Technical Report # 33 Oral Reading Fluency: 90 Years of Measurement Jan Hasbrouck Gerald Tindal University of Oregon Published by Behavioral Research and Teaching University of Oregon • 175 Education 5262 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR 97403-5262 Phone: 541-346-3535 • Fax: 541-346-5689 http://brt.uoregon.edu Copyright © 2005. Behavioral Research and Teaching. All rights reserved. This publication, or parts thereof, may not be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission. The University of Oregon is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation. This document is available in alternative formats upon request. Abstract Data are presented from a number of different sites in which oral reading fluency was measured using the procedures commonly ascribed to curriculum-based measurement (CBM). This measurement system focuses on automaticity in reading and therefore students are directed to read aloud from grade level passages for one minute, with words read correctly counted. Data are presented across various sites, compiling the outcomes across various passages and depicting the results in both average performance and percentile bands for fall, winter, and spring across grades 1-8. These data are referred to as normative because of the large sample and robust passage sampling. Introduction “In every branch of instruction in the public schools we need a definite standard of attainment to be reached at the end of each grade. If we had such standards and if we had adequate means of precisely measuring efficiency, it would be possible for a qualified person to go into a schoolroom and measure the attainment in any or all subjects and determine on the basis of his measurements whether the pupils are up to the standard, whether they are deficient, and in what specific respect” (p. 14, Starch, 1915). Although this quote sounds like something applicable to the standards of 2004, it actually occurred almost 90 years ago. Not only did he propose standards but actually attained them as “universal standards that would be obtained from tests in many schools in various cities” (p. 15). In table 1, the results have been displayed in his original metric (words per second) as well as the more current manner of reporting (words per minute). These data were obtained from “3,511 pupils in 15 schools in seven cities located in three states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York)” (p. 14). Table 1 Norms Reported by Starch in 1915 Grade: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Words/Second 1.5 1.8 2.1 2.4 2.8 3.2 3.6 4.0 Words/Minute 90 108 126 144 168 192 216 240 The question is how do they compare with the norms published by Hasbrouck and Tindal in 1992. In table 2, we display the results from that effort, reflecting the 50th percentile rank from several thousand students in several districts at each grade tested in the spring. Clearly, the reading proficiency of students has deteriorated (assuming comparable populations). Table 2 Norms Reported by Hasbrouck and Tindal in 1992 Grade: 2 3 4 5 Words/Minute 94 114 118 128 To ascertain the stability of these performance levels, we recently collected data from thousands of students across the country. In table 3, we have displayed the comparable results of reading fluency in grades 1 to 8 in the spring. Table 3 Norms Reported by Hasbrouck and Tindal in 2005 Grade: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Words/Minute 59 89 107 125 138 150 150 150 While performance modulates slightly across the grades, the average reading performance has remained remarkably stable for the past 15 years. Following are the percentile breakdowns for all grades by season (fall, winter, and spring). References Hasbrouck, J. & Tindal, G. (1992). Curriculum-based oral reading fluency norms for students in grades 2 through 5. Teaching Exceptional Children, 24(3), 41-44. Starch, D. (1915). The measurement of efficiency in reading. The Journal of Educational Psychology, 6(1), 1-24. First Grade Descriptive Information about Participants by Season Season Winter Spring Number of States 21 20 Number of Records 16950 19434 Gender Girls 5229 (30.85%) 6665 (34.30%) Gender Boys 5487 (32.37%) 7026 (36.15%) Gender Not Reported 6234 (36.78%) 5743 (29.55%) First Grade Descriptive Statistics for ORF Scores by Season Season Winter Spring Mean 34 58.88 Standard Deviation 31.93 38.48 10th Percentile 6 15 20th Percentile 10 24 25th Percentile 12 28 30th Percentile 14 33 40th Percentile 18 43 50th Percentile 23 53 60th Percentile 29 64 70th Percentile 39 76 75th Percentile 46.75 82 80th Percentile 55 90 90th Percentile 81 111 Second Grade Descriptive Information about Participants by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Number of States 20 21 20 Number of Records 15896 18229 20128 Gender Girls 5666 (35.64%) 6463 (35.45%) 7424 (36.88%) Gender Boys 5549 (34.91%) 6404 (35.13%) 7492 (37.22%) Gender Not Reported 4681 (29.45%) 5362 (29.41%) 5212 (25.89%) Second Grade Descriptive Statistics for ORF Scores by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Mean 55.49 72.85 89.28 Standard Deviation 37 40.62 41.95 10th Percentile 11 18 31 20th Percentile 20 33 54 25th Percentile 25 42 61 30th Percentile 30 49 68 40th Percentile 41 61 79 50th Percentile 51 72 89 60th Percentile 62 84 100 70th Percentile 72 94 111 75th Percentile 79 100 117 80th Percentile 86 107 124 90th Percentile 106 125 142 Third Grade Descriptive Information about Participants by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Number of States 22 23 21 Number of Records 16988 17383 18372 Gender Girls 6628 (39.02%) 6215 (35.75%) 7013 (38.17%) Gender Boys 6699 (39.43%) 6440 (37.05%) 7144 (38.90%) Gender Not Reported 3661 (21.55%) 4728 (27.20%) 4215 (22.94%) Third Grade Descriptive Statistics for ORF Scores by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Mean 73.5 91.91 106.91 Standard Deviation 40.22 42.65 44.09 10th Percentile 21 36 48 20th Percentile 37 54 70 25th Percentile 44 62 78 30th Percentile 50 69 85 40th Percentile 61 82 96 50th Percentile 71 92 107 60th Percentile 82 102 118 70th Percentile 92 113 130 75th Percentile 99 120 137 80th Percentile 107 127 143 90th Percentile 128 146 162 Fourth Grade Descriptive Information about Participants by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Number of States 22 23 22 Number of Records 16523 14572 16269 Gender Girls 6126 (37.08%) 4841 (33.22%) 5758 (35.39%) Gender Boys 6318 (38.24%) 4961 (34.04%) 5985 (36.79%) Gender Not Reported 4079 (24.69%) 4770 (32.73%) 4526 (27.82%) Fourth Grade Descriptive Statistics for ORF Scores by Season Season Fall Winter Spring Mean 94.66 112.88 124.81 Standard Deviation 39.55 41.26 43.26 10th Percentile 45 61 72 20th Percentile 62 80 91 25th Percentile 68 87 98 30th Percentile 74 93 103 40th Percentile 84 103 113 50th Percentile 94 112 123 60th Percentile 103 122 134 70th Percentile 113 133 146 75th Percentile 119 139 152 80th Percentile 126 146 160 90th Percentile 145 166 180