Name:​ ​ ​______________________________________ Score:​ ​ ​__________

Fluency​ ​Rubric
1​ ​(NO) 2 3 4​ ​(YES)

Expression​ ​and Reads​ ​in​ ​a​ ​quiet Reads​ ​in​ ​a​ ​quiet Reads​ ​with​ ​a Reads​ ​with
Volume voice. voice. talking​ ​volume. changes​ ​in
volume​ ​and
All​ ​words​ ​sound A​ ​few​ ​words​ ​are Most​ ​words​ ​are expression.
the​ ​same read​ ​with read​ ​with
=without excitement​ ​or feelings Sounds​ ​like
excitement​ ​or feelings (expression),​ ​but talking​ ​to​ ​a
feelings (expression). some​ ​are friend​ ​with
(expression). without expression.
expression.

Phrasing Reads Reads​ ​in​ ​2-3 Reads​ ​with Reads​ ​with

word-by-word. word​ ​phrases. some​ ​phrases. correct​ ​phrasing.

Sounds​ ​like​ ​a Does​ ​not​ ​pause Pauses​ ​correctly Pauses​ ​correctly

robot. for​ ​punctuation. for​ ​some for​ ​all/most
punctuation. punctuation.

Sounds​ ​like
talking.

Smoothness Many​ ​pauses Reads​ ​with​ ​very Reads​ ​with Reads​ ​smoothly
while​ ​trying​ ​to long​ ​pauses. some​ ​pauses. with​ ​few​ ​pauses.
figure​ ​out​ ​words.
Many​ ​word Self-corrects
Repeats​ ​words challenges. Few​ ​word errors.
or​ ​phrases. challenges.
Sounds​ ​choppy.

Pace Reads​ ​very Reads Reads​ ​both​ ​fast Reads​ ​at​ ​a​ ​good
slowly. somewhat and​ ​slow​ ​at pace=like​ ​talking
slowly. times. throughout​ ​the
text.

*Students​ ​should​ ​use​ ​text​ ​at​ ​their​ ​independent​ ​level.

>12=good​ ​fluency​ ​progress
<12=additional​ ​fluency​ ​instruction​ ​is​ ​needed.
 This​ ​rubric​ ​is​ ​to​ ​be​ ​used​ ​by​ ​the​ ​teacher​ ​or​ ​student​ ​to​ ​assess​ ​reading​ ​fluency.​ ​ ​ ​ ​The

“National​ ​Reading​ ​Panel​ ​(2000)​ ​defined​ ​fluency​ ​as​ ​reading​ ​with​ ​accuracy,​ ​speed,​ ​and​ ​proper

expression​ ​without​ ​conscious​ ​attention​ ​to​ ​word​ ​identification​ ​on​ ​the​ ​reader’s​ ​part”​ ​(Caldwell​ ​&

Leslie,​ ​2013​ ​p.102).​ ​ ​This​ ​rubric​ ​will​ ​help​ ​students​ ​and​ ​teachers​ ​pinpoint​ ​the​ ​reader’s​ ​strengths

and​ ​weaknesses​ ​so​ ​that​ ​they​ ​can​ ​practice,​ ​grow,​ ​and​ ​become​ ​better​ ​readers.​ ​ ​“Instruction​ ​in

fluency​ ​can​ ​be​ ​particularly​ ​beneficial​ ​for​ ​English​ ​language​ ​learners​ ​because​ ​activities​ ​designed​ ​to

enhance​ ​fluency​ ​in​ ​reading​ ​can​ ​also​ ​contribute​ ​to​ ​oral​ ​language​ ​development​ ​in​ ​English.​ ​As

students​ ​practice​ ​reading​ ​English​ ​text​ ​accurately,​ ​automatically,​ ​and​ ​prosodically,​ ​they​ ​are

gaining​ ​valuable​ ​information​ ​about​ ​the​ ​sounds​ ​and​ ​cadences​ ​of​ ​spoken​ ​English,​ ​and​ ​they​ ​are​ ​also

developing​ ​vocabulary​ ​skills​ ​that​ ​can​ ​contribute​ ​to​ ​oral​ ​language​ ​fluency,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​reading​ ​and

listening​ ​comprehension”​ ​(Ford,​ ​2017).

Fluency​ ​is​ ​a​ ​quick​ ​and​ ​easy​ ​measure​ ​that​ ​is​ ​also​ ​linked​ ​to​ ​comprehension​ ​or​ ​can​ ​suggest​ ​a

lack​ ​of​ ​comprehension.​ ​ ​If​ ​a​ ​student​ ​is​ ​a​ ​fluent​ ​reader​ ​they​ ​are​ ​able​ ​to​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​the​ ​meaning​ ​of

the​ ​text.​ ​ ​However,​ ​if​ ​a​ ​student​ ​struggles​ ​with​ ​fluency​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​sign​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​not​ ​understanding

because​ ​their​ ​focus​ ​is​ ​on​ ​decoding​ ​rather​ ​than​ ​meaning.​ ​ ​“Studies...have​ ​shown​ ​high​ ​correlations

between​ ​reading​ ​rate​ ​and​ ​comprehension....​ ​As​ ​a​ ​result,​ ​reading​ ​fluency​ ​instruction​ ​has​ ​become

in​ ​many​ ​classrooms​ ​a​ ​quest​ ​for​ ​speed”​ ​(Rasinski,​ ​2012).​ ​ ​With​ ​this​ ​being​ ​said​ ​it​ ​is​ ​important​ ​for

students​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​that​ ​fluency​ ​is​ ​not​ ​solely​ ​the​ ​rate/speed​ ​of​ ​reading.​ ​ ​This​ ​rubric​ ​should​ ​be​ ​used

to​ ​evaluate​ ​and​ ​to​ ​learn​ ​from​ ​so​ ​students​ ​become​ ​more​ ​fluent​ ​and​ ​achieve​ ​the​ ​number​ ​one​ ​reason

for​ ​reading;​ ​ ​comprehension.​ ​“As​ ​stated​ ​in​ ​Rasinski’s​ ​article,​ ​“Several​ ​reviews​ ​of​ ​research​ ​on

fluency​ ​have​ ​shown​ ​that​ ​word​ ​recognition​ ​accuracy,​ ​automaticity,​ ​comprehension,​ ​and​ ​attitude

toward​ ​reading​ ​have​ ​been​ ​shown​ ​to​ ​improve​ ​with​ ​repeated​ ​readings​ ​(Dowhower,​ ​1994;​ ​Kuhn​ ​&
Stahl,​ ​2003;​ ​Rasinski​ ​et​ ​al.,​ ​2011).​ ​With​ ​these​ ​findings​ ​it​ ​is​ ​important​ ​to​ ​note​ ​that​ ​students​ ​should

be​ ​reading​ ​independent​ ​level​ ​text​ ​while​ ​using​ ​this​ ​rubric.​ ​ ​The​ ​teacher​ ​should​ ​decide​ ​if​ ​they​ ​will

be​ ​using​ ​cold​ ​reads​ ​or​ ​texts​ ​they​ ​have​ ​previously​ ​read​ ​or​ ​even​ ​practiced.​ ​ ​Students​ ​could​ ​use

instructional​ ​leveled​ ​texts,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​guided​ ​reading​ ​books,​ ​if​ ​they​ ​have​ ​read​ ​them​ ​previously.​ ​ ​This

rubric​ ​should​ ​also​ ​have​ ​a​ ​text​ ​purpose​ ​in​ ​mind​ ​including​ ​cold​ ​read,​ ​warm​ ​read,​ ​and​ ​should​ ​be​ ​a

familiar​ ​topic,​ ​therefore​ ​it​ ​is​ ​important​ ​to​ ​know​ ​your​ ​students.​ ​ ​Perhaps​ ​allowing​ ​students​ ​to

choose​ ​their​ ​texts​ ​and​ ​then​ ​evaluating​ ​them​ ​prior​ ​would​ ​be​ ​best.​ ​ ​ ​I​ ​have​ ​intended​ ​it​ ​to​ ​be​ ​for

second​ ​graders​ ​because​ ​I​ ​want​ ​it​ ​to​ ​be​ ​useful​ ​and​ ​purposeful​ ​for​ ​my​ ​classroom.​ ​ ​However,​ ​I​ ​am

certain​ ​many​ ​other​ ​grade​ ​levels​ ​can​ ​easily​ ​use​ ​it.​ ​ ​I​ ​would​ ​pre-teach​ ​each​ ​box​ ​to​ ​clarify

understanding.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​Although,​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​that​ ​the​ ​original​ ​rubric​ ​has​ ​some​ ​great​ ​qualities,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​made​ ​some

modifications​ ​to​ ​make​ ​it​ ​more​ ​user​ ​friendly​ ​for​ ​younger​ ​students​ ​and​ ​English​ ​Language

Learners.​ ​ ​First​ ​of​ ​all,​ ​I​ ​have​ ​added​ ​some​ ​meaningful​ ​pictures​ ​to​ ​better​ ​help​ ​the​ ​reader​ ​understand

which​ ​trait​ ​of​ ​fluency​ ​is​ ​being​ ​evaluated.​ ​ ​According​ ​to​ ​the​ ​WIDA​ ​website,​ ​at​ ​the​ ​early​ ​levels​ ​of

English​ ​Language,​ ​levels​ ​1-4,​ ​pictures​ ​help​ ​them​ ​to​ ​understand​ ​and​ ​process​ ​the​ ​language.​ ​ ​After

speaking​ ​with​ ​our​ ​ELL​ ​teacher​ ​I​ ​am​ ​more​ ​aware​ ​that​ ​she​ ​uses​ ​pictures​ ​in​ ​her​ ​teachings​ ​daily.​ ​ ​I

have​ ​also​ ​made​ ​the​ ​wording​ ​more​ ​simplistic​ ​for​ ​the​ ​young​ ​reader​ ​or​ ​ELL​ ​to​ ​understand.​ ​ ​For

example​ ​I​ ​got​ ​rid​ ​of​ ​words​ ​like​ ​monotone,​ ​laboriously,​ ​and​ ​intonation​ ​because​ ​although

important,​ ​they​ ​are​ ​not​ ​second​ ​grade​ ​friendly.​ ​ ​I​ ​also​ ​added​ ​“yes”and​ ​“no”​ ​because​ ​young​ ​readers

and​ ​ELLs​ ​both​ ​have​ ​understanding​ ​of​ ​yes​ ​and​ ​no.​ ​I​ ​know​ ​it​ ​takes​ ​some​ ​time,​ ​but​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is

important​ ​to​ ​explicitly​ ​model​ ​what​ ​each​ ​box​ ​represents.​ ​ ​This​ ​is​ ​like​ ​front-loading​ ​to​ ​better

understand​ ​the​ ​task​ ​and​ ​what​ ​the​ ​best​ ​mark​ ​is​ ​for​ ​each​ ​box.​ ​ ​Modeling​ ​should​ ​be​ ​taught​ ​and
thinking​ ​aloud​ ​should​ ​be​ ​modeled​ ​while​ ​evaluating.​ ​ ​“Prosody​ ​allows​ ​the​ ​reader​ ​to​ ​infer

information​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​explicitly​ ​stated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​passage”​ ​(Rasinski,​ ​2012).​ ​ ​It​ ​is​ ​important​ ​to​ ​also

explain​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​fluent​ ​reading​ ​including​ ​prosody​ ​is​ ​so​ ​that​ ​we​ ​better​ ​understand​ ​what​ ​we

are​ ​reading.​ ​ ​“Even​ ​though​ ​fluency​ ​instruction​ ​is​ ​important,​ ​teachers​ ​must​ ​remember​ ​that​ ​many

ELLs​ ​can​ ​be​ ​deceptively​ ​fast​ ​and​ ​accurate​ ​while​ ​reading​ ​in​ ​English​ ​without​ ​fully​ ​comprehending

the​ ​meaning​ ​of​ ​the​ ​text​ ​they​ ​are​ ​reading.​ ​That​ ​is​ ​because​ ​reading​ ​comprehension​ ​depends​ ​upon​ ​a

variety​ ​of​ ​complex​ ​skills​ ​that​ ​are​ ​not​ ​as​ ​important​ ​to​ ​word​ ​reading.​ ​These​ ​include​ ​deep

vocabulary​ ​knowledge,​ ​syntactical​ ​knowledge,​ ​and​ ​background​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​the​ ​subject

discussed​ ​in​ ​the​ ​text.​ ​For​ ​this​ ​reason,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​always​ ​important​ ​to​ ​pair​ ​fluency​ ​instruction​ ​with​ ​good

instruction​ ​in​ ​comprehension”​ ​(Ford,​ ​2017).​ ​ ​Therefore,​ ​in​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​assessing​ ​fluency​ ​it​ ​is

valuable​ ​to​ ​partake​ ​in​ ​some​ ​type​ ​of​ ​comprehension​ ​lesson​ ​or​ ​assessment.​ ​ ​Students​ ​can​ ​easily

retell​ ​or​ ​reflect​ ​on​ ​their​ ​readings.​ ​ ​I​ ​also​ ​changed​ ​the​ ​goal​ ​to​ ​be​ ​>12=good​ ​fluency​ ​progress​ ​rather

than​ ​10​ ​because​ ​I​ ​felt​ ​that​ ​a​ ​fluent​ ​reader​ ​should​ ​not​ ​be​ ​in​ ​the​ ​1​ ​or​ ​2​ ​boxes​ ​for​ ​any​ ​of​ ​the​ ​traits.

This​ ​doesn’t​ ​mean​ ​they​ ​are​ ​bad​ ​at​ ​reading,​ ​just​ ​that​ ​they​ ​need​ ​more​ ​practice​ ​to​ ​build​ ​fluency.

​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​While​ ​modifying​ ​this​ ​rubric​ ​I​ ​made​ ​a​ ​lot​ ​of​ ​considerations​ ​for​ ​English​ ​Language​ ​learners​ ​and

younger​ ​students.​ ​ ​As​ ​a​ ​second​ ​grade​ ​teacher​ ​I​ ​feel​ ​that​ ​it​ ​is​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​ensure​ ​the​ ​rubrics​ ​I​ ​am

using​ ​are​ ​user​ ​friendly​ ​and​ ​appropriate​ ​for​ ​my​ ​students.​ ​ ​I​ ​would​ ​likely​ ​focus​ ​on​ ​1-2​ ​traits​ ​at​ ​a

time​ ​for​ ​instructional​ ​and​ ​learning​ ​purposes.​ ​ ​There​ ​are​ ​many​ ​rubrics​ ​to​ ​chose​ ​from,​ ​but​ ​since

taking​ ​this​ ​class​ ​I​ ​always​ ​ask​ ​myself​ ​the​ ​purpose​ ​of​ ​the​ ​assessment.​ ​ ​That​ ​is​ ​how​ ​I​ ​make​ ​many​ ​of

my​ ​decisions​ ​such​ ​as​ ​which​ ​text​ ​the​ ​students​ ​will​ ​read.​ ​ ​Other​ ​considerations​ ​while​ ​assessing

fluency​ ​are​ ​very​ ​individualized​ ​and​ ​it​ ​is​ ​a​ ​must​ ​that​ ​we​ ​get​ ​to​ ​know​ ​our​ ​students​ ​and​ ​their
interests​ ​and​ ​needs.​ ​ ​While​ ​my​ ​ELL​ ​experiences​ ​are​ ​very​ ​limited,​ ​I​ ​now​ ​have​ ​a​ ​much​ ​better

understanding​ ​of​ ​how​ ​to​ ​better​ ​meet​ ​their​ ​needs.

Sources:

Caldwell,​ ​J.​ ​&​ ​Leslie,​ ​L.​ ​(2013).​ ​Intervention​ ​strategies​ ​to​ ​follow​ ​informal​ ​reading​ ​inventory

assessment:​ ​So​ ​what​ ​do​ ​I​ ​do​ ​now?​ ​(3rd​ ​ed.).​ ​Boston,​ ​MA:​ ​Pearson

Ford,​ ​K.​ ​(n.d.).​ ​ELLs​ ​and​ ​reading​ ​fluency​ ​in​ ​english​ ​|​ ​Colorín​ ​Colorado.​ ​Retrieved​ ​December

9,​ ​2017,​ ​from​ ​http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/ells-and-reading-fluency-english

Rasinski,​ ​T.​ ​V.​ ​(2012).​ ​Why​ ​reading​ ​fluency​ ​should​ ​be​ ​hot!​ ​The​ ​reading​ ​teacher,​ ​65​(8),​ ​516-522.

doi:10.1002/trtr.01077

WIDA​ ​website:​ ​ ​https://www.wida.us/standards/CAN_DOs/