What Is Fluency? A Key (and Often Overlooked) Piece of the Reading Puzzle
By Dana Gomez, Reading & Literacy Specialist
When I sit down with teachers or colleagues during meetings, data chats, or intervention planning, I often hear concerns like:
“They can decode… but their reading just sounds choppy.”
“He/She reads the words correctly, but he/she is not understanding what they’re reading.”
Both of these observations point to one thing: fluency—a critical, yet often underemphasized component of reading that directly affects comprehension. And for many students across the Central Valley, fluency can be the bridge (or barrier) between word reading and meaning-making.
Let’s talk about what fluency is, what it isn’t, and how we can support it in meaningful ways while removing any barriers.
What Is Fluency?
Fluency is the ability to read text accurately, at an appropriate rate, and with expression. When we say a student is a fluent reader, we mean they can read smoothly and in a way that mirrors natural speech, without laboring over each word or reading in a monotone (robotic).
Fluency includes three key dimensions:
Accuracy – Correctly reading the words on the page.
Rate – Reading at a conversational speed—not too fast, not too slow.
Prosody – Reading with appropriate phrasing, emphasis, and intonation.
A fluent reader moves through a text in a way that allows their brain to focus on meaning. Without fluency, comprehension tends to suffer because so much mental effort is spent on decoding each word.
Why Does Fluency Matter?
In our region, many students enter upper elementary with decent decoding skills but limited experience with fluent, expressive reading. This can be due to interrupted schooling, minimal access to home libraries, or limited exposure to English in conversational or academic contexts.
For multilingual learners, fluency is especially complex—students may be decoding English words correctly, but the phrasing and rhythm of the language may still feel unnatural. Without intentional fluency instruction, they may plateau: able to read the words, but struggling to understand or enjoy what they’re reading.
And let’s be honest—when reading feels robotic or disconnected, motivation plummets. We’ve all seen it happen. Fluency instruction isn’t just academic—it has real implications for confidence, engagement, and overall literacy growth.
What Fluency Is Not
To clarify: fluency is not just reading fast. Speed alone doesn’t indicate strong reading. In fact, we often see students “race” through a passage with little attention to punctuation, tone, or understanding.
Likewise, fluency is not something that develops automatically once students can decode. It requires explicit instruction, modeling, and frequent opportunities to practice with supportive feedback.
So, How Do We Teach Fluency?
Fortunately, fluency instruction doesn’t require a boxed program. It just needs intention and consistency. Some evidence-based practices include:
Model fluent reading – Read aloud to students daily so they can hear what fluent reading sounds like.
Echo reading – You read a sentence or short passage, and students repeat it with the same phrasing and expression.
Partner reading – Students read in pairs, taking turns reading and giving feedback.
Repeated reading – Students read the same passage multiple times with the goal of improving smoothness and expression.
Performance-based tasks – Have students rehearse and perform poetry, reader’s theater scripts, or short speeches.
Fluency activities can be woven into small-group instruction, whole-group read-alouds, or independent reading practice. When tied to authentic texts—narrative and informational—fluency becomes more than a drill; it becomes purposeful.
*Choral reading can unintentionally mask individual reading difficulties, allowing struggling readers to participate without actually developing fluency or accuracy. Similarly, calling on students to read aloud without preparation or using “popcorn reading” can create anxiety, especially for those who lack decoding confidence, reinforcing negative associations with reading and discouraging risk-taking. These practices can be particularly harmful for students with reading difficulties, such as those with dyslexia, who may already associate reading aloud with feelings of embarrassment or failure. Research shows that public oral reading without adequate support can increase reading avoidance behaviors and limit opportunities for meaningful skill development (Kuhn & Stahl, 2003). Instead of improving fluency, these methods may heighten anxiety and disengagement, especially when they’re used as a form of assessment rather than as structured, supportive practice.
Final Thoughts
Fluency is often described as the “bridge between decoding and comprehension”—and for good reason. When students read fluently, they free up cognitive space to visualize, question, infer, and make connections.
In the Central Valley, where many students are developing literacy across languages and life experiences, fluency deserves dedicated time and attention. It’s not flashy, and it’s not a one-and-done skill—but it’s essential.
If you notice students who can “read” but struggle to understand—or those who avoid reading altogether—consider fluency as the missing piece. With a little coaching, a lot of modeling, and consistent practice, we can help students move from halting word callers to confident, expressive readers.
