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Oral Reading Assessment andReading Fluency

Directions for Administration of Reading Passages

Materials:• Unnumbered copy of passage (student copy)• Numbered copy of passage (examiner copy)• Stopwatch• Tape recorder

Directions:1. Place the unnumbered copy in front of the student.2. Place the numbered copy in front of you, but shielded so the student cannot see what you record.3. For each passage, say these specific directions to the student:“When I say ‘begin,’ start reading aloud at the top of this page. Read across the page (demonstrate by pointing). 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? (pause).”4. Say “Begin” and start your stopwatch when the student says the first word. If the student fails to say the first word of the passage after three seconds, tell her or him the word and mark it as incorrect.†5. As the student reads, follow along on your copy. Put a slash ( / ) through words read incorrectly.6. If a student stops or struggles with a word for three seconds, tell the student the word and mark it as incorrect.7. At the end of one minute, place a bracket ( ] ) after the last word and say “Stop.”

† On rare occasions the student may “speed read” (i.e., read the passage very fast and withoutexpression). If this occurs, tell the student, “This is not a speed reading test. Begin again, andbe sure to do your best reading.”

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1. Administer the Oral Reading Fluency (accuracy) Test

I recommend that you start the assessment by gathering information about the student’s reading level using a graded word list, such as the SLOSSON Oral Reading Test (SORT). That will give you some preliminary information about where to begin your assessment using the graded passages.

1. After you have selected the grade-level passages, print two copies of each—one for your student and one for yourself to record errors as he or she reads.

2. Say: Today you are going to take an Oral Fluency Assessment while you read some passages. You may not know all the words in the passage, but try your best to read them. Each time, I will time you for one minute.

3. Hand a copy of the passage to your student. Tell your student, I will tell when to start riding. I will begin timing as soon as you begin reading. After one minute, I will say“stop” so you will know to stop reading. When you are finished, I will ask you to tell me what you remember from the passage.

4. As your student reads, follow along in your copy of the text, marking words that are read incorrectly (miscues) using the guidelines, and pronouncing words out loud that the student does not pronounce in 5 seconds. Most fluency assessments provide this guideline: Put a slash ( / ) through words that are read incorrectly. In addition to this procedure, however, you should try to record the exact miscues or word substitutions (e.g., phonetic pronunciations or word parts) that are produced by the student during the oral reading. This will be important in the miscue analysis, and to gather information for instructional purposes.

5. At the end of 1 minute, tell the student to stop. Record the last word read by putting a vertical line after that word. Count the number of words read correctly by subtracting the number of errors from the total words attempted.

6. Use the scoring guidelines on the following page to record oral reading miscues when marking your copy of the passage as the student reads.

7. Calculate the student’s oral reading accuracy and fluency on each passage based on the recommended norms, which are provided later in this document. Based on the oral reading accuracy, continue testing until you establish both a student’s independent level (e.g., independent level is where the student can read the passage easily: 96-100% accuracy), as well as the frustration level (e.g., frustration level is the hard passage where the student reads with less than 90% accuracy). Record miscues to study where the processes are breaking down and to gain information on the student’s use of the meaning, structure and visual cues. Calculate the student’s reading fluency (words correct per minute).

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2.Record Oral Reading Miscues.Use the following scoring criteria and notations to record each error (miscue). Write what the child says above each text word of line of print so that you can conduct a further analysis of the student’s reading skills and difficulties. It is important when carrying out a miscue that you tape-record it. The ability to rewind the tape and hear things again is essential for accurate marking and carrying out a running analysis.

Type of Error Definition Example

Substitution

The child says a word that is different from the word in the text.

Notation: Draw a slash or line is drawn through the missed word and write the substituted word above the original text word. If the child pronounces a nonword, record the phonetic spelling of the nonword above the text.

The dog ran fast all the way home.

Child says: The dig ran fast all the way houp.

Omission

A word, words or line of text is left out during the reading.

Notation. Draw a circle around the omitted words. If an entire line is omitted, circle the line and count it as one error.

I love to eat dark chocolate.

Child says: I love to eat chocolate.

Insertion The child adds a word that is not in the text.

Notation. A caret is used to mark the point where the word was inserted, and the added word is written above the line.

The dog jigged merrily with the cat while the mouse played the flute.

Child says: The dog jigged merrily with the black cat while the mouse played the flute.

Repetition

The child repeats a word or phrase. Repetitions are not scored as errors, but are recorded.

Notation. A wavy line is drawn under the repeated words. Each repetition is recorded with an additional line.

The snake cried and cried.

Child says: The snake cried and cried and cried.

Pronounced (Teacher Assistance)

The student pauses on a word for five seconds or more, so the teacher may tell him/her the word. The child may also request the teacher’s assistance in identifying a word. [If this happens often, encourage the child to do

The greedy son schemed how he might get money from his parents to buy a new sports car.

dig houp

blackw

P

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his/her best to attempt the words].

Notation. Write a “T” (Tell) or “P” (Pronounced) above the word that you pronounce for the child.

Self-Correction

The child makes a miscue, and then self-corrects. The original mistake is not counted as an error. Keep track of the number of self-corrections since this indicates that the child is monitoring his/her performance.

Notation. “SC” is the notation used to indicate self-corrections.

The teacher was very angry with the class.

The taught..teacher was very angry with the class.

EXAMPLE: PASSAGE FOR ORAL READING WITH RECORDED MISCUES

Figure 48: Sascha’s CBM PRF

3. Interpret the Miscue Data

A reason for recording the oral reading miscues is that it yields valuable information about what types of phonic patterns or words are known by the child, and what patterns and words are not known. The table below provides an example of

taughttw

SC

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what type of information can be recorded in the analysis chart, including the text word, miscue (substitution), and the types of word elements that were missed by the student. If the missed word is an irregular sight word, then simply record “sight word” in the Visual Analysis column. Inspecting the elements of the words that were missed by the student can provide information about the possible problem areas and areas of concern. These can be confirmed in further testing. In addition, teachers can examine the miscues to determine what types of cueing systems that students are relying on when they read, such as:

Semantics - Meaning (M)--Meaning is part of the cueing system in which the child takes her or his cue to make sense of text by thinking about the story background, information from pictures, or the meaning of a sentence. These cues assist in the reading of a word or phrase. The miscues that students make are meaningful in the context of the sentence or story. They preserve the meaning.

Syntax or Structure (S)--Structure refers to the structure of language and is often referred to as syntax. Implicit knowledge of structure helps the reader know if what she or he reads sounds correct. The miscues that the student makes maintain the syntax of the original text. In other words, the miscues are from the same parts of speech and language structure as the original word.

Graphics or Visual (V)--Visual information is related to the look of the letters in a word and the word itself. A reader uses visual information when she or he studies the beginning sound, word length, familiar word chunks, and so forth. The substitutions that the student makes are visually similar to the original text word.

An example of a miscue analysis is provided below, and a table (Table 1) is provided for your assessment purposes on the examiner’s pages that follow in Appendix A. Record all the miscues substitutions from the passages in the same table.

Below is the miscue analysis for Sascha, the Grade 2 student, in the example above:

Miscue Analysis

Text Word Miscue Substitution/

Mispronunciation

Visual Analysis (Beginning, Medial Vowels, Ending letter

patterns)?

Cueing Systems: Miscues that

Retain Meaning?

1. dragon doggie 2-syllable, VC/V, -on pattern (syntax - YES)Semantics- NO

2. long Log Sight word , -ong pattern

3. flames Flies VCe, a_e Yes (syntax)Semantics -YES

4. mouth month -ou dipthong Yes (syntax)Semantics -NO

5. around round a-prefix Yes (syntax)Semantics -YES

6. scorched scratched -or (r-controlled vowel) Yes (syntax)Semantics -NO

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7. dragon doggie 2-syllable; -on pattern Syntax – YesSyntax – NO

8. village villain 2nd syllable; -age pattern (e.g., cabbage, village, millage; pillage);

Syntax – YesSyntax – NO

9. to at Sight Word Yes

Here is a second example of another miscue analysis from another student.

Miscue Analysis

Text Word Miscue Substitution/

Mispronunciation

Visual Analysis (Beginning, Medial Vowels, Ending letter

patterns)?

Miscues that Retain Meaning?

Temper Temple 2-syllable, VC/CV, - r-controlled vowel, er

Biscuit Biscotti Sight word (has first syllable correct with CVC)

Careened Corn -ee vowel team, multi-syllabic word

Barked Bake -ar r-controlled vowel; -ed suffix

Vision Visit -ion ending

Bite Bit VCe (i_e)

Want Where Sight Word

4. Calculate the Student’s Oral Reading Accuracy

Teachers need to calculate the student’s oral reading accuracy, and use that information to identify an appropriate instructional level, and toplace the student in appropriate reading materials. Generally, the guidelines recommend:

• Independent Reading Level/Easy: (96-100% oral reading accuracy)• Instructional: 90-95% accuracy• Frustration Level: < 90%

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Continue testing until you establish the level that is the “best fit” for the child’s reading instruction (highest read passage that is at instructional level), and record that level. Further, continue testing until you establish the frustration level (below instructional level, or < 89%).

1) Accuracy Formula: The formula for the oral reading accuracy is the number of words correctly read by the total number of words attempted (in the passage): # of words read correctly ÷ total words. For example, if the student read 85 words correctly in a 92 word passage, the oral reading accuracy = 92.4% (85/92 = 92%). Another example: student reads 145 words correctly in a total passage with 154 words (145/154)= 92.9% or 93%.

Total words – errors = Total words read correctly (or simply count the number of words read correctly)

oral reading accuracy percent = Number of words read correctly ÷ total words

Teachers need to determine the student’s instructional reading level (the student is able to read a selected passage with 90 percent to 95 percent accuracy) in order to plan appropriate instruction using appropriate materials.

It is also helpful for teachers to know the student’s independent reading level (the student is able to read a selected passage with 96 percent to 100 percent accuracy) for each student. This will help teachers provide students with appropriate books that can be read independently.

Continue testing up by presenting more difficult passages until you reach the student’s frustration level, which is less than 90% accuracy (0-89%). Realize that the topic familiarity may affect oral reading accuracy, so use more than one passage to confirm the student’s frustration level.

5. Analyze the Student’s Oral Reading Prosody

Prosody, which is a part of oral reading fluency, includes three features: expression (phrasing), accuracy, and fluency. The rubric below helps teachers evaluate the tonal, phrasing or the expressive qualities of the child’s oral reading.

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Hasbrouck and Tindal Fluency Norms

Oral fluency norms can also help you determine where your students are performing against fluency standards and goals for their grade level and the time of year. These are provided on the next page (and the angel website). To use the norms to determine whether your student is reading above, below, or on grade level:1. Take 2-3 measures of the student’s fluency at a particular grade level to calculate

the median fluency level.2. Find the grade level of your student on the chart. Then look at the time of year

during which the testing took place.2. Compare the student’s WCPM (the median score from the three passages read for

baseline) with the three numbers given for that grade level and time of year. Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:• The top number shows the fluency measure of students who are reading above

grade-level expectations. They are reading at or above the 90th percentile. For example, a fourth-grade student who reads 170 WCPM during the middle of the year reads approximately at the 90th percentile. The 90th percentile is significantly above average.

• Students who are reading at or above the 50th percentile in reading fluency have good comprehension of grade-level text. The 50th percentile is the average, or on grade level.

• The bottom number shows the fluency measure of students who are reading at or above the 10th percentile in reading fluency. The 10th percentile is significantly below the average, and students who read at this level are in immediate need of intervention.

3. If you have conducted a 1-minute timing, then the correct rate is represented by the following formula (e.g., difference between the total words read minus the number of errors):

1- minute sample

Total words read – errors = words correct per minute. (EX: 62 words read – 5 errors = 57 wcpm)

3. If you timed the student while they read an entire passage rather than stopped the student at 1 minute, then the formula below can be applied to calculate the student’s oral reading fluency:

Passage reading that is not a 1-minute sample, but that is timed to a later point in the passage:

Total words read – errors = 58 words – 4 errors Number of total seconds ÷ 60 (to convert to minutes) 64 seconds ÷ 60

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= 54 words = 54 X 60 = 50.625 wcpm (words correct per minute)64 6460

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6. Administer an Oral Comprehension Assessment or Retelling of the Text Just ReadContinue the assessment by asking the student to answer story structure questions, or ask them to retell the text portion that was just read orally. Say to the student: If you choose to ask questions, ask the questions in the story column and score in the third column. In you administer the story retelling, say to the student: Please tell me what you understand happened in the story that you just read to me. Pretend that I did not hear you read the text and that you want me to know what happened. Tell me everything that you remember. Score 2 points for each story part that they include in the retelling; if the item is only partly recalled, score 1 point. Score 0 points if no information is recalled.

Story Structure Element Story Questions Story Questions (left) or Prompted Retelling

Points (1 point each)

Student’s Free Retelling: Record what student says for each story

element named at left

Points 2 pts(2, 1, 0)

1. Setting: Where Where did the story take place?2. When When did the story happen?3. Main Character: 1st Who were the character(s) in the story

2nd character Anyone else?4. Problem/Challenge? (facing MC)

What was the main character’s problem or challenge in the story?

5. Goal/Motive What does ____ (main character) want to do?How did _____ feel? (internal response)

6. Events – Event 17. Event 28. Event 3

Event 4

What happened in the story?What happened 1st?2nd?3rd?anything else?

1)2)3)4)

12. Solution How was the problem/challenge solved? What did _______ do to solve the problem?

Total points above /10 = %

Total Parts Named Above ____ /10 = _____ %

13. (Optional) Theme What was the author trying to tell us? What does ____ learn at the end of the story?

Column 3: Story Parts Recalled1. ____ % of Story Parts in Free Recall = [ # of parts named above in column 2 _______ /10 = ______ % of total story parts recalled [make adjustments

based on total possible parts]2. ____ % of points in free recall = # of points in column 3 = ____/20 [increase points if there are more story events, or if you with to evaluate theme]

% Points or Parts answered correctly given Story Questions or Prompted Retelling __________

Student’s Name Date: Source/Book:

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Section 2. Analysis and Instruction

The analysis of an oral reading record begins by identifying which cueing system the child uses most often. If the child is making substitutions in text that are based totally on one cueing system, then additional instructions to develop awareness and use of other cueing systems would be the next step.

A good reader will use visual, meaning, and structure cues flexibly and strategically when trying to determine an unknown word during reading.

Consideration should be given to the accuracy and self-correction rates of the child as she/he reads. If a child makes multiple errors and shows little effort to self-correct, the teacher may wonder if the child has a view of reading as word calling, rather than making meaning or as a process of communicating ideas. Another possible scenario is the child who stops to work on every word for accuracy, using only visual cues to determine the word, rather than flexibly using meaning and structure cues. A third way to analyze the approximations that the child made while reading is to categorize the types of words that created difficulty for the child. Are the words names or technical terms that are connected to the content and may reflect a lack of background knowledge about the text.

1. Overall Analysisa. Teach the phonic and multi-syllabic elements that the

student lacks to improve oral reading accuracy.b. Design a program to develop and support the student’s oral

reading fluencyc. Develop the student’s reading comprehension for story

elements

Diagnosing

If a student scores poorly on the oral reading screening, or if the teacher has some other cause for concern such as poor performance in class or on another assessment, the teacher should take a more careful look at the student's strengths and needs. The student could be deficient in a variety of reading skills or in related areas like phonics skills, multi-syllabic words, vocabulary and background knowledge, so administering some informal diagnostic assessments would be helpful for designing effective instruction, providing evidence of the need for a reading specialist, or referring the student for further evaluation.

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2. Graph Performance

Graph three days of baseline to establish the student’s median level of reading fluency. Based on the desired fluency criteria for the student’s reading level, establish an aim goal for the student at a particular point in time (e.g., 3 month retesting, end-of-year). Designate the aim goal on the graph with a star. Draw a trend line from the median level of performance during baseline to the aimgoal. This is the

Typically, if a student's fluency level is low, but word reading accuracy in grade-level texts is adequate, a teacher can place the student in an intervention focused just on improving fluency. But if diagnostic assessments indicate other areas of weakness, a more comprehensive intervention may need to be developed. (8)

Figure 47: Sascha’s CBM PRF Graph

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 140

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Weeks of Instruction

Cor

rect

ly R

ead

Wor

ds P

er M

inut

e

Monitor student progress – Test Weekly or Biweekly

If a student's diagnostic assessment reveals concerns about one or more areas of reading, additional, targeted instruction should begin right away. WCPM procedures can be used to monitor the student's progress. Many

X X

X

Sascha’s goal-line

Sascha’s trend-line

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educators have found WCPM to be a better tool for monitoring students' progress than traditional standardized measures that typically are time-consuming, expensive, only administered infrequently, and of limited instructional utility (Good, Simmons, and Kame'enui, 2001; Tindal and Marston, 1990).

For students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 programs, progress monitoring should be done frequently, perhaps once per week or twice monthly for as long as students require supplemental instruction. Progress monitoring should be done as often as once per week for students who are reading more than one year below level and receiving intensive intervention services, including special education (Tier 3 students). This regular monitoring assures that if the intervention is not working well, it can be modified.

When monitoring the progress of these struggling readers, the standard procedures are expanded by graphing the student's WCPM scores. A progress monitoring graph, for perhaps a grading period or a trimester, is created for each student. Teachers can use the average weekly improvement (AWI) data in the norms table to select an ambitious, yet reasonable, instructional goal; for example, a fourth-grader's goal could be to improve by 15 WCPM over 10 weeks of intensive instruction. An aim line is placed on the graph to represent the progress a student must make to achieve a preset fluency goal. Each time the student is assessed, that score is added to the graph.

Use Decision RulesIf three or more consecutive scores fall below the aim line, the teacher must consider adjusting the instructional program (Hasbrouck et al., 1999).

Teachers should also consider having the students record their own WCPM scores on their graphs — it increases their motivation and investment in their reading progress (Shinn, 1998).

These procedures for screening, diagnosing, and progress monitoring have been available for many years, but have not been widely used in schools (Hasbrouck, et al., 1999). This situation will likely change as educators become more aware of the importance of preventing reading difficulties and providing intensive intervention as soon as a concern is noted.

Using fluency norms to set appropriate goals for student improvement and to measure progress toward those goals can be a powerful and efficient tool to help educators make well-informed and timely decisions about the instructional needs of their students, particularly the lowest performing, struggling readers.

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APPENDIX 1 Running Record Summary Sheet

Examiner Name ____________________________________________________________Student NameAge ___________ Level _________________________________ Date ____ / ____ / ____Reading Accuracy Data

Name of Test Used ____________________

Reading Level(s) Tested

Percent Oral

Accuracy

1 Circle Accuracy

LevelIndep Inst

Hard

Fluency2(cwpm)

Error Rate

Hasbrouck& Tindal

Fluency Norms – GL & %

Fluency Rating

(see NAEP scale)

Comprehension %

2 cwpm = correct words per minute

Reading Accuracy (column)1 Based on accuracy the passage was Indep/Easy: (96–100%)

Observable Reading Behaviors (check off/ notes)Self-Corrects:Sounds out words:

Instructional: (90 - 95%) RereadsFrust: (less than 90%) Fingerpoints:

Reading Fluency (column)

Fluency Rate = _____________ correct words per minute

Based on Tindal and Hasbrouck, this rate wasGrade Level_________ % _____________

Notes and Comments: