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SECONDARY STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN READING: DEVELOPING READING FLUENCY

By Diane Pedrotty Bryant, Judy Englehard, and Linda Reetz

What is reading fluency?

Fluency is the ability to read text effortlessly with accuracy, speed, and expression. It is often described as the rate of reading in a particular time frame. Fluent readers have developed the ability to chunk words into phrases and to skillfully use these chunks to read more quickly.

Why is reading fluency important for secondary struggling readers?

Reading fluency is an important ability for secondary (middle and high school) students because of the large quantities of text they must read for class assignments.
The reading demands on adolescents are high, causing students with poor reading fluency to fall behind in text reading.
When students do not recognize words with automaticity, they spend time on decoding that could be devoted to comprehending text.
Students with poor reading fluency read less in a given amount of time, reducing the amount of material read overall, which has a negative impact on both developing vocabulary and learning the content.

What is the goal of reading fluency instruction for secondary struggling readers?

The goal of reading fluency instruction for secondary students is to help them become more fluent readers so more emphasis can be placed on comprehending content.

What are some instructional guidelines for building reading fluency?

Students should read text that is at their instructional/independent reading level. Text written at the student's independent level is often more frequently selected.
Materials that are age-appropriate and written at a student's independent reading level are recommended.
Students should possess the following prerequisite skills:

1. sound/symbol correspondence,
2. recognition of phonetically regular consonant-vowel-consonant words,
3. recognition of some sight or high-frequency words.

What are some research-based interventions for teaching fluency to secondary struggling readers?

Repeated Reading : The student reads sections of text aloud repeatedly until the desired fluency is achieved. Curriculum- based measurement methods are used to collect daily data on reading rates. Data often serve as a motivational tool for students.

Paired (Partner) Reading : Two students read the same reading passage aloud. The first student reads and the second student follows along. The roles are then reversed. The second student rereads the same passage and the first student follows along. Each student uses error-correction procedures when needed. The use of peer partners increases the amount of practice time for students.

Tape-Assisted Reading : A reading passage is tape-recorded. The student reads the print aloud in synchronization with the taped passage. Students can listen to and follow along with the taped passage before reading the passage aloud. Students should reread the passage several times.

Chunking: The teacher selects somewhat familiar text and divides it into phrase groups of words (chunks) by making slash marks to indicate the phrases. Students practice reading the phrases fluently. Slash marks are removed.

What are some guidelines for English-language learners?

Correct mispronunciation of English sounds judiciously. Some English sounds may differ from the sounds of students' home languages. These sounds do not have to be corrected continuously.

Explain to students the English intonation patterns that may differ from those of their home language.

What materials can be used to build reading fluency?

taped reading passages
age-appropriate/controlled vocabulary text
reading passages with word counts for each line in the margin to facilitate counting the number of words read during timed reading
graph paper for students to graph the number of words read correctly during timed reading

What are some examples of publishers that offer age-appropriate/controlled vocabulary text?

Capstone Press
Curriculum Associates
Educators Publishing Service
Globe Fearon
High Noon Books
New Readers Press
PCI Educational Publishing
Remedia
Steck-Vaughn
Sundance

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Resources and References
Bryant, D. P., Ugel, N., Thompson, S., & Hamff, A. (1999). Strategies to promote content-area reading instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic, 34 , 293-302. Bryant, D. P., Vaughn, S., Linan-Thompson, S., Ugel, N., Hamff, A., & Hougen, M. (2000). Reading outcomes for students with and without reading disabilities in general education middle school content area classes. Learning Disability Quarterly, 23 , 24-38. Delquadri, J., Greenwood , C. R., Whorton, D., Carta, J. J., & Hall, R. U. (1986). Classwide peer tutoring. Exceptional Children, 52 , 535-542. Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Mathes, P. G., & Simmons, D. C. (1997). Peer-assisted learning strategies: Making classrooms more responsive to diversity. American Educational Research Journal, 34 (1), 174-206. Mathes, P. G., Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. S., Henley, A. M., & Sanders, A. (1994). Increasing strategic reading practice with Peabody classwide peer tutoring . Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 9, 44-48. Mathes, P. G., & Fuchs, L. S. (1993). Peer-mediated rooms. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 8 , 233-243. Meyer, M., & Felton, R. H. (1999). Repeated reading to enhance fluency: Old approaches and new directions. Annals of Dyslexia, 49 , 283-306. Rivera, D. P., & Smith, D. D. (1997). Teaching students with learning and behavior problems (3rd ed.). Boston : Allyn & Bacon. Samuels, S. J. (1997/1999). The method of repeated readings. The Reading Teacher, 50 (5), 376-381. Sindelar, P. T., Monda, L., & O'Shea, L. (1990). Effects of repeated readings on instructional- and mastery-level readers. Journal of Educational Research, 83, 353-363. Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (1999). Enhancing reading fluency for secondary students: Part 1. Austin : Author. www.texasreading.org Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (2000). First grade teacher reading academy. Austin : Author. Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (2001). Effective instruction for struggling readers: Research-based practices. Austin : Special Education Reading Project (SERP). Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (2001). Second grade teacher reading academy. Austin : Author. Topping, K. J., & Lindsay, G. A. (1992). The structure and development of the paired reading technique. Journal of Research in Reading , 15 (2), 120-136. Prepared by Diane Pedrotty Bryant, Judy Englehard, and Linda Reetz CLD grants permission to copy the infosheet. Council for Learning Disabilities PO Box 40303 Overland Park , KS 66204 913/492-8755