Discusses reading fluency, the role of fluency in reading, and how fluency works. Suggests students' fluency and reading comprehension can be boosted by combining the technique of repeated reading and Readers Theatre--the combination is an effective and viable means of motivating children to read a text. (RS)

Effects of differentiated feedback on the oral reading rate of three secondary students with learning disabilities were studied. The study found that visual feedback increased the overall reading rate more than verbal feedback or miscue analysis. Using both visual and miscue analysis feedback yielded the greatest reading accuracy. (CR)

In this case study, reading fluency was examined within the context of a paired reading instructional intervention. Additionally, this study explored reader self perceptions and the nature of the lived experience of reading for a less skilled reader. A single subject changing criterion design was employed. Baseline reading fluency data were…

The Reading First Initiative supports the importance of classroom teachers' use of diagnostic tests that are "scientifically based." This article focuses on the new assessment known as DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills. DIBELS is composed of the following subtests: phonological awareness (recognizing initial…

This article describes the use of curriculum-based measurement, specifically oral reading fluency, as a tool for monitoring students' overall reading achievement. A brief overview of curriculum-based measurement is provided as well as a description of procedures for collecting and graphing data. A case study illustrates the application of…

Just a few years ago, a set of tests known as "dibbles" would have elicited little more than a chuckle from educators or anyone else. Today, they're taking it seriously, because the acronym DIBELS has come to symbolize the standard for early-literacy assessment throughout much of the country. Teachers in Reading First schools in more…

Prosodic, or expressive, reading is considered to be one of the essential features of the achievement of reading fluency. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the degree to which the prosody of syntactically complex sentences varied as a function of reading speed and accuracy and (b) the role that reading prosody might play in mediating…

This article presents a fluency-based measure of reading comprehension. A part of the Vitals Indicators of Progress (VIP) system, the measure outlined here represents an alternate form to the retell-fluency measure in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy System (DIBELS). Measures of retell fluency provide an efficient, fluency-based tool…

The purpose of this article is to present the use of repeated readings with word boxes instruction with a sample of high school students who were classified with severe reading delays. Repeated readings and word boxes are designed to help children increase fluency and acquire word identification skills, respectively. These approaches were also…

Neuroimaging studies have suggested that across different written languages, skilled reading behavior is supported by similar, largely left hemisphere (LH), networks. In addition, recent studies of reading disability (RD) in monolingual readers, conducted in several languages, suggest a common neurobiological signature for this syndrome…

The purpose of this study was to compare the cognitive abilities and selected achievement performance of females and males across the lifespan on standardization samples of broad cognitive abilities in 1987 participants (1102 females, 885 males) from the WJ III, 4253 participants (2014 males, 2239 females) from the WJ-R, and 4225 participants…

Nearly 40% of America's fourth-grade students are below the basic level in reading. Creating opportunities for practice to build reading accuracy and speed (i.e., fluency) is an important link between word decoding and passage comprehension. The purpose of this study was to combine several empirically validated reading interventions into an…

Children who fail to become fluent readers by the end of the primary grades are likely to achieve below same-age peers throughout their school careers. With growing use of curriculum-based measures (CBMs), it is easier to identify those students who are achieving below same-age peers. Moreover, a process of conducting individualized assessment and…

This study investigates the effectiveness of multiple fluency interventions on a single subject in grade three. Fluency interventions, including choral reading, echo reading, repeated reading, audio book modeling, and teacher modeling were implemented over a period of eight weeks. Results indicated that using multiple fluency strategies, rather…

In this practitioners' guide, a recognized reading expert explains how educators, parents, and concerned citizens can spot ineffective reading programs that may hide under the "scientifically-based" banner. Although the term "whole language" is not commonly used today, programs based on its premises remain popular. These…