Research · October 2015 doi: 10. 13140/RG

Reading Fluency. Reading fluency refers to accurate and automatic 
decoding of the words in the text, along with expressive interpretation of the text, 
to achieve optimal comprehension. Wagaman (2013) in eHow Contributor 
defined fluency as the combination of speed of reading and the ability to read 
with expression. In this test, candidates are supposed to read with appropriate 
phrasing and interpretation. Fluent reading requires speedy recognition of words, 
decoding accuracy, and oral expressiveness; these are to be assessed. One of the 
simple tests to assess children’s reading fluency is by oral reading. This is also 
important to improve their reading speed adn develop stronger vocabulary. The 
way is simple where the parent reads out loud at the rate they'd like their child to 
attain. This is done while their child reads along with them. This should model 
what reading fluency looks like. It helps the child read at a faster rate. This 
activity should be done with a grade appropriate book so that the child does not 
get frustrated. Wagaman recommeded some instructions in conducting reading 
fluency test as follow: 
1. Choosing a book or passage for the student to read. The child may need 
to read several different levels of books before the proper reading level 
is determined, so it is a good idea to have several levels on hand prior to 

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Language Testing & Evaluation 
Fernandes Arung 
2013 
12 
beginning the test. The optimal level is one in which the child is able to 
read fluently, but not perfectly. Perfect reading would indicate the child 
has mastered this level of reading, known as the independent level. 
2. Telling the child to begin reading aloud while starting a stopwatch. The 
amount of time it takes the student to read the book will help determine 
the child's fluency. 
3. Take a running record while the child is reading. A running record is a 
written record of the child's reading. It is basically a shorthand method 
of writing down everything the child reads, correctly and incorrectly. 
Some of the basic notations include a check mark for a correctly read 
word, a dash for a word left out, and a carrot to insert a word if the child 
adds an extra word to the sentence. If the word was read incorrectly, you 
should write whatever the child said, phonetically. For example, if the 
word was "house," you might right "hos." If the child self-corrects, or 
says a word incorrectly but then repeats it correctly, add the letters SC 
next to the notation, indicating the fact that the student corrected 
himself. 
4. Observe the student's ability to read with expression. Expressive reading 
involves changes of pitch, volume, rhythm and tone of voice while 
reading. Students who do not read with expression will often sound 
choppy or speak in a monotone. Reading with expression should sound 
like normal conversation. 
5. Determine reading accuracy. After the child has completed the reading, 
you need to decide if any of the mistakes changed the meaning of the 
story. Errors that do not change the meaning do not count against the 
student for determining fluency. Examples of mistakes that do not 
change the meaning include mispronounced names. A 90 percent to 96 
percent accuracy rate is considered instructional level, or the level at 
which the child should read at school. To determine accuracy rate, 

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Language Testing & Evaluation 
Fernandes Arung 
2013 
13 
divide the number of words read correctly by the total number of words. 
So for example, if the student read 187 words correctly out of a total of 
200 words, the student's accuracy rate is 94 percent. This would be a 
book at an instructional level for this child. 
6. Determine reading rate. To determine the child's reading rate, you need 
to know how many total words there were in the story that the child 
read, how many words the child read correctly and how long it took the 
child to read the story. Then divide the total number of words read 
correctly by the total amount of time it took to read the story. 
Continuing our example from above, if the student read 187 words 
correctly in a minute and a half, the student read 125 words per minute. 
This is in the instructional range for a fifth grader. 
7. Determine reading fluency by looking at the accuracy rate, reading rate 
and child's ability to read with expression. The accuracy and reading 
rates should be in the instructional range, and the child should read with 
some expression to be considered to be reading fluently. 
Tests used to measure the candidates’ reading fluency should be based on 
candidates’ level and provide various techniques.