How To Use Tools To Assess Reading Fluency - Discover One Quick Way

Picture this scenario: Your child just learned tominute timing should you attempt to correct your
read, but reads slowly. You start to wonder justchild or make any comments. Remember, you
how well is your child doing? He can read, butare trying to get the most accurate picture
does speed matter? Yes, speed does matter! Ipossible of your child's reading abilities.
will describe one tool you can use to assess yourOnce the one minute timing is up, have your child
child's reading fluency.count up all the words in the passage they just
What does it mean to be a fluent reader? Well, toread. To figure out the reading rate, you will
be considered fluent, a child should be reading outsubtract the mistakes from the total number of
loud at a rate of 200-250 words a minute. If awords read. For example, let's say that a second
child reads too slowly, his reading comprehensiongrader named John made 5 mistakes in a 150
is going to suffer. To be a fluent reader it isword passage read in one minute. To calculate
necessary to sound out words effortlessly andJohn's reading rate you would subtract the 5
automatically without struggling over the sounds.mistakes from the 150 words to get 145 words
In this way all of a child's attention can be focusedread in one minute. You would then say that John
on the ideas of what he is reading, instead of thecould read at a second grade level of a rate of
individual sounds in words.145 words/minute.
One very easy way to assess reading fluency isOne tool described to assess reading fluency was
to first give your child a grade appropriate bookto take the correct number of words read in one
to read. By grade appropriate, I mean a bookminute and compare it to the reading fluency
that is at the level your child is currently reading.range of 200-250 words/minute. This is a very
In this way the words and concepts in the bookeasy way to quickly assess how well your child is
will not be too hard or frustrating to figure out.reading. Anybody can do it, just remember to
Then you should time your child reading out loudtake the grade level of the reading material into
for one minute. As your child is reading, count allaccount. A child who can read The Cat in the Hat
of the mistakes he makes in pronunciation, or influently will not necessarily be able to read Tom
adding and deleting words. At no point in the oneSawyer fluently.