English Language Teaching Centre

The Reading Fluency Screening Test

Assessing readers’ fluency

The Purpose of the Screening Test

A reading fluency screening test is a quick assessment that makes it possible to

calculate a reader’s average fluency. Reading fluency is measured as the amount
of words read correctly in one minute from an unseen text at the reader’s target
level. The result can indicate whether a reader needs help with reading fluency
building.

The Process

1. Preparing a Text for the Screening Test

A screening test text contains a suitable amount of text from the reader’s target
level for the student to read aloud in one minute. Screening test texts are selected
from material students have not read before.

A screening test text contains a student and teacher version on separate pages.
The student version contains only the text itself. The teacher version contains the
word count up to the end of each line in a column on the right-hand side.
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Screening tests can be especially prepared for your group, or sourced from pre-
prepared screening test banks. In this course you can make use of the texts
available on the course website 1.

2. Preparing to Mark Errors

Reading fluency addresses not only the speed, but also the accuracy and
expression of reading. In the screening test, errors are deducted from the total
amount of words a student has read.

Typical errors, and the code for marking them, are listed below. Each error type is
followed by an example using the sentence: The children are happily playing
outside in the garden.

Mispronunciation (M): The reader pronounces a word incorrectly

The children are happily playing outside in the gorden.

Substitution (S): The reader replaces a word or letter with another

The children are hopefully playing outside in the garden.

Insertion (I): The reader adds a word that is not in the text

The children are happily playing outside in the lovely garden.

Reversal (R): The reader changes the order of two words

The children are playing happily outside in the garden.

Hesitation (H): The reader pauses too long before reading a word

The children are…(long pause) happily playing outside in the garden.

Omission (O): The reader leaves out a word

The children are __ playing outside in the garden.

Repetition (R#): The reader repeats a word after reading it*

The children are happily playing…playing outside in the garden.

Self-Correction (SC#): The reader makes an error, but then corrects it*

The children are happily playing outside in the gorden… garden.

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The Reading Fluency Screening Test Text is also included in the full Teacher Module for this course.
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*IMPORTANT NOTE: Both repetition (R#) and self-correction S#) show that
a reader has identified an error and is dealing with it independently. These
will slow fluency down, but are NOT considered as errors. When marking
errors, do mark them on the teacher version, but do NOT count them as
errors.

Video and audio practice activities for error marking are available on the course
website for more insight.

3. Preparing to Administer the Screening Test

There are quite a few steps in administering a reading fluency screening test. Your
preparation will make the process an enjoyable learning experience for you and
your students, ensuring the best possible results. The best way to prepare is to
read over all the instructions beforehand, and then follow them step by step.

The Day Before

Select Students for Screening:

1. One fluent reader

2. One average reader
3. One reader who may need support with reading fluency

It is not always possible to screen all students. During this course you will
only select this sample of students to gauge average fluency levels2.

Prepare Equipment

1. Reading Fluency Screening Test Text (see course website)

- Provide one copy of the student version (students return it after screening)
- Provide one copy of the teacher version for each student
2. Stopwatch or other timing device
3. Audio recorder (tape/cassette recorder OR digital recording device)

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Students can also be shown how to record and time their own reading to track fluency, although
they may need help from a stronger reader to identify errors.
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4. Administering the Screening Test

Prepare Equipment

1. Test the stopwatch and audio recorder and keep them at hand.
2. Place the Student Version of the Reading Fluency Screening Test upside-
down in front of student until you have explained the procedure.
3. Keep the Teacher Version visible to yourself but shielded from student’s
view.

Prepare Students

1. Help students approach the activity in a positive light.

2. The voice recording can be used to raise students’ interest.
3. Say these specific directions:

“When I say “begin”, start reading aloud at the top of this

page. Try to read each word. If you come to a word you don’t
know, I’ll tell it to you. Be sure to do your best reading. Are
there any questions?”

4. Pause for a moment and answer any questions before proceeding.

Screening Test Procedure

1. Start the audio recorder, ensuring that they are running.

2. Say: “Begin” and start the stopwatch.
3. Follow along on the teacher version as the student reads. Don’t worry about
marking errors now: you will mark them later using the recording.
4. If a student “speed reads”, reading very fast without expression, remind the
student: “This is not a speed reading test. Begin again, and be sure to do your
best reading.” Re-start the stopwatch and audio recording.
5. If a student pauses longer than 3 seconds, read the next word and let the
student continue. (The error is marked as hesitation (H)).

Ending the Test

1. After one minute, place a bracket (]) after the last word.
2. You may allow the student to read to the end of the paragraph.
3. Stop and thank the student.
4. Check that the audio recorded successfully.
5. Call in the next student until all students’ readings have been recorded.
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5. Marking Errors

1. For each student, listen to the audio recording once, following on the teacher
version, for an overall impression.
2. Listen again, this time marking errors using the error marking codes (see section
2, p. 2).
3. Pause or repeat listening as needed
4. Add up the errors
5. Remember NOT to count repetitions or self-corrections

6. Using the Results

File Teacher Versions of the screening test for each student

Teacher Versions can be used:

- for student records

- to track student progress
- to calculate reading fluency (see 7, below)
- to calculate reading age (see 8, below)

7. Calculating Reading Fluency

Reading fluency is measured as the amount of words read correctly per minute,
that is, Words Correct per Minute or WCPM. This is calculated by subtracting the
number of errors from the number of words read.

The formula to calculate WCPM is:

Number of words read in one minute

-errors

Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)

Example: Jamil reads 62 words in a minute. He makes 7 errors.

Jamil’s WCPM is: (62-7)=55.

Remember: Repetition (R#) and Self-correction (SC#) are NOT counted as errors,
although they are marked on the teacher version for your records.
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8. Interpreting the Results

After calculating a student’s reading fluency, the next step is to interpret the
scores. What does the reading fluency score really mean?

A very simple rule of thumb can be used to interpret the scores. The reader’s
actual WCPM score is compared to the expected WCPM score for the reader’s age
group.

Examples of the expected WCPM score can be seen in the table below:

Reader’s Age Formula for Expected WCPM Expected WCPM for the Age3
6 age of the reader x 10 ± 5 6 x 10 ± 5 = 55 to 65
7 7 x 10 ± 5 = 65 to 75
8 8 x 10 ± 5 = 75 to 85

By comparing the young reader’s WCPM to the expected score, it is possible to see
whether reading fluency help is needed. The formula also allows for readers’
improvement over time.

Example: Jamil reads 62 words in a minute. He makes 7 errors.

Jamil’s WCPM is: (62 - 7) = 55.

If Jamil is 6 years old, this is normal.

However, if Jamil is 7 years or older, he may need assistance.

It is important to keep in mind that reading fluency does change under different
conditions. A reader’s fluency can be influenced by many factors at a particular
sitting: the text, the situation, the reader’s physical and mental wellbeing and
many other factors. As a teacher, it is wise to consider the screening test results in
the light of a student’s overall situation, both academic and personal.

The good news is that there is hope for readers who receive reading fluency
building help. Next, we look at several powerful techniques to support reading
fluency building for young readers at all levels.

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This reading age formula applies to reading aloud for young learners: there are, of course, limits to the speed
of reading aloud: a 30 year old is not expected to have a WCPM of 295 to 305.