These students who read fast, but do not get direct instruction fall through the cracks. On the contrary, if reading is about comprehension and thinking deeply, the students who are reading fast could benefit greatly from guided reading instruction that is tailored to them and their needs. “Why is Maria never in a reading group?” “Oh, she can read fast! She doesn’t need reading groups!” During this time, teachers meet with students who are still at a word by word level and are seen as the only students who “need” explicit reading instruction. When it comes to explicit reading instruction and guided reading groups, these fast readers are sent to read on their own or to complete worksheets. Often times, students who can read fast are left to read and fend for themselves. In fact, if we were to only look at speed as a determiner of fluency, we would do students a great disservice. One would not read and call it fruitful or enjoyable if they took nothing away from it. In the end, the purpose of reading is comprehension. Fluency is often mistaken for speed and speed alone, but what is fluency exactly and how do you check for it? Speed is not the only aspect of fluencyįor starters, speed is only one aspect of reading fluency and the reason why it is even considered is because it is needed for comprehension.

Teachers inadvertently express this message to students and parents when the focus is on a timer. Lots of people are under the impression that to check for reading fluency, one must whip out a timer and a passage and determine how many words are read in one minute.

Student fluency timer pack