Testing & Improving Reading Fluency

In my previous post, I discussed the importance of reading fluency and the impact it has on reading comprehension.  Now I will discuss how to measure and improve reading fluency.

Testing Reading Fluency

You can easily test a child’s (or your own) reading fluency by selecting a passage of appropriate grade level text.  With a timer set, have the child read the text at a normal rate for 1 minute and mark where the child stops.  Also mark any reading errors such as words that were omitted (skipped), mispronounced, substituted (read another word in its place), or pronounced by you if the child paused for a couple seconds.  It may be easiest to tape record the child and mark the errors made afterwards.  Now count up the total number of words read correctly per minute (WCPM).  You can do this process 2 more times with different passages in order to get a WCPM average, and more realistic reading fluency rate.  Jan Hasbrouck and Gerald Tindal are two researchers who did a study titled “Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Measurement” in 2004.  The data from their study provided them with oral reading fluency rates for children in grades 1-8, which is useful in determining where a child places in relation to average for a particular grade.

Improving Reading Fluency

As a speech-language pathologist I often work with students to improve their reading fluency since it so greatly affects reading comprehension.  I select an appropriate passage for the student, which may be below grade level if the student is struggling with reading fluency.  Note: It is important to select a passage that will be a bit of a challenge, but not so difficult that it will cause frustration.  Once the passage is selected I have the student read from it for 1 minute and note any reading errors that were made.  I then count the number of words he read correctly during the 60 second reading, which gives me the number of words read per minute (wpm).  Next I go over the reading errors with the student, having him sound out any words he struggled with, mispronounced, or skipped.  After the review, I have the student read the same passage a second time and stop at the same spot where he did after the first 60 second reading.  I document the amount of time it took him to read it the second time, and the number of errors he made.  Again I review any reading errors that were made (if any). I repeat this process a third time, having the student stop in the same place and then document the amount of time it took to read and number of errors he made.  Usually the student will improve his reading rate (by reading the passage in less than 60 seconds) and/or his reading accuracy (by making fewer errors) with each successive second and third reading of the passage.  After working on reading fluency, I usually have the student continue reading the paragraph or passage and then ask him a few reading comprehension questions.  Below is how I document reading fluency.

Date

Time 1: 60 seconds/ # errors/ # words per minute (wpm)

Time 2: # seconds/ # errors

Time 3: # seconds/ # errors

It is important to note that just because a student has a fast reading rate and reads accurately, it does not mean he necessarily comprehends the text being read.  Likewise it would be unwise to focus just on reading rate at the expense of having incorrect prosody or not comprehending what was read.  Notice where a child’s reading errors occur.  Are they due to rate (trying to read too fast and skipping words or maybe taking too long to decode words)?  Are they due to accuracy (reading the words incorrectly or pronouncing the words incorrectly)?  Does the child understand what was just read (if asked who, what, when, where, why type questions about the text)?  Was incorrect prosody (phrasing and expression) a factor in poor comprehension?  Or was poor comprehension due to weak vocabulary skills?  By examining the errors a child makes, I am able to determine what areas need work.  Then I can target specific skills to develop those areas and improve overall reading fluency and comprehension.

I believe the best ways to improve a child’s reading fluency and comprehension is by being read aloud to, and through practice reading aloud.  By reading aloud to a child, you are providing a model of reading rate, fluency, and expression.  You can also ask questions about what you have just read, which demonstrates the importance of comprehending what was read.  And by having the child read aloud to you, he has the opportunity to practice and get feedback on his reading fluency (i.e. rate, accuracy, and prosody).

Let me know if you have any questions about testing or improving reading fluency in the comment section below.