Brief Description: Repeated Reading uses repeated guided oral reading practice and immediate error correction to improve reading rate, accuracy, and comprehension. Students read short passages several times until a level of fluency that is satisfactory is reached. Repeated Reading is one of the most widely researched reading interventions and has been successful in improving reading fluency skills for students with and without disabilities at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. In some studies, comprehension gains were seen as well. Repeated Reading is administered in a one-on-one setting with a teacher and student, but can also be implemented in peer partnerships and integrated into daily oral reading practice in the classroom.

Academic Skills Improvement: Reading Fluency

Repeated Reading

When to use: Repeated Reading is an intervention designed to build reading fluency (a student’s ability to read quickly and accurately) and is indicated for students who misidentify more than 5% of words in grade-level text or read significantly fewer words correctly per minute than their peers. It is especially useful for readers who are slow or hesitant readers.

Procedure Preparation: Identify reading passages that are appropriate for the student’s skill level and determine an appropriate time and space for implementing the intervention one-on-one with the student. Inform student they are going to learn a way to improve their reading skills similar to the type of practice that helps athletes develop skills at their sports.

Implementation (approximately 15 - 20 minutes per session): Step 1: In a private area, sit with one student and give him or her the assigned reading. When targeting both reading fluency and reading comprehension, tell the student, “Read this passage out loud as quickly and correctly as you can while I time you.” If reading comprehension is being targeted as well, tell them, “Remember as much as you can about the reading because I am going to ask you to retell the story or answer questions once you are done reading.” Record the amount time for each reading. While the student is reading, if the student makes an error (mispronounces a word, omits a word, or substitutes an incorrect word) or hesitates for longer than 3 seconds, immediately correct the student by saying the correct word and have the student repeat the word correctly before continuing through the passage. If the student asks for help, read the word aloud. If the student requests a word definition, give the definition. Errors can be recorded on the interventionist’s copy of the passage by drawing a line ( / ) through each word for which a correction was provided by the interventionist.

Step 2: Once the student finishes reading instruct them to read it again as quickly and accurately as they can. Time the reading again and provide immediate, corrective feedback for errors. Repeat this three or four times or until the student reads the passage at a rate that is expected at their instructional level (reference norms for appropriate expected rates). Provide reinforcements, if using. If targeting reading comprehension, include questions or have the student retell the story in-between readings. Page 1

Materials Needed: Two copies of a passage from a reading book or other skill-level appropriate text passage(100-200 words), stop watch (if readings are to be timed for progress monitoring), stickers or other reinforcers (if using)

References Burns, M.K., Riley-Tillman, T.C., & VanDerHeyden, A.M. (2012). RTI applications: Academic and behavioral interventions (Vol. 1). Guilford Press. O’Shea, L.J., Sindelar, P.T., & O’Shea, D.J. (1985). The effects of repeated readings and attentional cues n reading fluency and comprehension. Journal of Reading Behavior, 17, 129-142. Rashotte, C.A. & Torgesen, J.K. (1985). Repeated reading and reading fluency in learning disabled children. Reading Research Quarterly, 20, 180-188. Rathvon, N. (1999). Effective school interventions: Strategies for enhancing academic achievement and social competence. The Guildford Press. New York: NY. Samuels, S.J. (1979). The method of repeated readings. The Reading Teacher, 32, 403-408.

Academic Skills Improvement: Reading Fluency

Repeated Reading

Variations

Use reading circles as a format for this intervention by having groups of students for the intervention. Each student completes the steps listed using a different passage or section of the day’s instructional reading materials.

Use Classwide Peer Tutoring or Partner Reading rather than reading circles or one-on-one as the setting for the intervention. It is often beneficial to partner higher-performing students with lower-performing students.

Repeated Reading has been shown to be easy to implement by parents at home with their children for additional practice. Appropriate reading passages can be provided by the teacher.

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Progress Monitoring Options

1. Compare the reading rate of the final reading of the passages for each session across intervention sessions by calculating the words read correctly per minute and graphing the student’s scores.

2. Have students read a grade-level passage for one minute at the end of each intervention session and do not provide corrective feedback. Graph words read correctly per minute across intervention sessions.

3. Include number or percent of comprehension questions answered correctly following each reading or after the final reading.

If the student is losing interest in Repeated Reading, consider the following:

Provide praise or other reinforcer following each reading

Allow the student to pick out high-interest passages or choose passages that include content that is interesting to the student

Share the graph of the student's reading rate during each repeated reading or have the student help with monitoring and graphing their own data

Provide incentive for improved performance such as earning stickers on a sticker chart for each repeated reading the student improved their words correct per minute or reduced the number of total errors during reading

Keep in Mind

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