Transcript Reading Fluency Marcy Stein, Ph.D. University of Washington, Tacoma Outline       Fluency Definitions Research Support for Building Fluency Fluency Building: Instructional Methods Fluency Building: Monitoring Fluency Progress Books.

Reading Fluency
Marcy Stein, Ph.D.
University of Washington, Tacoma
Outline
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Fluency Definitions
Research Support for Building Fluency
Fluency Building: Instructional Methods
Fluency Building: Monitoring Fluency Progress
Books and Programs
References and Websites
Fluency Definitions
Fluency as Assessment
Reading Fluency Interventions
Fluency as Assessment

Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) is a
set of standard simple, short-duration fluency
measures of reading, spelling, written
expression, and mathematics computation.

“One-Minute Timings”
Fluency as Assessment

Purpose of CBM: Progress Monitoring
 Student performance is assessed continuously
during instruction.
 Decisions are made about whether student progress
is satisfactory or not.
 DIBELS, AIMSWEB
Defining Fluency
“Fluency is the ability to read a text quickly,
accurately, and with proper expression.”
National Reading Panel, 2000
Defining Fluency
“Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and
quickly. When fluent readers read silently, they
recognize words automatically. They group
words quickly in ways that help them gain
meaning from what they read. Fluent readers
read aloud effortlessly and with expression.
Their reading sounds natural, as if they are
speaking.”
Put Reading First, 2001
Defining Fluency
“Fluency is the ability to read with sufficient ease
and accuracy that one can focus attention on
the meaning and message of text.”
Adams, 2002
Factors Contributing to Fluency
Reading
Speed
FLUENCY
Prosody
Accuracy
Defining Accuracy

Independent level (95%-100% accuracy)
 Instructional level (90%-94% accuracy)
 Frustration level (<90% accuracy)
Defining Reading Speed

Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)
 Grade-level norms
 Set goals.
 Determine students with high needs.
Norms for Oral Reading Fluency
Grades 2-5
Grade
2
3
4
5
Percentile
Fall
WCPM
Winter
WCPM
Spring
WCPM
75
82
106
124
50
53
78
94
25
23
46
65
75
107
123
142
50
79
93
114
25
65
70
87
75
125
133
143
50
99
112
118
25
72
89
92
75
126
143
151
50
105
118
128
25
77
93
100
WCPM = words correct per minute
Hasbrouck & Tindal, 1992
Defining Prosody
“The compilation of spoken language features that
includes stress or emphasis, pitch variations,
intonation, reading rate, and pausing.”
Osborn & Lehr, 2003
Research Support for Building
Fluency
Fluency and Reading Comprehension
Theory of Automaticity

More Fluent Readers direct relatively little
effort to the act of reading, allowing them to
focus active attention on meaning and
message.
 Less Fluent Readers must direct considerable
effort to the act of reading, leaving little attention
for reflecting on its meaning and message.
Foorman & Mehta, 2002; Samuels, 2002
Theory of Automaticity
Less fluent readers need
to allocate more resources
to decoding.
decoding
More fluent readers have
more resources available
for comprehension.
comprehension
Fluency and Reading Comprehension
Oral reading fluency was more closely related to
reading comprehension (as measured by a
standardized test) than to word recognition of
words drawn from the oral reading passage.
Fuchs, Fuchs, & Maxwell, 1988
Fluency and Reading Comprehension
Correct Words Per
Minute
Oral Cloze
(Synonym)
Written Cloze
(Synonym)
SAT
Comprehension
Question
Answering
SAT Word Study
Oral Retell
(Content Words)
Written Retell
(Content Words)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
NAEP Oral Reading Fluency Scale
Level 4: Reads primarily in larger, meaningful phrase groups. Although
some regressions, repetitions, and deviations from text may be present, these
do not appear to detract from the overall structure of the story. Preservation of
the author's syntax is consistent. Some or most of the story is read with
expressive interpretation.
Level 3: Reads primarily in three- or four-word phrase groups. Some
smaller groupings may be present. However, the majority of phrasing seems
appropriate and preserves the syntax of the author. Little or no expressive
interpretation is present.
Level 2: Reads primarily in two-word phrases with some three- or four-word
groupings. Some word-by-word reading may be present. Word groupings
may seem awkward and unrelated to larger context of sentence or passage.
Level 1: Reads primarily word-by-word. Occasional two-word or three-word
phrases may occur-but these are infrequent and/or they do not preserve
meaningful syntax.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95762.asp
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Listening to Children Read Aloud, 15. Washington, DC: 1995
NAEP 4th-Grade Oral Reading Study
Nonfluent
Fluent
Fluency
Level 1
Fluency
Level 2
Fluency
Level 3
Fluency
Level 4
Percent Accuracy
94
94
96
97
Words per Minute
65
89
126
162
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95762.asp
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Listening to Children Read Aloud, 15. Washington, DC: 1995
Oral vs. Silent Reading
“Most of the evidence cited to support
independent silent reading comes from
correlational rather than experimental
research.”
National Reading Panel, 2000
Oral vs. Silent Reading
“Of the few experimental studies on the effects of
independent reading, most have found small or
no gains in reading achievement as a result of
such activity.”
Osborn & Lehr, 2003
So… What Works?
Guided, Oral, Repeated Reading
Fluency Building: Instructional
Methods
Building Reading Fluency

Model fluent reading, then have students reread
the text on their own.
 Provide guided, oral, repeated reading practice.
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student-adult reading (parent, tutor, paraeducator)
partner reading (small group, class-wide)
tape-assisted reading
computer-assisted
reader’s theater
Osborn & Lehr, 2003
Put Reading First, 2001
Rasinski, 2003
Guided, Oral, Repeated Reading

Guided
 benefits from feedback
 feedback from peers or adults

Oral
 student engagement

Repeated
• three or more repetitions or to specified criterion
• motivating activity
Repeated Reading: Student-Adult

Significantly increases reading rate, accuracy,
and comprehension
 Works with older students as well as elementary
children
 Fosters fluent word recognition through multiple
exposures to words
Repeated Reading: Student-Adult

Direct students to reread a relatively short
passage (50-200 words) until:
 a predetermined level of fluency is attained,
or
 the text has been read 3-5 times.
Repeated Reading: Partner Reading
Before using partner reading for repeated reading,
do the following:
1. Designate reading partners.
2. Select appropriate reading materials.
3. Assemble materials.
4. Implement the program.
Step 1:
Designate Partners
Rank order students according to results of
survey-level assessment.
b. Split the list in half to form pairs.
c. Pair top-ranked reader of the higherperforming half with top-ranked reader of the
lower-performing half; do the same for the two
students who are second on each list and so
on until all students are paired.
a.
Step 2:
Select Reading Materials
Identify materials appropriate for the lower
reader’s instructional reading level (90%-94%
accuracy).
b. Have both partners read the same passage
from the same material.
c. Have enough materials selected for two new
passages per week.
a.
Step 3:
Assemble Materials

What Teachers Need
 timing device
 list of partner pairings
 description of partner roles

What Students Need
 reading partner
 reading material
 folder
Step 4:
Implement Partner Reading

The stronger reader reads aloud; this models
fluent reading.
 The less fluent reader reads aloud the SAME
text for the same length of time.
 After both partners have read, one partner asks
the other to:
 identify the sequence of the key ideas.
 tell the main idea.
Tape-Assisted Reading

Purpose: To give students support and a sense
of the proper phrasing and speed of fluent
reading.

The student:
 listens to text read at 80-100 wpm by a fluent reader
and follows along by pointing to the text.
 reads aloud in sync with tape subvocalizing the
words.
 reads same text independently following repeated
reading procedures.
Computer-Assisted Reading
www.readingassistant.com
Reader’s Theater

Use of scripts (plays, poetry, expository text)
 No costumes, props, or scenery
 Multiple opportunities for meaningful practice
Reader’s Theater Weekly Activities

Select or write a script (see Resources)
 Monday: Introduce activity; assign parts.
 Tuesday-Thursday: Have students practice.
 Friday: Have students perform.
Rasinski, 2003
Fitting It In

before school
 during school
 lunch
 recess
 school-wide reading time
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after school
Getting Kids on the Ball
Basketball-loving Tacoma students
get a reading on educational priorities
The News Tribune, 1/21/2004
Andre Stout and Trevor Wong coach youth
basketball at the North Tacoma Boys & Girls Club
The tutors time the
students as they
read passages
written for various
grade levels,
marking on a sheet
how many words
they read in one
minute.
The News Tribune, 1/21/2004
After each reading,
tutors help them
with words they
find difficult. The
children read each
passage three
times before
moving on to
another.
The News Tribune, 1/21/2004
“The teachers tell you this stuff works in class,
and you’re like, ‘yeah,’” Wong said. “Then you
come out here and see it. You’re like, ‘Wow.’”
The News Tribune, 1/21/2004
Guided, Oral, Repeated Reading
Two essential features:
 Opportunities for Practice
 Guidance and Feedback
Monitoring Fluency Progress
Graphing Fluency Progress
Making Instructional Decisions
Determining WCPM
Graphing Fluency Progress

Adult Monitoring (teacher, paraeducator, tutor)
 Student Self-Monitoring
As part of a repeated reading program, the
student may record the wcpm of their first “cold”
reading on a graph.
On each subsequent reading, the student
records the increase in fluency.
© 2004, Pearson Education, Inc.
QuickReads
Making Instructional Decisions
Determine Annual Goals

Begin with the median score (middle) of
baseline (approximately three assessments)
 Calculate wcpm for each remaining week
 Grades 1-2: 2 to 3 words per week
 Grades 3-5: 1 to 2 words per week

If a 1st-grader reads 25 wcpm today…
 how many wcpm should s/he read next week? 27-28
 in 5 weeks? 35-40
 in 10 weeks? 45-55
Corrective Reading
Individual Reading Progress Chart
© 1999, SRA/McGrawl-Hill.
Decoding B1: Lessons 12-35
Determining WCPM
WCPM = Total Words Read – Errors
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
Scored as Errors
Scored as Correct
 Mispronunciations/Word
 Repetitions
Substitutions
 Omissions
 Hesitations
 Reversals
 Self-Corrections’
 Insertions
 Dialect/Articulation
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Special Cases
 Numerals
 Hyphenated Words
 Abbreviations
Practice Activity
Monitoring Reading Fluency
Books & Programs
www.scholastic.com
http://www.prel.org/programs/rel/fluency.asp
http://www.readnaturally.com/
Read Naturally
Masters Edition (ME) Steps
1. Select Story. The student selects a story from the packet at the correct reading level
and gets the cassette or audio CD for the story.
2. Read Along—Key Words: The student reads the key words and definitions with the
recording.
3. Prediction: The student writes a sentence using the title, picture, and key words to
predict what the story will say about the topic.
4. Cold Timing: The student times himself/herself for one minute, orally reading the
selected story for the first time and underlining unknown words.
5. Graph in Blue: The student graphs the number of words read correctly in one minute.
6. Read Along: The student reads the story three times, tracking and subvocalizing, with
the recording.
7. Practice: The student practices reading the story without the audio tape several times
until able to read at the predetermined goal rate. Students time each practice.
8. Answer Questions: The student answers the questions about the story.
Read Naturally
Masters Edition (ME) Steps
9. Pass Story: The teacher times the student for one minute on the story, subtracts
the errors, and determines if the student has reached the goal. To pass, the student
must also make less than three errors, read with good expression, and answer the
comprehension questions correctly.
10. Graph in Red: The student graphs the number of words read correctly in the oneminute timing. The student marks the same bar of the graph used in step 4.
11. Retell/Word List: The student writes a retell of the story either writing a specific
number of ideas from a story or writing for a specific amount of time. In the phonics
levels, the student practices the word list until s/he is able to read a predetermined
number of words in one minute.
Repeat. Begin a New Story: The student repeats steps 1-10 with a new story.
Adjust. Adjust Goals/Levels: After the student completes 12 stories in a level,
consider adjusting the student's goal or level.
http://www.readnaturally.com/how-steps.htm
www.pearsonlearning.com
http://www.greatleaps.com/
www.sopriswest.com
Conclusion

Fluency is important because it is related to
reading comprehension.
 Reading fluency can be developed by engaging
students in guided, oral, repeated reading
activities.
 Monitoring student progress in reading fluency:
 can be motivating to students.
 is useful in setting instructional goals.
References & Websites
References
Adams, M.J. (2002, November). The promise of speech recognition. PowerPoint
presentation at A Focus on Fluency Forum, San Francisco, CA. Available at http://
www.prel.org/programs/rel/fluency/Adams.ppt
Armbruster, B.B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2001). Put reading first: The research building
blocks for teaching children to read. Jessup, MD: National Institute for Literacy.
Chard, D. J., Vaughn, S. & Tyler, B. J. (In press). A synthesis of research on effective
interventions for building reading fluency with elementary students with learning
disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities.
Dowhower, S. L. (1989). Repeated reading: Research into practice. The Reading
Teacher, 42, 502-507.
Foorman, B. R., & Mehta, P. (2002, November). PowerPoint presentation at A Focus on
Fluency Forum, San Francisco, CA. Available at
http://www.prel.org/programs/rel/fluency/Foorman.ppt
Fuchs, L. S., Fuchs, D., & Maxwell, L. (1988). The validity of informal reading
comprehension measures. Remedial and Special Education, 9 (2), 20-28.
References
Hasbrouck, J. E., & Tindal, G. (1992). Curriculum-based oral reading fluency norms for
students in grades 2 through 5. Teaching Exceptional Children, 24, 41-44.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching
children to read. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development.
Osborn, J., Lehr, F., & Hiebert, E. (2003). A focus on fluency. Honolulu, HI: Regional
Educational Laboratory at Pacific Resources for Education and Learning. Available
online at www.prel.org/programs/rel/rel.asp.
Rasinski, T. V. (2003). The fluent reader. New York, NY: Scholastic Professional Books.
Samuels, S. J. (2002). Reading fluency: Its development and assessment. In A. E.
Farstrup & S. J. Samuels (Eds.), What research has to say about reading instruction
(3rd ed., pp. 166-183). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Websites
Reports on Reading
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95762.asp
Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Listening to Children Read Aloud, 15. Washington, DC: 1995
A Focus on Fluency
http://www.prel.org/programs/rel/rel.asp
Put Reading First
http://www.nifl.gov/
National Reading Panel Report
http://www.nationalreadingpanel.org
Websites
Professional Development
http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/products/primary_fluency.asp
Reader’s Theater
Reader’s Theater Script Service – Primary grades
http://www.readers-theatre.com
From Script to Stage – Grades K-8
http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/