Assessment as a Strategy to Increase Oral Reading Fluency

Abstract

For students with reading disabilities who experience difficulties with oral reading fluency, school-based interventions frequently focus on increasing speed through interventions such as repeated readings of texts. Students may not respond adequately to such “fluency only” interventions if the underlying skills that lead to fluent reading are overlooked. This article serves to bridge a theory-to-practice gap by highlighting the use of assessment as a strategy to achieve more effective reading fluency outcomes. A case example illustrates how more appropriate and thorough assessment practices can identify underlying difficulties that manifest as slowed oral reading rates. An intervention that systematically addresses the word reading difficulties often associated with a lack of oral reading fluency is described, demonstrating how considerable improvements in oral reading fluency can be achieved.