A deep, developmental construct and definition of fluency, in which fluency and reading comprehension have a reciprocal relationship, is explicated and contrasted with superficial approaches to that construct. The historical development of fluency is outlined, along with conclusions of the U.S. National Reading Panel, to explore why fluency has…

This article explains the elements of reading fluency and ways to assess and teach them. Fluent reading has three elements: accurate reading of connected text, at a conversational rate with appropriate prosody. Word reading accuracy refers to the ability to recognize or decode words correctly. Reading rate refers to both word-level automaticity…

In this article, the author, a Oscar Causey award winner, examines the major concepts that have characterized his 40-year career in literacy research. He describes how his understanding of these concepts developed, and particularly who and what influenced his work and how he used these influences. A summary of his current understandings and…

To evaluate the usefulness of two DIBELS subtests (Phonemic Segmentation Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency), 107 kindergartners and 101 first-graders who had taken the DIBELS were given a writing-of-words task and the Slosson Oral Reading Test of sight words. In addition, the 1st-graders' DIBELS included an Oral Reading Fluency subtest that…

By taking the time to read to and with their children, fathers can play an important role in helping children learn to read. "Dad's Playbook" tells the stories of 20 dads from different walks of life who are giving their kids the best shot at a bright future by helping them learn to read. This National Institute for Literacy Partnership for…

Students learning English as a new language are the fastest-growing group in U.S. schools today. These students speak many languages, their reading levels cover a wide range, and they experience great cognitive demands as they learn both language and content in order to participate fully in class. Literature can play a critical role in immersing…

Research was conducted to ascertain if a combined repeated reading and question generation intervention was effective at improving the reading achievement of fourth through eighth grade students with learning disabilities or who were at risk for reading failure. Students were assigned to a treatment or control group via a stratified random…

This study examined the effects of a systematic, phonics-based reading intervention on the oral reading fluency and accuracy of adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) receiving educational services in a juvenile correctional facility. A multiple-baseline design across four participants was used to calculate the effect of daily,…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a supplemental peer-mediated reading program on reading achievement of first graders (N = 76) in a two-way bilingual immersion (TWBI) program. Nearly 80% of students were Hispanic; of these, 24 were identified as English language learners (ELLs). Classrooms were randomly assigned to…

A study examined growth in oral reading fluency in second, third, and fourth grade students after a treatment of intensive instruction. The 53 subjects were assigned to either an experimental or a control group, and all were administered form A of the Diagnostic Screening Test: Reading, to determine their independent reading level, instructional…

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…

Reading instruction for educable mentally handicapped students requires the use of flexible learning strategies and teaching techniques for basic sight word training; instruction in phonic analysis, structural analysis, and contextual analysis; comprehension lessons; and fluency development. Sample techniques (for fluency development) include…

Reports on a study to examine a method for increasing spelling and sight word reading accuracy, by incorporating spelling and reading remediation techniques. Reports a mean gain of 2.6 years for spelling and 1.6 years for sight word recognition. (RAE)

Three instructional approaches have worked well in increasing reading fluency of students with reading difficulties: previewing; hypothesis/test training; and repeated readings. However, it is crucial that students also receive instruction in reading comprehension. (CB)