Fluency Assessment Ch. 9

What? Fluency should be assessed often! –Listen to students read aloud –Collect information about oral reading accuracy & rate (ORF & WCPM scores) –Ensures information is reliable, valid and identifies: »at-risk students »students not making progress »students’ instructional level »students needing further diagnostic evaluation –Determines if students are meeting expectations or increasing at a normal rate. prosody (tonal & rhythmic aspects of spoken language) –Teacher listens to a student’s oral reading then compares it to a reading scale or rubric. (Scale on page 334 of text)

What? continued Teachers can compare ORF scores with national norms in order to determine starting point, increase reading fluency, and make instructional decisions. Diagnosis of Dysfluent Reading (below expected level or not sufficient progress) –Using a checklist, one determines the cause before an accurate instructional plan can be created. checklist consists of – Is reading accurate? – Is reading slow? – Is reading nonprosidic?

Why? The key to successful fluency teaching is the ability to measure achievement and progress. Early identification of students not reading at the expected level is the best deterrent for future problems. Why?

When? Struggling readers will need to work on accuracy, prosody, rate or a combination of all three. K-2 nd : hear text read aloud daily 1 st : join in guided oral reading of familiar texts 2 nd : daily opportunities to frequently read text aloud with corrective feedback 3 rd -5 th : daily practice reading aloud with corrective feedback 6 th & up: abundant practice in a wide range of texts (For detailed guidelines see When to Teach Fluency chart, pg 373.)

How? Fluency instruction is best taught through: individual timed oral readings to an adult, 3 times a week, one session daily. Partner reading lessons tend to build on motivational fluency. Grades 2 and up can benefit from phrase-cued text reading. Readers Theatre emphasizes prosodic reading. It tends to motivate by providing an authentic purpose and a legitimate reason.

Conclusion Assess students’ Oral Reading Fluency often! –L–Listen to students read out loud, scoring with Words Correct Per Minute. –C–Collect information on: Accuracy (recognize or decode words correctly) Rate (how quickly text is read) Prosody (ease of oral speech scored with a rubric) Modify instruction as needed to maximize positive student outcomes!