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Improving Fluency

Citrus: Literacy, Learners, & Leaders

Developed by Becky Smith, Debbie Stanley, and David Jackson

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Literacy is…

ListeningViewingSpeakingThinkingReadingWritingExpressing

using multiple symbol systems

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Daily Non-negotiablesMaintain a print-rich classroom

Use the seven processes of literacy

Read to and with students

Teach,model,practice strategies of expert readers and writers

Provide independent reading with accountability

Instruct phonics & phonemic awareness for K-1, and for others who have reached mastery.

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What is fluency?

Reading with …

PaceAccuracyProsody

…resulting in automaticity

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Why is fluency important?

Fluent readers have better comprehensionFluent readers perform better in content areasFluent readers score higher on FCATFluent readers read for fun

Citrus County Schools, Florida 6

What are the reading, language, and cognitive abilities that are most important in explaining individual differences in performance on the FCAT at 3rd, 7th, and 10th grades?

What kinds of skills and knowledge are particularly low in students who struggle on the FCAT?

The Florida Center for Reading Research recently conducted a study of the FCAT to answer several important questions:

FCRR Study

7

10

20

30

40

FluencyVerbal Abilities

Per

cent

of

varia

nce

acco

unte

d fo

r

50

60Non Verbal

Memory

7th Grade

43%

51%

22%

5%

What skills are particularly deficient in level 1 and level 2 readers at 7th grade?

FCAT Performance Level

1 2 3 4 5

Skill/ability

SAT9 percentile

Fluency percentile

Phonemic decoding

Verbal knowledge/ reasoning

31st 51st 68th 86th 94th

7th 25th 45th 82th 95th

27th 53rd 53rd 74th 84th

34th 45th 64th 88th 93rd

WPM on FCAT 8888 113113 122122 144144 156156

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Fluency and comprehension

Shinn (1992), reviewing twenty-eight studies, found a median correlation of 0.82Fuchs (1988), focusing on middle school, found a correlation of 0.91

Citrus County Schools, Florida 10

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How do we assess fluency?

DIBELSElementary

FORFMiddle School

FORFHigh School

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Basic Procedures for WCPM

Provide two copies of a grade-level textMark the place ] after one minuteMark errors / (skipped words, mispronunciations, substitutions, reversed order, struggles lasting three seconds)*Count the Words Correct Per Minute

*Don’t count self-corrections, insertions, or correct repetitions as errors.

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How do we improve fluency?

Teacher model

Partner reading

Reader’s theater

Student presentation

s

Listening & recording

Choral reading

Echo reading Match student with

text

Chart results to motivate

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Partner Reading Practice

Pair studentsProvide appropriate textRead for one minuteChart results

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Matching student with text

Independent > 94% accuracyInstructional 90-94%Frustration < 90%

Lexile match / Fountas & Pinnell

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3-2-1 Evaluation