How can reading fluency be assessed in students?

Reading fluency refers to the ability to read a text smoothly and accurately with proper expression. This skill encompasses three key components: speed, accuracy, and prosody (expression).

Assessing fluency effectively involves having students read a text aloud. This allows educators to measure how quickly the student reads (speed), how accurately they pronounce the words (accuracy), and whether they use appropriate intonation and rhythm (expression). These aspects are critical to determining a learner's fluency level. When students read aloud, teachers can listen for hesitations, errors, and their overall presentation, providing a clear picture of the student's fluency abilities.

While analyzing comfort levels with silent reading is important for fostering a positive reading environment, it does not provide objective measures of fluency. Similarly, summarizing stories and testing vocabulary knowledge are valuable skills but do not directly assess reading fluency. These activities may reflect comprehension and understanding of texts, rather than the fluidity of reading itself.