Research behind Reading Progress and Reading Coach, two reading fluency apps from Microsoft

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Fluency develops from reading practice

The National Reading Panel (NRP) is a panel of reading instruction experts formed to compile all of the best evidence on how to teach reading to children. Chapter 3 states, “there is common agreement that fluency develops from reading practice . . . The NRP found that a range of well-described instructional approaches to encouraging repeated oral reading result in increased reading proficiency.”

  • National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.

Oral reading fluency strongly correlates with the reading comprehension

The US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is often called the national report card. It measures how well US students perform at basic reading skills. Oral reading fluency strongly correlates with the reading comprehension scores on this test.

  • Sabatini, J., Wang, Z., & O’Reilly, T. (2019). Relating Reading Comprehension to Oral Reading Performance in the NAEP Fourth‐Grade Special Study of Oral Reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 54:2, 253-271.

Oral reading fluency practice continues to be important in middle school:

Oral reading fluency practice should begin in the early grades, but continues to be important in middle school.

  • Rasinski, T., Rikli, A., & Johnston, S. (2009). Reading Fluency: More than Automaticity? More than a Concern for the Primary Grades? Literacy Research and Instruction, 48:4, 350-361.

Oral reading fluency instruction helps struggling readers

Oral reading fluency instruction also helps struggling readers.

  • Wexler, J., Vaughn, S., Edmonds, M., & Reutebuch, C.K. (2008). A synthesis of fluency interventions for secondary struggling readers. Reading and Writing, 21:4, 317-347.

Oral reading fluency in middle school helps predict reading comprehension scores into high school

Oral reading fluency is important in middle school, but continues to predict reading comprehension scores into high school.

  • Paige, D.D., Rasinski, T.V., & Magpuri-Lavell, T. (2012). Is fluent, expressive reading important for high school readers? Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56:1, 67-76.