Why Is Reading Speed Important to Literacy?

Reading speed is part of fluency levels.

Reading speed in literacy assessments is part of fluency, which measures the rate and accuracy of the reader. Fluency is important because it indicates how quickly a person reads in relationship to comprehension levels. It demonstrates the ability to recognize words automatically and process meaning naturally.

Identification

Reading speed or rate indicates how quickly a reader can get through a certain amount of text. This in itself is of little value unless the reader has comprehension, so these two elements are generally assessed together to identify fluency levels. Fluency is an element of reading skill that relates to literacy, which assesses overall reading and writing levels.

Significance

According to the National Institute of Literacy, fluency is important because it bridges the gap between word recognition and comprehension. At high fluency levels, the reader is fast enough that word recognition becomes automatic. The result is that the reader can focus her attention on understanding the content instead of trying to decode words, which is a fundamental literacy skill.

Features

Reading speed at a high literacy level demonstrates the ability to comprehend quickly and automatically. When reading aloud, a fluent reader will sound smooth, with natural pauses. Non-fluent readers are slower because they have to spend more time decoding words and, therefore, have less attention to devote to comprehension

Measurement

Measurement of reading speed for fluency levels is generally tested with a short text at an appropriate level of difficulty for the student. The student reads aloud for one minute while being monitored. Mistakes are noted during the reading test. The reader's speed in words per minute is the number of words they read minus mistakes.

Expert Insight

The National Reading Panel states that repeated reading exercises with guidance and feedback are effective in improving fluency, word recognition, comprehension and overall reading level. An instructor will measure the reader's fluency and set goals for reading appropriate texts to build fluency and overall literacy levels.

References

• University of Texas: Reading Fluency
• Reading Rockets: Fluency
• Literacy Coalition of Central Texas: What is Literacy?