About Reading Assistant Plus fluency

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About fluency

Reading fluency is the ability to decode words easily and accurately, recognize words with automaticity, and read text aloud with prosody. Instead of reading word by word, fluent readers are able to focus their attention on the meaning and the message of the text.

The reports for Reading Assistant Plus show how quickly and accurately the student can read the material by comparing a student’s words correct per minute (WCPM) score to a fluency goal specific to each selection.

This topic defines the fluency goals for each Reading Assistant Plus component.

Reading Assistant Plus fluency goals

The Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM) goals in Reading Assistant Plus are used to measure student fluency. These goals were informed by the following resources:

The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
Hasbrouck and Tindall Oral Reading Fluency Data 2006 (Winter and Spring norms, 50th percentile)

The WCPM goals for Reading Assistant Plus content are organized by ATOS^® Grade Equivalent reading level range. For example, a selection with an ATOS GE reading level of 1.8 has a WCPM goal of 69; that is, the Reading Assistant Plus expects the student to read that selection at a fluency rate of 69 WCPM.

ATOS GE range	Fluency goal
0.0 – 1.4	34
1.5 – 1.9	69
2.0 – 2.4	80
2.5 – 2.9	100
3.0 – 3.4	111
3.5 – 3.9	115
4.0 – 4.4	123
4.5 – 4.9	130
5.0+	144

Tip: Selections leveled at 5.0 and above have a WCPM goal of 144. By the middle of 5th grade, students are reading fluently enough to understand and learn from text, so the goal shifts from reading faster to reading increasingly complex texts and vocabulary at that rate.

To use the table, you’ll need to find the ATOS reading level for a selection. You can do this during the assign process (see Create Reading Assistant Plus assignments:

For selections with an ATOS reading level of NP, use the Selection Report to locate the Target WCPM (see Selection Report – Reading Assistant Plus: