Fluency: Importance, Instruction and AssessmentAaron, Amy, Destiny, Jamie, and Keshia

Why is Fluency Important? The ultimate goal of reading is the

construction of meaning. Fluent reader Shift from intentional decoding to

automatic word recognition Focus changes from decoding to

comprehending

What is Fluency? Fluent reading is more than just reading

words accurately and automatically. Fluency is reading in phrases with

appropriate intonation and prosody. Reading with expression

Poor readers often struggle with prosody. comprehension

Carver’s Causal Model for Reading Achievement

Reading Efficiency

Accuracy Level

Rate Level

Verbal Knowledge

Level

Pronunciation Knowledge

Level

Cognitive Speed Level

Teach/Learn

Teach/Learn

Age

Verbal Aptitude

Pronunciation

Aptitude

Cognitive Speed Aptitude

Instruction: Repeated Readings Timed repeated reading- student reads

material at his/her instructional level for 1-2 minute timed period results are graphed, reading is repeated and results are graphed, following session repeat the process with the same passage (4 reads total in 2 sessions)

Instruction: Repeated Readings• Rasinski disagrees- all repeated reading

should be passages read as practice with the end purpose of performance– Reader’s Theater– Song of the Day– Poetry– Speeches– Read to “Buddy” (provide feedback during

practice)

Instruction: Fluent Model Teacher read aloud Books on Tape

Listening Center Echo Reading

Instruction: Silent Reading Strategies to select appropriate material Accountability

Reading response Conference with teacher “Rap”

Assessment: Fluency Traditional reading inventories focused on the

ability to read isolated words at a given grade level. Although accuracy is important to reading, it has not been proven to be sufficient evidence to predict reading comprehension.

“Fluency combines accuracy, automaticity, and oral reading prosody, which, taken together facilitate the reader’s construction of meaning. It is demonstrated during oral reading through ease of word recognition, appropriate pacing, phrasing, and intonation. It is a factor in both oral and silent reading that can limit or support comprehension”

-Kuhn, Schwanenflugel, & Meisinger, (2010)

Assessment: Accuracy Accuracy is important to reading, it has not

been proven to be sufficient evidence to predict reading comprehension.

Accuracy combined with comprehension will help determine a student’s reading level.

Oral Reading Accuracy measures: Leveled passages Missed words Self corrections Meaning change errors

Assessment: Automaticity As automaticity develops, performance is not only

accurate but increases speed. Effortlessness:

Fluent readers do not struggle and are able to recognize most words.

Most fluent readers are able to decode text while comprehending.

Flash Timed Untimed

Spelling Students word knowledge

Word recognition-timed is a superior method in predicting oral reading rate across grade levels.

Assessment: Prosody Prosody is the act of reading with

appropriate expression connected to text

English learning students will not stress words in the same way that English speaking students do, because stress patterns vary throughout different languages.

Research is currently vague that prosody could be a reliable reading assessment.

Assessment Overview We can gather significant data through a wider range of

assessments.

Above all readers need to be truly fluent instead of fast.

Disfluent readers are always aware of steps needed to decode words within text, which slows the reader down; whereas fluent readers are automatic and can identify most of the words without effort.

Accuracy alone is not strongly correlated to reading comprehension, so reading should be measured by three components, automaticity, prosody, and accuracy.

Final Thought

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