Assessing Fluency

Fluency skills can be assessed using standardized measures. The DIBELS. assessment system provides a measure that can be used to assess fluency, Oral Reading Fluency (ORF). To learn more about DIBELS click here.

Oral Reading Fluency

The DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency measure is a standardized, individually administered test of accuracy and fluency with connected text. The DORF passages and procedures are based on the program of research and development of Curriculum-Based Measurement of Reading by Stan Deno and colleagues at the University of Minnesota and using the procedures described in Shinn (1989). A version of CBM reading also has been published as The Test of Reading Fluency (TORF) (Children's Educational Services, 1987). DORF is a standardized set of passages and administration procedures designed to (a) identify children who may need additional instructional support, and (b) monitor progress toward instructional goals. The passages are calibrated for the goal level of reading for each grade level. Student performance is measured by having students read a passage aloud for one minute. Words omitted, substituted, and hesitations of more than three seconds are scored as errors. Words self-corrected within three seconds are scored as accurate. The number of correct words per minute from the passage is the oral reading fluency rate.

To learn more about the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency measure, click here.