Fluency

Pace:
Reading at the proper pace is critical for fluency! If a reader "speed reads" or tried to read too quickly, it's similar to trying to watch a movie in fast-forward. There will be details that are missed which makes comprehension harder.

On the other hand, if a reader is too slow, it's like trying to watch a movie in slow-motion. Details can be missed, or a student takes so long to decode the words that comprehension is lost.

So we want our readers to read at a "just right" pace. While this pace can vary from one student to another, the DIBELS benchmarks are listed below.

Accuracy:
Accuracy is reading the words correctly. This is important to improve comprehension in reading. If a student reads "mouse" instead of "house," the meaning of the passage is drastically different. As a result, it is important to read with accuracy.

In all grade levels, the DIBELS benchmark is to read with at least 96% accuracy.

In the picture below, the same passage is shown two times. The top version shows what 80% accuracy looks like. It is very hard to understand what is going on in the passage. The bottom version shows 95% accuracy. This is a lot easier to understand.

Expression:
Another aspect of fluency is expression. Readers need to pay attention to puncutation in order to use correct expression. If there is a question, the reader's voice needs to rise at the end. If there is a comma, the reader needs to pause. I tell me students that reading with expression means making our reading sound like talking.