Sargent, D: Oral Reading Fluency: A Predictive Measure

This book explores whether commonly used measures of reading proficiency or a measure of oral reading fluency can predict reading proficiency as measured by a standardized criterion-referenced achievement test of reading. Fifty-two students were selected from three fifth-grade classrooms of a public school. In the first semester of the school year, each participant was given multiple reading assessments, including assessments of fluency. In the second semester, each of the fifty-two students was administered the Oklahoma Criterion Referenced Test of Reading (fifth grade level), a criterion- referenced test based on the Oklahoma Priority Academic Student Skills (P.A.S.S.). The two measures of oral reading fluency used alone had significant power to predict reading proficiency. These findings offer support for prior research that has established the relationship between oral reading fluency and reading proficiency. The findings also have important implications for reading research, assessment, and instruction.