Directions for Administering the Graded Passages

The four sets (A—D) of Graded Passages are about different topics but similar in length

and readability. This will enable you to test students at different points throughout the school

year. Each passage is labeled with grade level as well (e.g., 9A is the ninth grade passage in Set

A). Two copies of each passage are provided, one for the student to read and another (marked

with word counts, scoring blanks, and readability information) for you to use.

Administering the Graded Passages is simple and straightforward. You simply ask

students to read a grade-level passage to you and ask them to recall what they remember from

the passage after it has been read. While students read and recall the passage, you monitor their

performance for word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. The specific directions are

outlined below (in the directions below we identify the student by use of the male pronoun for

the sake of convenience only):

1. Present the student with a copy of the passage from Graded Passages that corresponds to his

assigned grade level. (We ask students to read at their assigned grade levels in order to

determine their level of performance on passages that they are expected to master during that

grade level.) Ask the student to read the passage orally to you in the way he might normally

read. Tell the student that at the end of the reading you will ask him to tell you what he

remembers about the passage.

2. Have the student read the passage aloud for 60 seconds. If the student stops at an unknown

word and does not attempt to pronounce it for 2 seconds, or if the student attempts the word but

clearly has little chance of reading it correctly, tell the student the word and ask him to continue

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reading. During the oral reading you should have a copy of the passage in front of you. Mark

any uncorrected errors that the student makes by drawing a line through the missed word. Errors

include words that are mispronounced or omitted or that you provide to the student. If a student

mispronounces or omits a word, but later corrects the word, write and circle a “c” above the

word to indicate it was corrected. At the end of the 60-second period, mark where the student is

at in the text.

3. After the student has read for 60 seconds, direct his attention to the beginning of the text and

ask the student to follow along silently while you read the text aloud to him. Read in a normal

and expressive voice. (You read the text to the student to remove any difficulties the student

may have in word recognition or fluency that may hamper his comprehension of the passage.

Listening comprehension is a good measure of the students’ reading comprehension). At the end

of your reading, remove the passage from view of the student and ask him to tell you what he

remembers from the passage. After the student has retold the passage, ask him if he has anything

else he remembers about the passage. If the student is unable or unwilling to retell anything

from the passage, you may ask the student for specific information (e.g., “What is the main idea

of this story?” “What was described in this story?”).

Especially if the student has made few oral reading errors, you may, as an alternative to

reading the passage to the student, ask him to read the rest of the passage silently. At the end of

the student’s reading remove the passage from his view and ask him to retell what he remembers

from the reading. Keep in mind that a source of difficulty in comprehension may be problems in

word recognition or fluency.

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 After the student has retold the passage, the assessment is complete and needs to be

scored.

Scoring and Interpreting the Graded Passages

Scoring the Graded Passages is simple and quick. The following procedures should be

followed:

• Word Recognition (Decoding). Word recognition is determined by calculating the

percentage of words read correctly in the 60-second oral reading. Divide the total

number of words read correctly by the total number of words read (correct and incorrect).

For example, if the student read a total of 94 words in the 60- second read and made 8

errors, the percentage of words read correctly would be reflected in the following

fraction:

86 (86 divided by 94) = 91.5%

94

In other words, the student read 91.5% of the words correctly.

Instructional reading level is normally marked by a word recognition accuracy

rate of 92-98%. Independent reading level is normally marked by an accuracy rate of

99-100%.

A normally developing student should begin a grade reading material at that grade

level at an instructional level and, by the end of the school year, at an independent word

recognition level. For example, a ninth grader’s performance on a ninth-grade passage

would be instructional at the beginning of the year but independent by the end of the

year. Students who perform at the frustration level at the end of the school year, or who

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 do not demonstrate good progress over the year, should be considered for additional

assessment to confirm their decoding difficulty. Such students may benefit from specific

instructional intervention in decoding.

• Reading Fluency-Automaticity. One way reading fluency can be measured is through

reading rate. Reading rate provides a measure of the extent to which a reader can

automatically decode words, thus leaving cognitive resources free for the more important

task of comprehending a passage. To determine rate, simply count the number of words

the student has read correctly during the 60-second oral read. (Words read correctly

include those words that were initially errored but then later corrected by the student.)

Then compare the students’ performance against the reading rates shown below for the

appropriate grade and time within the year.

Target Reading Rates by Grade Level

Grade Fall Winter Spring

9-10 120-170 wcpm 130-180 140-190

11-12 130-180 140-190 150-200

Students whose reading rate falls within the appropriate range shown above are

performing at grade level expectations. Students who fall below the range may be

considered at risk in terms of fluency-automaticity. Students whose reading rate is above

the range limits may be considered to be doing well in fluency-auomaticity; however,

students who read exceptionally fast without attending to punctuation and other phrase

boundaries, and who read without sufficient expression may also be considered at risk in

fluency. Additional assessment may be appropriate for students who perform poorly at

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 the end of the year or who do not show improvement over the course of the school year.

Students considered at-risk in fluency may benefit from instruction aimed at improving

reading fluency.

• Reading Fluency-Expression. Reading fluency is more than just reading fast. It is also

the ability to interpret a text with appropriate phrasing and expression. You can measure

this dimension of fluency by listening to the student’s 60-second oral read and rating it on

the Multidimensional Fluency Scale below. Initially you may need to tape record the

student’s reading and listen to it in order to provide a rating for each of the four scales.

Soon, however, you will be able to score the scales on the spot.

At the beginning of the school year it is not unusual for students to score in the

bottom half of each of the fluency dimensions (i.e., to have a total fluency score of 8 or

below). However, by the end of the school year, students should be rated in the top half

in each dimension when reading grade-level material (i.e., to have a total fluency score of

9 or above). End-of-year ratings in the bottom half for any of the fluency dimensions, or

a total fluency score of 8 or less, may indicate a need for additional assessment or

instructional intervention.

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 Multidimensional Fluency Scale*

Score Expression Phrasing Smoothness Pace

& Volume
Reads words as if Reads in Makes frequent Reads slowly and
simply to get them monotone with extended pauses, laboriously.
out. Little sense of little sense of hesitations, false

1 trying to make text

sound like natural
language. Tends to
phrase
boundaries;
frequently reads
starts, sound-outs,
repetitions, and/or
multiple attempts.
read in a quiet voice.word-by-word.
Begins to use voice Frequently reads Experiences several Reads
to make text sound in two- and three- "rough spots" in text moderately
like natural language word phrases, where extended slowly.
in some areas but giving the pauses or hesitations
not in others. Focus impression of are more frequent and

2 remains largely on
pronouncing the
words. Still reads in
choppy reading;
improper stress
and intonation;
disruptive.

a quiet voice. fails to mark ends

of sentences and
clauses.
Makes text sound Reads with a Occasionally breaks Reads with an
like natural language mixture of run- smooth rhythm uneven mixture
most of the time. ons, mid- because of difficulties of fast and slow
Occasionally slips sentence pauses with specific words pace.

3 into expressionless
reading. Voice
for breath, and
some choppiness;
volume is generally reasonable stress
and/or structures.

appropriate and intonation.

throughout the text.
Reads with good Generally reads Generally reads Consistently
expression and with good smoothly with some reads at
enthusiasm phrasing, mostly breaks, but resolves conversational
throughout the text. in clause and word and structure pace; appropriate

4 Varies expression
and volume to
match his or her
sentence units,
with adequate
attention to
difficulties quickly,
usually through self-
correction.
rate throughout
reading.

interpretation of the expression.

passage.

This scale is an adaptation of one developed by Zutell & Rasinski, 1991.

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 The multidimensional fluency scale is also useful for helping students evaluate

their own reading and in developing their own understanding of fluency in reading.

Comprehension. How well a student understands what he reads is the ultimate

hallmark of proficient reading. You can get a good sense of the student’s ability to

understand a text by through the retelling. Rate the retelling on the Comprehension

Rubric below. A score of 3 or below suggests inadequate recall and comprehension of

the passage. At the beginning of the school year it is not unusual for a student’s recall of

a grade-level passage to be rated at level 3 or below. By the end of the school year,

student performance should be in the upper half of the scale. Scores in the lower half of

the scale at the end of the year should signal more in-depth diagnosis and perhaps

instructional intervention in comprehension.

Comprehension Rubric

1. No recall or minimal recall of only a fact of two from the passage.

2. Student recalls of a number of unrelated facts of varied importance.

3. Student recalls the main idea of the passage with a few supporting details.

4. Student recalls the main idea along with a fairly robust set of supporting details,
although not necessarily organized logically or sequentially as presented in the passage.

5. Student recall is a comprehensive summary of the passage, presented in a logical order

and/or with a robust set of details, and includes a statement of main idea.

6. Student recall is a comprehensive summary of the passage, presented in a logical order

and/or with a robust set of details, and includes a statement of main idea. Student also
makes reasonable connections beyond the text to his/her own personal life, another text,
etc.

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• Recording scores. After administering and scoring the Graded Passages you will want to

record students’ scores. A simple grid that allows you to record scores for decoding

accuracy, fluency rate, fluency expression, and comprehension several times over the

course of a school year should work fine. You may want to address areas of concern with

additional assessment and instruction and bring them to the attention of parents, school

administrators, or other teachers.