Reading Assessment Tips: Measuring Accuracy and Fluency

Example:

4 Self-Corrections______ 8 Errors + 4 Self-Corrections

=

4_ 12

=

1_ 3

=

1:3

A ratio of 1:3 means that the student self-corrects one error out of three. Ratios of 1:4 and lower indicate that the student is noticing errors and has the awareness of how to fix errors effectively. Ratios above 1:4 are a flag that students would benefit from instruction in how to monitor their reading. When you’ve found a text the student can read with 90% or above accuracy, write the title and the percent accuracy on a Reading Record form.

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The codes that count as errors are:

• Substitutions: when a student substitutes one word for another
• Insertions: when a student adds a word to the text
• Omissions: when a student omits a work
• Tolds: when you decide to tell a student struggling for a word what the word is
• Appeals: when a student stops and asks for help

These codes are not errors:

• A repetition of a word or phrase that is accurate is not an error.
• If a student appeals for help, but then is able to come up with the word independently (without a prompt beyond “Try it”), the appeal is not counted as an error.
• A self-correction is not an error.
• Finally, if a student makes the same error several times, the error is counted each time. This allows the teacher to know whether or not a student notices the repeated error.

In addition to coding the errors and the self-corrections, I like to make note of anything the student says or does that gives me information about the student as a reader. So, if a student begins to sound out a word and comes up with a correct response, I write down this word work. Or if a student makes an interesting comment about the story or something noticed about the text, I write that down as well.
 

Fluency
A true measure of a student’s ability to process text effectively is the ability to read accurately and fluently. Contrary to what some researchers and assessment forms suggest, fluency is not simply a matter of how fast a student reads. It’s much more important than speed. To measure fluency, we consider the speed of reading; perhaps more importantly, we listen for indications of

• meaningful phrasing;
• expression;
• intonation;
• attention to punctuation; and
• a rate appropriate to the genre.

When the measure of fluency includes the above indicators, a teacher knows the student has an awareness of how the structure of language works to create meaning. Fluent reading demonstrates the student’s awareness of how the words in written text are presented in a predictable structure (punctuation, phrasing, intonation, and expression) that enables the reader to interact with the text to make meaning. A student reading fluently demonstrates an awareness of how

• reading is about more than knowing the words;
• words work together to make meaningful phrases;
• words may work together to allow for varying interpretations;
• words and phrases allow us to predict what will come next and to confirm that what we’ve read makes sense;
• punctuation allows us to adjust our reading in a meaningful way; and
• intonation and expression may be used to determine importance and to interpret the text.

To illustrate how fluency works, think of a child learning to play the piano. At first, all effort is put into finding the notes and playing them in the right sequence. The playing may be accurate, but since the child is playing one or two notes at a time, there may not be a noticeable tune, and there’s certainly no interpretation of the music. With practice, putting the notes together becomes more and more automatic. It becomes fluent. With this automaticity comes the child’s ability to interpret the music. The same applies to reading. Once a student gets beyond word-by-word reading, he can begin to relate to, interpret and use the text.

In essence, the goal is for a student to read “like a storyteller” or speaking comfortably. To measure fluency, a rubric is useful. This rubric (designed by my colleague, Janet Bright) allows for a quick assessment of a student’s reading fluency.

Level 4:	Mainly large meaningful phrases; expressive interpretation; aware of syntax
Level 3:	Mainly three- or four-word phrases; aware of syntax; some expressive interpretation
Level 2:	Mainly two-word phrases and some word-by-word reading
Level 1:	Mainly word-by-word

It has been my experience that a student reading a text accurately and fluently either understands the text or is reading at a good level for instruction in how to comprehend the text. The “or” is an important distinction. We know that many students sound like good readers, but may have difficulty understanding what they read.
 

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