Reading practices and comprehension strategies

Rasinski, T.V. (1999). "Exploring a method for estimating independent, instructional, and frustration reading rates." Journal of Reading Psychology. 20: 61-69.

This research article explores ways to gauge reader fluency. It stratifies readers not only by grade levels, but also within their grade level as either independent, instructional, or frustration level readers. The first of these is highly proficient; the last of these denotes readers who require a significant amount of help. The study involved a relatively modest sample size of (64) fifth graders and (66) third graders reading aloud a passage of roughly 500 words in length. The reading level of the students was determined by the number of word recognition errors they made and the number of words students were able to read per minute. The result was that researchers found a means of quantizing the reading ability of students. The study was performed because there was a large variation in the number of studies that had previously tried to determine what the average reading fluency rate should be for students of various grades. The study in this document, however, sheds insight into three different levels of reading for both third and fifth graders.

Implications/Applications

Teachers now have a methodology for stratifying the readers in their classes who are in the same grade level into each one of the three previously mentioned categories.

Teachers can also analyze the reading ability of their students both in terms of word recognition and fluency. The results of employing the methodology advocated in the study will enable teachers to know in which area students need more help in. Additionally, teachers will know which students need more and less help with their general reading skills.

There is another alternative method of determining how to assist students with reading known as the fluency scale developed by Aulls. This scale is an excellent means of complementing the other methodology advocated in the study. Aulls incorporates elements of expression and phrasing.

Another point of use for teachers found within this article is a quantifiable scale with which to stratify readers into the categories of independent, instructional, or frustration level readers.

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