The Science of Reading Explained: Fluency

In The Science of Reading Explained, we explore the research behind the five pillars of this widely adopted model. Fluency, the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression, is a critical part of literacy instruction, serving as the bridge between foundational skills and comprehension. While reading rate is an important factor, systemic instruction of fluency involves more than just a student’s reading rate—it also includes prosody, accuracy, and comprehension of the text.

With Exact Path, Edmentum’s K–12 diagnostic-driven, individualized learning program, fluency instruction is woven in throughout the program in a systematic, research-based way that follows the science of reading best practices.

How Reading Rate Is Measured

The most common and well-known side of fluency instruction involves appropriate oral reading rate. The Hasbrouck-Tindal oral reading fluency chart is a research-backed resource that breaks down reading rate targets by grade level, season, and percentile. This is especially helpful for educators to provide fluency checks for students.

Fluency checks are often used for formative assessment and progress monitoring, and usually consist of taking a running record of a student’s reading. These running records can vary from a simple measure of students’ reading rate to a detailed analysis of students’ error patterns while reading—with accuracy a vital part of any style. Measuring rate involves having a student read from a grade-level text for one minute. The number of words read is counted, with errors subtracted to calculate the rate. More detailed running records note the types of errors and how students self-correct, while also including observational qualitative analysis. By using this style of formative assessment weekly or every two weeks, educators can monitor student progress over time. Try this Fluency Tracker to easily record individual student growth. 

Prosody and Accuracy in Support of Comprehension

The other side of systematic fluency instruction includes prosody. Prosody is the expression and phrasing that a student uses while reading. Ideally, as students learn to read, their goal should be to accurately read as many words as possible in one minute, while also practicing appropriate expression. As students progress, they will gain automaticity, the ability to effortlessly recognize and read words, which then allows them to focus on understanding what is read.

How Exact Path Helps Students Build Fluency

Exact Path provides diagnostic-driven personalized literacy instruction, grounded in the science of reading, to help students build the foundational skills and knowledge they need to become stronger readers. Students build the accuracy, pace, and expression they need to read smoothly and focus on meaning.

• Explore: See how Exact Path accelerates student achievement
• Watch: Science of Reading webinar with Reading Is Fundamental
• Read more from this series:The Science of Reading Explained