Chapter 9 Fluency Assessment Tina Jensen

What? Fluency Assessment Consists of listening to students read aloud for a given time to collect information about their oral reading accuracy, rate, and prosody. “Effective fluency assessments provide information that will guide instruction and improve student outcomes.” Hosp, Hosp, and Howell 2007

The combination of reading rate and accuracy. Good predictor of present and future reading performance. Oral Reading Fluency ORF The assessment tool used for measuring ORF. CBM data is used to assess whether students are showing adequate growth in reading. Curriculum Based Measurement CBM Words read correctly during a timed reading. Calculated by subtracting the number of errors from the total number of words read. Words Correct Per Minute WCPM What?

ORF CBM provides a reliable and valid way to: Identify students who are at risk for reading failure. Identify which students are not making adequate progress with their given instruction. Identify students’ instructional level. Identify which students need additional diagnostic evaluation. What?

ORF CBM Assessment When a student reads aloud to a teacher from an unpracticed grade-level passage for one minute. The teacher follows along and marks any errors the student makes. When the one minute expires WCPM are calculated. What?

ORF Performance Expectations When student’s performance does not meet a particular standard, a teacher should find a way to help fix the problem. ORF Norms National norms provide good indications of how students perform. Norms will indicate whether a student’s fluency growth meets grade-level expectations.

What? Weekly Growth Rates Indicate the average number of WCPM per week students are expected to gain. Grade 1: – 2 – 3 words Grade 2: – 1.5 –2 words Grade 3: – 1 –1.5 words Grade 4: – words Grade 5: – words Grade 6: – words

Why? The two best reasons for conducting ORF CBM are (1) that it is easy and time efficient to administer and score and (2) that it provides educators with information that can be used to inform instruction. -HOSP ET AL., 2007

Reading Fluency is important because: It is a good estimate of students’ reading proficiency. It helps predicts success of student reading comprehension. It helps detect students that are not reading at grade level. It allows teachers to place students in appropriate instructional settings. Why?

When should fluency testing take place? All grades 2 -8 should be assessed at the beginning of the school year. 1 st grade should be assessed starting in the middle of the year. All grades should have progress monitoring done three times a year with 1 st grade only two times. Any student that is reading below grade level should be assessed at least one or two times a month. When?

Select Appropriate Text Only use passages at the student’s grade level not at the student’s reading level. Use standardized CBM passages for assessment. How?

Sources of Standardized ORF CBM Passages Edcheckup – Grades DIBELS – Grades 1 -6 Sopris West AIMSweb – Grades

How? Listen to Students Read Locate a timer and a place to read. Explain to students that they are going to be timed for one minute. Tell them that if they come to a word they don’t know you will tell them the word. Encourage them to do their best. Time the student for one minute.

Calculate the ORF Score Once the reading is complete count the total words read and then subtract the errors. – This will give you the ORF score or WCPM. Don’t just set scores a side, compare them to ORF norms for the grade level. – Use scores to determine proficiency. How?

Record Student Data To monitor student progress it is vital to record it in some type of visual form. Graphs allow visual and numerical analysis to be presented while growth can easily be seen. Graphs can also be used within the Response to Intervention (RtI) to identify students who may need intervention services. How?

Choose grade appropriate materials Test students Calculate WCPM Graph Results Monitor & use results to provide appropriate instruction Conclusion