able to devote their
  attention to comprehending text
• LaBerge and Samuels, 1974
• National Reading Panel, 2000
• Students who experience reading difficulties are
  most often not fluent
• Johns and Berglund, 2002
• National Reading Panel, 2000
• Pinnell et al., 1995

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What is Fluency?
Comprehension
Speed
Fluency
Accuracy
Expression
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Comprehension

• Comprehension is typically evaluated through
  retellings, answering questions, discussions,
  etc.
• Fluency is directly related to comprehension
• Helping students read quickly, accurately, and
  smoothly helps comprehension

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Speed

• Rate of reading
• Determined in words per minute (WPM) or words
  correct per minute (WCPM)

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Calculate WCPM

• One-Minute Reading

Total Number of Words Read
Example If a student reads 66 words and has 8
errors, the student reads 58 words correct per
minute
-
Number of Errors
Words Correct Per Minute (wcpm)
Always encourage students to do their best
reading and not their fastest reading
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Calculate Christophers Reading Rate

• Background Information
• Second grade (spring)
• Second grade passage
• Read passage silently
• Good level of comprehension
• Retelling
• Answering questions

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Recording Miscues

• Mispronunciation
• Substitution
• Insertion
• Omission
• Self-correction (not scored as an error)

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Calculate Christophers WCPM

• Number of words read

Number of miscues
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Suggested Reading Rates

• Forman Saunders, 1998
• Hasbrouck and Tindal, 1992)

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Setting Reading Rate Goals

• Establish a baseline reading rate to determine
  students fluency goals
• Christopher is a second grade student reading 40
  wpm at the beginning of the year
• Determine the number of words Christopher needs
  to improve each week to reach an end-of-year goal
  of 90 wpm
• Set a goal for Christopher to reach by the middle
  of the year
• Hint There are 36 weeks in a school year
• Recommended weekly improvement 1.5 to 2.0 wpm

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Accuracy

• Student recognizes most of the words
  automatically
• Little or no attention is required to identify
  words
• Some miscues will occur
• Mispronunciations
• Omissions
• Insertions

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Determining Accuracy Rate
Correct number of words read
Total number of words read

Percent accuracy

49 51 (.96) 96 (Independent level)
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Instruction

• Fluency instruction begins when students can read
  connected text with 90 or better accuracy
  (usually by the middle of first grade)
• If a student misses more than 10 of the words in
  a passage, then the material is too difficult to
  use for instruction

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Expression

• Using prosody
• Phrasing
• Pitch
• Tone
• Duration
• Not barking at the text

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Fluency Scale

• Johns and Berglund, 2002

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Assessing Fluency

• Quantitative
• Calculate reading rates
• Calculate reading accuracy rates

• Qualitative
• Observation of reading behaviors
• Use of informal rubrics

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Class Fluency Record
Johns and Berglund, 2002
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Fluency Instruction

• Beginning readers should have some basic reading
  ability before focusing on fluency
• Begin when students have a basic knowledge of
  sight vocabulary and how print works
• Fluency instruction should also be emphasized
  with older students

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Fluency Increases When Students . . .

• develop instant, efficient word recognition
  (automaticity)
• practice repeated reading of texts
• receive feedback and guidance from others
• Johns and Berglund, 2002

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Evidence-Based Strategies

• Match students reading abilities to appropriate
  materials
• Model oral reading
• Provide guided oral reading opportunities
• Offer daily opportunities for students to read
  easy materials independently
• Johns and Berglund, 2002

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Classroom Instruction

• Basic Sight Words
• Language Experience
• Readers Theater
• Echo and Choral Reading
• Phrase Boundaries
• Paired Reading
• Neurological Impress Method
• Repeated Reading
• Computer Based/Tape Assisted Reading

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The Bakers TaleA Readers Theater
www.aaronshep.com/rt
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An Important Note About Round-Robin Reading

• Round-robin reading is outdated and causes many
  problems
• No time to rehearse before reading aloud
• Slows down reading speed of those who follow
  along
• Promotes boredom, inattention, anxiety,
  embarrassment, and misbehavior
• Wastes valuable classroom time
• Opitz Rasinski, 1998

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Alternatives to Round-Robin Reading

• Independent reading
• Buddy or partner reading
• Listen to the teacher read aloud
• Listen to a classmate read aloud
• Computer or tape assisted reading

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What About the Slow Reader?

• Some students have developed accurate word
  pronunciation skills but read slowly
• Decoding is not automatic or fluent, and their
  limited fluency may affect performance
• They read less text than peers and have less time
  to remember, review, or comprehend the text
• They expend more cognitive energy than peers
  trying to identify individual words
• They may be less able to retain text in their
  memories and less likely to integrate those
  segments with other parts of the text

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Does Fluency Apply to Silent Reading?

• YES!
• Silent reading becomes more important as students
  advance to higher grades
• Most reading done by students in upper grades is
  silent
• Silent reading rates and comprehension are highly
  correlated (Carver, 1989)

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Fluency and English Language Learners

• Fluency instruction for ELL students involves
• listening to models
• repeated readings
• choral reading
• partner reading

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Students with Special Needs

• Students with disabilities benefit from
• repeated reading practice, especially in
  expository or informational texts
• more time on task
• paired reading and rereading
• additional feedback and progress monitoring

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Further Reading

• Fluency Questions, Answers and Evidence-Based
  Strategies by Jerry Johns Roberta Berglund

Be a good detective Solve the case of oral
reading fluency by Meribethe Richards (See
section 4 of Nevada Reading Academy Binder)
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Time to Reflect

• Possible Reflections
• What are you already doing in your classroom that
  was affirmed in this session?
• What have you learned?
• What are you going to try in your classroom?
• What else do you want to learn?