Fluency Overview

Fluency is the ability to read text with accuracy, speed,

and prosody (expression, emphasis, tone). From as early as
prekindergarten, children are beginning to develop fluency. Before
a child can read fluently, he or she must be able to read accurately,
which means having basic word recognition and word analysis
skills. Phoneme awareness and decoding accuracy are
prerequisites to fluency.

Texas PreKindergarten Guidelines and

TEKS - Fluency
Here's a general table of the skills related to fluency that are
expected in each grade

Grade Skill
Pre-K  identify letters and recognize sounds

Kindergarten  name letters quickly and accurately

 start matching words they hear to words they see on
the page
 sound out simple words
 recognize some words by sight

Grade 1  improve reading speed and fluency

 read connected text
 use context clues to sound out and understand
unfamiliar words

Grade 2  read aloud with proper emphasis, expression, and

prosody
 read connected text at an increased rate

Grade 3+  read increasingly complex connected text

To assist students with developing fluency, teachers should model
fluent reading, demonstrating accurate reading at a reasonable
rate with good prosody. Teachers should also ensure that students
have many opportunities to read aloud and practice.

Why Reading Fluency Matters

Reading fluency is the ability to read with accuracy and prosody
at an appropriate rate. Fluency is strongly tied to reading
comprehension. Improving students' fluency improves their ability
to comprehend what they read. When students are able to read
fluently, they are not struggling to sound out words. Therefore,
they are able to concentrate on the meaning of what they are
reading.
Teaching fluency is important at all levels. Research shows that
specifically targeting fluency in early grades (K-4) results in the
greatest gains in reading. For older students who struggle to read,
targeted fluency instruction improves their reading ability across
content areas.

Measuring Reading Fluency

Reading fluency is measured by three primary criteria:

 Accuracy - the reader's ability to correctly pronounce words

o To be a truly fluent reader, students must accurately

pronounce words with automaticity, which is the
ability to read words effortlessly. For example, a student
may spend a significant amount of time decoding
words to have strong accuracy, but this would lower
their speed.

 Prosody - the reader's ability to convey expression

o Students with strong prosody use appropriate phrasing

and emphasis. They adhere to punctuation. Their
expression matches the tone of the passage.

 Speed - the pace at which the reader reads the text

o Students who read at an appropriate speed are easily

understood because their reading is not too fast or too
slow. It is just right! Teachers keep track of
students' WPM (the number of words they can read
 correctly in one minute) to determine if they are
reading with the appropriate speed.

Strategies for Teaching Reading Fluency

Fluency is the ability to read with accuracy, prosody, and
appropriate speed. In addition to the word recognition instruction
students need to be able to pronounce words accurately, they also
need lots of opportunities to hear and practice fluent reading to
develop their own fluency.

Listed below are instructional strategies that promote fluency

development:

 Teacher-Modeled Reading: One of the best things teachers

can do to help their students develop fluency is to model
fluent reading. When reading to the class, use an appropriate
rate and expression in your voice. It is also powerful to read a
snippet without fluency, such as by reading too fast or slow
or in a robotic voice to help students fully hear the difference
between fluent and non-fluent reading.
 Choral Reading: In choral reading, the class first listens to
the teacher read a short passage aloud, and then the class
and the teacher all read it aloud at the same time. This is
sometimes referred to as "echo reading." The students will
hear fluency modeled by the teacher, and also receive the
benefits of both rereading a text and reading aloud. It is also
a low-pressure opportunity for struggling readers to read
aloud in class.

 Supervised Oral Reading: Listen in as students read texts

aloud. This is the best way to effectively assess individual
fluency needs and provide tailored instruction in the
moment.

 Rereading Familiar Text: Students should have the

opportunity to reread text on their reading level to improve
their fluency. Once unfamiliar words have been decoded,
students can focus their attention on improving their rate
and prosody. This strategy also helps build confidence for
struggling readers.

 Independent Reading: Reading fluency increases the more

students read. Encourage students to read texts that they are
able to read without support. This is a great opportunity to
encourage repeated reading. Gradually extend silent reading
times as students' reading fluency increases.

 Partner/Small Group Reading: Organize students into pairs

or small groups to read semi-independently. Place students
at similar reading levels in groups. Encourage students to
take turns reading aloud to each other from a common
book. The more opportunities students have to read aloud,
the more time they have to practice their fluency.
  Audio/Video-Assisted Reading: Play an audio recording of
a book or show an animated illustration of a book while
students read along. Select books at the students'
independent reading levels. First, direct students to point to
the words as the text is being read. Next, have the students
read along with the audio. This is another hear and then
practice strategy.

 Readers' Theater: A readers' theater is a dramatic

enactment of a play or book. It is presented in the form of a
script. When students are assigned a role to act out, they
have a unique opportunity to add expression to their
reading.

Reading Fluency Strategies for English

Language Learners
English is a difficult language to decode, and thus, it's not a
surprise that it can be a struggle for English language learners
(ELLs) to read fluently. Reading fluency consists of accuracy, rate,
and prosody while reading.

The key elements of reading fluency instruction for ELLs

include:

 Modeling fluent reading- Provide opportunities for students

to listen to texts read by native speakers.

o Shared reading - Teachers read aloud from large-

format books so students can follow along.
 Providing multiple opportunities to re-read the same text or
repeat phrases- After students have decoded all the
unfamiliar words, they can focus on their fluency.

o Songs can be used for repetition.

 Providing meaningful phrases in which students can practice

reading target words.

 Providing background knowledge and vocabulary support

before and during reading.

 Providing multiple opportunities for students to read aloud.

o Echo reading - Students mimic the teacher's rate and

expression when reading.

o Choral reading - Students read aloud together with

the teacher, or with an audio recording.

o Reader's theater - Students practice reading a script or

poem aloud.

o Partner reading - Students read aloud to a partner.

 Focusing on vocabulary development (with additional

activities that are not tied to specific texts)- Students can
read with more fluency if they have a better understanding
of what they are reading.

English language learners benefit from visual support. Any of the texts
mentioned could contain illustrations to make the fluency development
strategies even stronger.
Reading Fluency Assessment
When assessing students for accuracy, prosody, and speed in
their reading, you will need to listen to them read aloud.

Fluency can be measured through oral timed reading. The

teacher listens to a student read a grade-level passage for a set
period of time (typically sixty seconds).

Accuracy and speed are measured objectively. To calculate how

many words per minute (wpm) the student can read correctly,
listen to the student read for one minute and record how many
words are read correctly. Reversely, note how many words are read
incorrectly and subtract this from the total number of words read.

For example, if the student read 56 words and had 4 errors in one
minute, the student read 52 words correct per minute.

Timed readings should be conducted multiple times throughout a

school year to monitor student progress. The results can be
recorded on a graph for effective data analysis.

NOTE: It is important that fluency is measured using a grade-level

text. A text that is above or below grade level will shift the rate of
fluency.

Prosody can only be measured subjectively. To assess prosody,

listen for intonation and expression. Teachers can observe and
take notes during the oral reading assessment or record the
reading session and then listen again later. There are tools
available, such as the NAEP Oral Fluency Rating Scale, to use as a
guide for rating fluency.
Fluency Development
Fluency develops along with a student's reading skills. Early
readers begin by learning letter names and sight words. They
progress in fluency by reading books that contain primarily
decodable words and by having the opportunity to regularly
reread books. Early readers learn fluency through listening to
proficient readers and following along. As their decoding skills,
sight word knowledge, and vocabulary increase, the books they
read become more complex, reading longer connected texts and
eventually complex academic material. Once students master
phonemes and can decode words quickly, they can focus on
reading with prosody. To develop fluency, students should read
books that are on their current reading level, and the teacher
should provide many opportunities for students to "see" fluent
reading in action.

Fluency and Struggling Readers

Struggles with reading fluency can stem from various reading
challenges. The more specifically that teachers are able to identify
the cause, the better they will be able to help the student improve.

Some issues that may lead to fluency problems for non-automatic

readers are:

 weak word identification skills

 weak decoding skills
 limited sight word knowledge
Some issues that may lead to fluency problems for automatic
readers are:

 lacking schema or background knowledge

 unfamiliarity with more complex syntax
 unfamiliarity with academic language

A combination of listening to a student read aloud and asking

comprehension questions about what was read can help clarify the
problem and inform the teacher of the best intervention to use.
Once the teacher has determined what is causing the fluency
issue, steps should be taken to address the underlying cause.

Strategies for Fluency Development and

Intervention
Strategies for fluency development depend on the student's
needed fluency skill. Once the teacher has orally assessed a
student's reading fluency, they can tailor instruction to meet
individual student needs. Regardless of their current reading level,
strategies meant to develop fluency should be practiced using
texts on the student's current reading level. If a student is not
reading grade-level texts fluently, determine whether they are
automatic or non-automatic readers to identify the best
instructional strategies.

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