Imagine reading comprehension as a house. A strong foundation, built on decoding skills and vocabulary, is essential for a sturdy structure of understanding. However, just as walls need a foundation for support, reading fluency is crucial for building the framework of comprehension. Fluency, like the roof of a house, protects readers from getting bogged down in decoding, allowing them to focus on the content.

Dr. Jan Hasbrouck, a nationally recognized leader in fluency research, defined fluency as “reasonably accurate reading, at an appropriate rate, with suitable expression, that leads to accurate and deep comprehension and motivation to read”.  Fluent reading happens when a student is proficient with underlying skills such as phonological awareness, phonemes, and word analysis and can pay attention to the meaning of the text.

One of the most common methods of Progress Monitoring, Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), is the bedrock of reading comprehension. It measures a student's ability to read accurately, at a good pace, and with expression. Students read a timed passage, and their performance is calculated as words correct per minute (WCPM). Regularly monitoring ORF helps educators track progress, identify needs, and provide targeted support to enhance reading fluency and overall comprehension.

The Science of Reading confirms that proficiency with oral reading fluency leads to strong comprehension. Effectively implementing ORF requires:

• Individualized assessment: Traditional ORF assessments require one-on-one administration.
• Grade-level passages: Access to high-quality, grade-level passages (as recommended by the National Center on Intensive Intervention).
• Data analysis: Efficiently collecting, sharing, and analyzing ORF data for 12 weeks.

Classworks addresses these requirements by providing 26 parallel passages at each grade, grades 1-6. The Classworks ORF passages are designed to be administered 1:1 weekly and scored for 12 weeks. Paired with our graphing forms, educators can analyze students' weekly fluency results and build a solid foundation.

Ready to Build Strong Readers?

Learn more about Oral Reading Fluency in Classworks in the help center and see our video tips. 

About Classworks
Build a brighter future for your students with Classworks. ‍Classworks offers one platform to support Special Education or MTSS. Our K-3 reading interventions are a validated resource on The National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII) Academic Interventions Tools Chart.

Contact us at hello@classworks.com or chat with us on the right of your screen to learn more. 

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