A study examined the relative effectiveness of repeated readings and listening-while-reading in promoting reading fluency. Subjects, 20 third grade students in a community in the southeastern United States, of high, average, and low reading levels, had their reading fluency measured in two cycles: subjects who repeatedly read a passage in the…

Findings from a study which compared methods for improving students' (N=20) reading fluency indicate: (1) both repeated readings and listening-while-reading treatments were effective in improving reading fluency and, (2) neither treatment was superior to the other in improving reading fluency. (IAH)

Focuses on the development of and research into well-articulated models of reading fluency instruction that make fluency an integral part of the regular reading curriculum. Brings to light ways in which reading fluency instruction can be made an important part of and an achievable goal for the general reading curriculum. (SR)

Determines grade-level reading rates for third- and fifth-grade students as well as reading rates that correspond to independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels as determined through informal reading-inventory procedures. Suggests that availability of reading-level-rate norms can assist reading diagnosticians in evaluating the…

With the publication of the report of the National Reading Panel (National Institute for Child Health and Human Development [NICHD], 2000), reading fluency has become more recognized as a key element in successful reading programs in the primary grades. This article describes a study that assessed the decoding accuracy and fluency levels of a…

Summer reading loss is a documented reality for many students. It is often of greatest concern for those who are already at risk, who typically have limited access to reading materials at home and whose parents or caregivers may be reluctant or unsure of how to help. By raising parents' awareness of the importance of supporting their children's…

Although research efforts into improving reading fluency and general reading performance through fluency training have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, basal reading approaches still dominate reading instruction, and fluency is rarely viewed as an important component of the instructional package. Several models of reading fluency instruction…

Examines how elementary students referred for compensatory remedial reading services performed on several key reading process variables: word recognition errors, meaning-changing errors, comprehension, and reading rate. Finds word recognition and comprehension variables approached instructional levels, and reading rate alone was significantly…

Methods shown to be effective in helping less fluent readers develop fluency suggest a set of principles that teachers may find helpful in designing regular classroom activities for fluency development. These principles include: (1) repeated reading of one text or meeting target words repeatedly in a variety of texts; (2) teacher modeling of…

Examines key concepts in a thorough understanding of fluent oral reading, noting such fluency is often neglected in classroom reading instruction. The article outlines procedures, activities, and instruments which encourage teachers to attend closely to students' oral reading fluency. With sufficient training, teachers can become accurate judges…

Measures of reading fluency were investigated as predictors of reading comprehension for 77 third graders and 65 fifth graders. Several of the eight measures investigated were found to be good predictors of comprehension with the potential for use by teachers. Results show that reading fluency is a multidimensional reading construct. (SLD)

Argues that reading rate should not be ignored, but rather seen as evidence of excessively slow processing of text, and thus as a diagnostic indicator. Describes how excessively slow, disfluent reading leads to less overall reading, to reading frustration, and is associated with poor comprehension. Describes authentic and engaging instructional…

A study tested the effects of an approach for improving reading fluency on the general reading and fluency development of second-grade students in regular classrooms. Subjects were from two elementary schools in a large, urban, ethnically diverse school district. There were 30 students in 2 classrooms in a school located in a working class…

A study sought to create and pilot a reasonable method for estimating reading rate by grade level and level of reading proficiency within grade level, and to identify reasonable estimates of reading rate at independent, instructional, and frustration levels of reading. Data were elicited from 66 third grade and 64 fifth grade students attending…

In order to test the efficacy of having college students read texts in which phrase boundaries are explicitly cued, the phrased text treatments were administered to 42 college students from 3 developmental reading courses in one southeastern university. An experimental group was given the phrased texts, while a control group was given the…