Science of Reading | Discovery Education

The Five Components of Reading

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 19:34:25 +0000

Background: Who determined the five components of reading?

Congress asked the National Reading Panel NRP to determine the best approaches to help children read. As a result of their research and evaluation, the organization issued an evidence-based, nearly 500-page report of their findings. Teaching Children to Read divided reading instruction into five components and summarized available research. NRP then made instructional recommendations for each component.

The components are:

Phonemic awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Comprehension
Vocabulary

Within these five categories, the report determined several key takeaways, including:

Phonemic awareness and phonics:

These early components are critical to reading proficiency, but not the end goal.
These components should be systematically taught and integrated with spelling instruction.
Educators intentionally decide the order that phonemic awareness and phonics skills should be taught.

Fluency, comprehension and vocabulary:

Strong fluency – created by automaticity and language comprehension and a solid vocabulary – is necessary to become a proficient reader.
Students unable to recognize and understand words, can’t achieve fluency and decode unfamiliar words.
Fluency allows for better text comprehension, which allows students to build vocabularies for greater comprehension of more complex texts.

The report also determined that most students need substantial instruction in phonics-based skills to achieve fluency, strengthen comprehension and develop their vocabulary.

Reading Scores Decline for the First Time in Two Decades

In 2022, the National Center for Education Statistics conducted a special administration of the NAEP long-term trend reading and mathematics assessments to examine student achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scores from over 7,000 9-year-old students indicated:

Average scores in 2022 declined 5 points in reading since 2020.
This decline is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990.
Students in the most underserved populations saw the most dramatic shift. Reading scores dropped 10 points for students in the bottom 10th achievement percentile.

These scores are alarming and it’s urgent to respond strategically and quickly. If these students don’t get access to the right resources and support, they’ll be at greater risk of not building reading proficiency well enough to excel in other areas. Now is the time to provide effective intervention strategies to help students find success this year and beyond to graduate on time, pursue post-secondary opportunities and compete in a global economy.

Strategies to Consider for Literacy Instruction Across Teaching Reading

The NAEP test results analyzed over 7,000 9-year-old 4th grade students. This is a critical period for readers because starting in grade 3, students transition from learning to read, to reading to learn. As children read to learn, DreamBox Reading helps develop the components of reading. They include reading comprehension, vocabulary and fluency – a component often not addressed in the silent reading phase.

Below you’ll find a brief description of each component as well as some easily incorporated strategies to support improved reading outcomes.

Reading Comprehension

Simply put, comprehension means making meaning from text. However, getting to comprehension can be complex and requires three processing systems:

Phonological: Recognizing familiar words or being able to decode unfamiliar words.
Meaning: Understanding the meaning of each word.
Context: Understanding the meaning of sentences and entire texts.

One simple strategy to support students’ reading comprehension is to incorporate read-aloud instruction. Use turn-and-talk, open-ended questions, small-group discussions and student-student discourse to ensure 100% student engagement.

Another strategy, or resource, to support the development of comprehension skills is an online literacy program like DreamBox Reading. Adaptive technology can offer personalized scaffolding to build independent reading skills. The DreamBox Reading program automatically customizes lesson features including content level (based on an initial assessment), reading rate, opportunities to reread texts and questions interspersed throughout each lesson. The program also allows students to self-select reading texts that are engaging and further build content knowledge and vocabulary.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is the knowledge of what a word means and how to pronounce it. Students develop vocabulary by sounding out words. Making sense of the word then informs comprehension. Readers must understand the meaning of words in order to understand the full content of the text.

Read-alouds, a great strategy for improving reading comprehension, can also help build students’ vocabulary. A 2019 research study found that young children whose parents read aloud to them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to.

In addition to vocabulary acquisition that can be formally taught before and during a read-aloud, a combination of turn-and-talks, small-group discussions, and student-student discourse can further grow students’ vocabulary.

Additionally, an adaptive reading program with built-in vocabulary support can supplement whole- and small-group instruction. It provides personalized vocabulary development and improvised reading comprehension. For example, the vocabulary component in DreamBox Reading teaches students a research-based compilation of highly valuable, cross-curriculum, general academic vocabulary. Students master words through activities such as matching a vocabulary word with its synonym, selecting sentences where it’s used properly, and completing sentences with members of its word family.

DreamBox Reading also teaches students “2,400 Words to Master” a research-based compilation of general academic vocabulary. Their word mastery is continually evaluated, and students receive support for academic words they struggle with. These words are systematically included and repeated within their reading selections to help them progressively increase complexity of texts.

Developing Reading Fluency

There are two types of reading fluency:

Oral Reading Fluency: In grades K – 2, students build foundational skills, such as phonemic awareness and phonics skills. During this phase, they also develop oral fluency. Students demonstrate speed, accuracy and expression as they read aloud. It’s immediately apparent when a student doesn’t read a word or sentence correctly. A teacher can then intervene appropriately and quickly.
Silent Reading Fluency: Silent reading fluency becomes increasingly important beginning in 3rd grade. It’s the ability to read silently with attention and concentration, ease and comfort, at grade-appropriate reading rates and with good understanding.

Silent reading fluency is taught the least yet tested the most. The challenge for teachers is how to teach silent reading fluency. Both nonproficient and proficient readers can struggle with low reading fluency, which affects motivation and engagement. Fluent readers are able to focus on comprehension, read increasingly complex texts, and become a more confident and engaged reader.

Reading solutions with embedded assessments can help identify students’ strengths and weaknesses and what they need from the start. This data allows for targeted instruction and can inform areas of fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, confidence and interest. With greater access to student data, educators have insight into where students are and what they need to grow.

Students cannot develop comprehension without vocabulary or fluency skills. However, many intervention programs fail to address silent reading fluency. So, students are limited in the progress they can make across other critical skills. DreamBox Reading is the only reading solution that supports silent reading fluency. Educators can leverage the Intelligent Adaptive Learning technology to guide and support reading fluency and provide each student with just-right instruction. Reading fluency allows students to focus more deeply on comprehension, read increasingly complex texts and become a more confident and engaged reader.

As students develop and hone the skills necessary to become readers, they must engage with the right content to become better readers. Technology can match students with the right lessons for their vocabulary, comprehension and fluency levels. It can adapt and adjust to ensure they remain within their zone of proximal development. As they build intersectional skills in every area, just-in-time technology, like DreamBox Reading 3 – 12, can provide personalized scaffolds and support based on student behavior and needs.

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Supporting Science of Reading in Your District

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 19:34:23 +0000

The Situation

Approximately one-third of U.S. 4th and 8th graders demonstrate proficiency in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The persistence of this crisis – and it is a crisis when 1 in 3 students are not reading at grade level – is tragic not only for the implications of how this deficit will impact the future of these children (higher dropout rates, lower lifetime wages) but also for the fact that there are effective, proven methods to improve reading outcomes for all learners.

These alarming scores do not reflect the level of educators’ dedication to teaching, nor do they reflect students’ motivation to learn, but rather, these scores signal a need to standardize our approaches to literacy to better align with research-based practices.

Many states have enacted legislation to explicitly transform reading within their state by prioritizing well-researched, proven methods for instruction and bringing consistency across schools and districts. As a result, educators have turned to practices supported by decades of research and data. The new approach requires that districts implement Science of Reading-aligned practices in their classrooms.

What is Science of Reading?

The Science of Reading (SoR) is the body of evidence of approaches to reading instruction. An abundance of that research suggests that a structured literacy approach is the most effective way to teach reading.

Phonological Awareness

The ability to recognize and manipulate the parts of sentences and words said aloud. For example, a student who has acquired phonological awareness can identify words that rhyme or count the number of syllables in a word.

Alphabetic Principle

The ability to associate the letter names and their distinct sounds to the uppercase and lowercase letters.

Phonemic Awareness

The ability to recognize the smallest unit of sound in a word “phonemes.” For example, understanding that cat is made up of three distinct sounds /k/ /a/ /t/.

Phonics

The ability to match the sounds of words (phonemes) with the letter or letters they represent (graphemes). For example, knowing that the sound for /k/ can be represented as c (cat), k (kite), ck (duck), or ch (school).

Fluency

The ability to read smoothly, without interruption or pausing, results from students reading and rereading texts early in the developmental process. Fluency is an explicit goal achieved by persistent, repeated, engagement with text.

Vocabulary

Knowing what words mean and how to say and use them properly.

Text Comprehension

The ability to understand what the text means. This may be determining the author’s intent, the responses it evokes in the reader, and how the text relates to the broader body of knowledge in the world.

The Challenges of Transforming Literacy Instruction for District Leaders

Aligning reading instruction with research and best practices proven to be effective means that all students will have access to the tools, instructional materials, and pedagogy to become proficient readers. These students will be able to engage deeply with academic content in the years ahead, paving the way for them to become adults who can actively participate in and contribute to the world around them–elevating the long-term overall success of the district and the broader community.

How District Leaders Can make the Shift in Instruction Successful

Ensuring that teachers employ the proven practices of Science of Reading, and helping teachers transition to these practices, is critically important if students are to be successful readers. District and school leaders can catalyze a successful implementation of Science of Reading principles by providing educators with a shared purpose, meaningful professional learning, ample time, effective resources, and a commitment to ongoing support.

Build a common understanding and expectations: When entire districts are adopting a new instructional approach, it is critical that all stakeholders have a shared understanding, language, and set of expectations. Before implementation, it is vital for district leaders to share information about the research basis, steps for rollout, and desired outcomes with educators so they understand the reasons for the change and are, therefore, more likely to embrace the approach.

Provide the right tools: As an initial step in implementation, districts should audit current tools and resources and identify those that utilize SoR principles. Districts should then assess what additional tools and resources are needed for teaching and learning to successfully implement SoR for students. It is important that districts pair adoption of these new tools with meaningful professional learning for educators.

Prioritize professional development: A shift to implementing Science of Reading practices may mean restructuring the entire approach to literacy. This requires that district and school leaders invest time, resources, and energy to ensure that classroom teachers and interventionists understand pedagogical practices and how to implement them for their specific students. Further, many teachers have been trained in and utilized balanced literacy for their entire careers. Professional learning needs to include explicit descriptions of how SoR practices are different and which practices are no longer justified by SoR research.

Learn from others: District leaders should regularly connect with colleagues in other districts and their own team to support one another, share lessons learned, and strategize about how to enable successful implementation. Utilize Facebook groups, Twitter chats, webinars, and resources from professional organizations to engage in additional opportunities to learn from others and to inform the broader conversation. It’s also important to acknowledge that classroom teachers are in a similar position. Leaders can facilitate structured opportunities for them to connect with colleagues and peers in professional learning communities.

Engage learning guardians and communities: Reading development is a primary focus of learning in the early grades and, in its ideal form, transcends both the classroom and the home. It’s critical to have clear and consistent messaging throughout the entire district on why educators are shifting to SoR, what that will look like for students, and how families and learning guardians can support students in their literacy development. District leaders can work with their office of communications, family and community outreach teams, and any other relevant professionals to engage families in building understanding and momentum.

Invest in ongoing and systematic efforts: This kind of shift requires changes at every level of a school district and requires time and iterative effort. To truly transform reading instruction, district leaders must provide structures for consistent and ongoing support, guidance, and regular feedback loops to ensure that educators have access to the information and professional learning they need when it is relevant to their instruction and the phase of implementation.

Transforming Literacy for Long-Term Success

Discover More Literacy Best Practices, Strategies, and Resources

Supporting Literacy for All Learners

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Science of Reading: A Conversation with Education Leaders

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 19:30:18 +0000

Kay Takeaways from a Conversation on Understanding and Implementing New Literacy Practices

In recent decades, researchers have identified key practices proven to effectively teach students to read, known as the science of reading (SoR). A growing achievement crisis in literacy rates has fueled many states throughout the country to enact legislation requiring all students to have access to this evidence-based reading instruction. District administrators and educators are grappling with how to implement the legislation to best serve the needs of their students.

During the webinar, Navigating Science of Reading Legislation & Transforming Literacy Initiatives, Kristin Gehsmann, EdD, the recent Director of The Virginia Tech School of Education, gave historical context on the Science of Reading and discussed critical components for translating this research into practice. Jeffrey James, EdD, the Superintendent of Iredell-Statesville Schools, NC shared his professional experiences leading the transformation of literacy initiatives in a diverse school district with more than 20,000 students. These experts led an engaging discussion that offered attendees new insights as they begin to respond to SoR legislation.

Here are key takeaways from this insightful and dynamic conversation:

1. Learning to read is a complex process. It’s important to respect and acknowledge the complexity as educators design literacy initiatives.

A key point our speakers conveyed from the onset is that learning to read is a dynamic, multi-faceted process. Dr. Gehsmann explained, “Reading is a complex and developmental process that requires expert knowledge and research on how students become readers.” In order to effectively transform literacy practices and outcomes, it’s critical that educational leaders take this complexity into account. Dr. James added, “One size does not fit all […] We have to meet the child where they are.” The process of learning to read must be based on what works and include a personalized approach that can be adapted to fit the unique needs and strengths of each student.

2. It’s critical to implement practices that are based in research and proven with evidence.

In discussing how to ensure that all students learn to read, both experts talked about the vital importance of implementing literacy practices proven to work and address the different components of learning to read. Dr. James explained that he sees it as his duty as an educational leader to “Make sure that the programs we put in place are effective […] when we adopt a program, we want to see the research behind it.” Dr. Gehsmann added that it’s essential that district leaders evaluate programs and research with this critical lens – ensuring that the evidence is significant and valid.

When Dr. James immersed himself in the SoR research, he was excited to find an evidence-based, holistic program that creates a structure to teach reading and takes word recognition, language, and comprehension into account. He clarified that it is critical that there should be guidance on the sequence students should learn. Dr. Gehsmann added that when implementing these research-based methods, it’s vital for educational administrators to “help educators translate the research that exists into practice,” to ultimately bring these practices to scale.

3. When deploying new initiatives, plan proactively, roll out strategically, and allow time for change to occur.

Speaking from over two decades in education, Dr. James emphasized the importance of thoughtful and strategic planning when rolling out new initiatives. He has found using pilots for the initial phases of programs especially beneficial as it allows them to start out small and “get all the bugs out of deployment” before wide-scale implementation. He also shared that his district found it helpful to invite teachers to visit the classrooms of teachers who “are doing extraordinary things and moving the needle forward.” This provides models of best practices and builds relationships among teachers, creating a system of support and collegiality.

Once they began rolling out the Science of Reading across the district, Dr. James and his leadership team took steps to ensure that teachers would not be overwhelmed with adopting several new initiatives or programs simultaneously. They reviewed other initiatives in the district to identify those that could be delayed or reconsidered. Dr. James described the measure of a successful rollout as being truly systemic, which takes intentional efforts and time for change to take hold. He explained, ”When I walk into one building, I’m seeing the same thing that I am in any other building. But it does take three to five years to see that level of embedded practice.”

4. High-quality educators are the lynchpin for student learning and achievement. To successfully transform literacy initiatives, it’s essential to get teacher buy-in.

According to Dr. James, successful implementation “really comes down to effective teaching.” Because of this, efforts to support educators – and build their belief in the value of changes to instructional practice – are fundamental to achieving literacy. Dr. James and Dr. Gehsmann emphasized that an initial, important step to get teacher buy-in is helping teachers understand the research they’re putting into practice. When teachers understand the purpose of new approaches, they’re more likely to implement these practices.

Dr. James shared that when implementing the SoR, he recognized that it would require “a huge lift for teachers.” To support this effort, he and his leadership team designed professional development that offers a sustainable system of support for teachers during the rollout. The leadership team invited teachers to evaluate resources and inform decisions about programs. He also regularly sought feedback from educators in his district on school climate and what they needed to be successful. The district focused on communicating to teachers how much they are valued and appreciated, and he found ways to provide financial incentives for training and scheduled professional development during working hours.

5. Embedding formative assessment is key in implementing literacy initiatives, so educators can catch issues early and intervene.

When implementing these new literacy practices, both Dr. James and Dr. Gehsmann noted the importance of systematically including valid and reliable assessments that can be used to measure learning and guide teaching within the SoR framework. Dr. Gehsmann explained the critical role assessments play in implementation. “You really want to make sure that you have valid and reliable assessments […] that are informing teachers’ instructional decisions.” Dr. Gehsmann added a note of caution: “When we’re looking at assessments, we want to be really careful that we don’t become so hyper-focused on some skills that we miss the importance of students being able to orchestrate all of these skills to read with comprehension.” With varying reading abilities within a classroom, formative assessment is essential to understand where students are, what they need to move forward, and how they are progressing on their goals.

6. High-quality, proven resources that align with Science of Reading are vital for literacy success at scale.

The panel of experts pointed out the importance of having resources and tools in place that are aligned with SoR and proven by research to support reading growth and achievement at scale. Ed-tech solutions that offer adaptive and dynamic assessment, instruction, and practice can provide schools and districts with the support they need to personalize learning for each student at scale. When selecting resources, they noted that districts must evaluate the data and research behind products to ensure they are using their resources on solutions that will significantly impact student learning. Both Gehsmann and James cautioned districts to always question the validity of research and data. James shared he always asks vendors, “What research have you done? How many students were involved in the research? What was the effect size?” This evaluation ensures that districts deploy high-quality, proven resources.

7. Many noninstructional variables impact literacy readiness, growth, and development.

Dr. Gehsmann and Dr. James expanded the conversation around literacy practices to make the critical point that learning to read is influenced by an array of complicated factors and not solely the product of instructional practices in a classroom. From shortages in well-qualified teachers, to inequitable school funding and access to books at home and at school, reading growth and development are often heavily affected by economic disparities. With this context, Dr. Gehsmann explained, “We have to approach the Science of Reading […] and falling levels of reading achievement by looking at a constellation of factors and potential solutions to these challenges.” Dr. James noted that these solutions might include offering free breakfast and lunch and access to early learning programs, along with other mechanisms to increase equity, opportunity, and support. Acknowledging the complexities of literacy development and achievement and responding more holistically will result in better overall outcomes for students.

8. Reading is an essential component for lifelong learning and success.

A common theme throughout the conversation is the belief that teaching students to read is one of the most fundamental and critical purposes of schools – for both individual and collective success. Dr. Gehsmann described this educational mission, saying, “The goal of reading instruction should be efficient and accurate reading that allows readers to derive meaning from what was read. […] That’s the whole point. We want students to be able to read, to gain knowledge, but also to bring enjoyment to their lives.”

Dr. Gehsmann went on to explain insights from cognitive psychologists who have found that “Reading literally changes the brain. […] Reading can advance perspective-taking and empathy.”–skills that are critical for individuals and groups to problem-solve, collaborate, and create vibrant inclusive communities. Successfully learning to read is a primary ingredient for a productive and fulfilling life. Because of this, educational leaders must ensure all students have access to research-proven, high-quality literacy instruction, resources, and practice.

With wide scale implementation of Science of Reading practices, there’s an opportunity for partnerships between districts and higher ed institutions to expand research on reading pedagogy and the process of learning to read. Dr. Gehsmann described her aspirations for what this next phase of Science of Reading can bring: “We're continuously learning … and maybe this is more of a hope, that school districts will start to partner with university faculty to translate the existing research into practice, and even take it further and learn how to scale it up.” This relationship between research and practice would allow for the replication of previous empirical studies as well as the development of new insights into understanding how students progress through the complex process of learning to read, all of which lead to better practices and outcomes for students.

Discover More Literacy Best Practices, Strategies, and Resources

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Science Matters: Literacy Research is the Key to Improving Reading Outcomes

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 19:34:17 +0000

How can we improve reading outcomes for all of our students?

Educators have asked themselves this question countless times. They have tried different strategies, software products, and professional development as potential answers. But with only 35% of U.S. fourth-grade students proficient in reading, where does reading instruction go from here?

Numerous terms, including the science of reading and the 5 components of reading, are at the forefront of discussions in the literacy field right now, yet both terms have appeared often in reading research for decades. What is behind the renewed interest?

The Science of Reading

In 2019, Mississippi was the only state where students showed gains in reading on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). A key differentiator for why Mississippi, a state where students have historically struggled in reading, showed reading gains is the investment the state has made in its teachers, providing intensive professional development in literacy practices that are firmly based on the science of reading.

The phrase science of reading refers to the large body of research connected to understanding how we learn to read. The science of reading points to those evidence-based approaches and methods that result in successful outcomes for students. For example, there is a renewed interest in the National Reading Panel’s research-based concepts that should be at the core of any reading instruction program. The five concepts are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. In addition, greater scrutiny has been given to the importance of teaching foundational reading skills with explicit, systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics, a strategy that is clearly aligned with reading research.

The success in Mississippi has not gone unnoticed. Other states are beginning to support and pass legislation that focuses on evidence-based reading instruction aligned with the science of reading and proven to improve reading. Likewise, many literacy program providers are now promoting their offerings under the “science of reading” umbrella. The education world is buzzing constantly about yet another shift in reading instruction, even though for many educators, there is still much to digest and understand, especially how this shift could impact their current literacy instruction.

The Five Components of Reading

The National Reading Panel (NRP) convened in 1998 at the request of Congress to help determine how best to teach children how to read. Two years later, the NRP issued its report titled, “Teaching Children to Read,” which divided reading instruction into five components—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. The report summarized the research available at the time for each component and made recommendations for instruction for each.

Some key takeaways from this report include:

Phonemic awareness and phonics are critical to reading proficiency but not the end goal.
The 5 components of reading should be explicitly taught, integrated with spelling instruction, in a systematic way.
Educators need to make intentional decisions about the order that phonemic awareness and phonics skills should be taught.
Strong fluency—created by automaticity and language comprehension and a solid vocabulary—is necessary to become a proficient reader.
Students can’t have fluency without the ability to immediately recognize and understand words, and decode unfamiliar words.
Fluency allows for better text comprehension, which allows us to build our vocabularies, which allows for greater comprehension of more complex texts.

Additionally, the NRP reports that about 5% of students will learn to read with minimal instruction. These learners become readers no matter what kind of reading instruction is provided. Sixty percent of students will learn to read with significant support, and the remaining 35% will require intensive intervention to learn how to read. So, while some students may need only minimal instruction in phonics and phonemic awareness, research shows that most students need substantial instruction in phonics-based skills to gain fluency, strengthen comprehension, and grow vocabulary.

Strategies to Consider for Your Literacy Instruction

As 47 states have shifted to literacy practices firmly based on the science of reading, there are simple strategies that can be put into practice immediately to gently pivot toward what the research has shown to be effective instruction for improving students’ reading outcomes.

Below you will find a brief description of the three components that the Reading Plus program, for students in grades 3-12, addresses as well as some suggested strategies that can be easily incorporated into your current reading instruction to support improved reading outcomes.

Comprehension means making meaning from text, but how to get to comprehension can be more complex and requires three processing systems: phonological (recognize familiar words or be able to decode unfamiliar words; meaning (understand the meaning of each word), and context (understand the meaning of sentences and entire texts).

One simple strategy to support your students’ reading comprehension is to incorporate read alouds into your instruction, using turn and talk, open-ended questions, discussion protocols in small groups, and student-student discourse to ensure 100% student engagement.

Another strategy, or resource, to support the development of comprehension skills is an online literacy program like Reading Plus that offers personalized scaffolding to build independent reading skills. The Reading Plus program automatically customizes lesson features including content level (based on an initial assessment), reading rate, opportunities to reread texts, and questions interspersed throughout each lesson. The program also allows students to self-select reading texts that are engaging and further build content knowledge and vocabulary.

A 2019 research study found that young children whose parents read them five books a day enter kindergarten having heard about 1.4 million more words than kids who were never read to. For those children who were not read to, vocabulary acquisition is essential to improving reading comprehension and raising reading achievement.

Read alouds, a great strategy for improving reading comprehension, can also help build students’ vocabulary. In addition to vocabulary acquisition that can be formally taught before and during a read aloud, a combination of turn and talks, small group discussions, and student-student discourse can further grow students’ vocabulary.

Additionally, an adaptive reading program with built-in vocabulary support can supplement whole and small group instruction, providing a personalized path to vocabulary development and improvised reading comprehension. For example, the vocabulary component in Reading Plus teaches students a research-based compilation of highly valuable, cross-curriculum, general academic vocabulary. Students master words through activities such as matching a vocabulary word with its synonym, selecting sentences where it is used properly, and completing sentences with members of its word family.

Definitions of oral reading fluency, the focus of grades K-2, often include speed, accuracy, and expression. Silent reading fluency, which becomes increasingly important beginning in grade 3, is the ability to read silently with sustained attention and concentration, ease and comfort, at grade-appropriate reading rates and with good understanding.

A few key ideas about fluency, in relation to literacy instruction:

Strong fluency is created by automaticity, language comprehension and a solid vocabulary, and is necessary to become a proficient reader.
Students can’t have fluency without the ability to immediately recognize and understand words, and decode unfamiliar words.
Fluency allows for better text comprehension, which allows us to build our vocabularies, which allows for greater comprehension of more complex texts.

The debate around best literacy practices will continue, possibly shifting toward instruction firmly based in the science of reading or remaining firmly planted in balanced literacy–or somewhere in between. While this debate happens, the above strategies are suggestions for your daily reading instruction that can boost students’ reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, with the goal of improving reading outcomes for all students.

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