Through the building and sustaining foundational language skills strand,
students develop skills to become proficient readers. Two key skills for
proficient readers are fluency and self- sustained reading. From first to fifth
grade, the TEKS require students to build reading fluency, or the ability to
read text at appropriate rate and without significant word recognition
difficulties. Students are expected to read grade-level texts with fluency and
comprehension. In other words, students should be able to accurately read a text
at an appropriate pace and with appropriate expression while
understanding the information they have read. Students demonstrate fluency when
they read and comprehend text without significant interruptions when they
encounter new or complex information. In middle school, the focus shifts from
developing fluency to learning to adjust fluency based on their reading purpose.
Students learn how and when to adjust the elements of fluency, such as pace or
expression, based on their purpose for reading. For example, a student who is
reading for entertainment may read at a much faster rate than a student who's
reading to learn complex information for the first time. Students develop skills
to adjust fluency appropriately. Proficient readers are also adept at
self-selecting text and reading independently. When students self-select
texts, they choose books, stories, articles, or other text based on their personal
interests. To self-select texts, students should be familiar with a variety of
different types of texts and understand their purpose for reading. Providing
students at all grade levels with frequent opportunities to read
independently for sustained periods of time also improves reading proficiency.
Students should build their stamina for reading a variety of grade level
appropriate texts by reading for increasingly longer periods of time.
Student readers should also have skills and strategies to navigate challenging
ideas or vocabulary they might encounter in a text and successfully progress
through the text on their own. Teachers should encourage students of all ages to
independently explore books and practice reading fluently with comprehension.
These skills aid students to not only become more proficient readers, but also
develop a lifelong passion for reading. Click on the resources tab for these
student expectations to view resources related to fluency and self-sustained
reading.