When all dimensions of fluency–pausing, phrasing, stress, intonation, and rate–are working together, the reader will be using expressions in a way that clearly demonstrates that he understands the text and is even thinking beyond the text.

Research has shown that there are six key components that contribute to successful beginning reading. Because of the importance of these components, they have become known as the 'Big Six': oral language, phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

Multidimensional Fluency Scale Scores range from 4 to 16. Generally, scores below 8 indicate that fluency may be a concern. Scores of 8 or above indicate that the student is making good progress in fluency.

Reading fluency actually has four parts: accuracy, speed, expression and comprehension. Each part is important, but no single part is enough on its own. A fluent reader is able to coordinate all four aspects of fluency. Accuracy: Reading words correctly is a key to developing fluency.

Fluency instruction Independent LevelRelatively easy for the student to read (95% word accuracy).Instructional LevelChallenging but manageable for the reader (90% word accuracy).Frustration LevelDifficult text for the student to read (less than 90% word accuracy).

Myth: The Correct Words Per Minute is all that matters in reading. Fact: Fluency includes rate, accuracy, prosody, and comprehension.

Reading fluency is calculated by taking the total number of words read in one minute and subtracting the number of errors. Only count one error per word. This gives you the words correct per minute (wpm). The words correct per minute represent students' fluency levels.