31% is
not okay.
Only 31% of 4th grade students performed at or above proficiency levels on reading assessments.1
We’re here to change that.
The Mission
For the love of reading
Fluency for All is on a mission to empower educators with research-based strategies and free, academically validated resources to transform all learners into confident, fluent readers.
Anchored in the science of learning, Fluency for All is the labor of love from a group of researchers, authors, and cognitive scientists.
The Challenge
Join our Fluency Challenge!
In a few simple steps, our Fluency Challenge will help you measure your fluency knowledge and identify what tools and resources you need to help all students achieve foundational reading skills.
How it works
1
Test your knowledge of foundational skills that lead to fluency! You’ll take a short quiz to assess how you think about fluency development.
2
You’ll receive a discussion guide to dive deeper into the quiz topics, and be prompted to reflect back what you’ve learned.
3
After you complete the three steps, you’re a Certified Fluency Champion! We’ll share a few additional resources, including access to a free screening tool*, and give you a chance to take home some cool swag.
Ready to get started?
*The screening tool is only available to US-based schools at this time.
The Benefits
You’ll gain:
- Deeper insight into why the science of learning is key to understanding the science of reading
- Strategies to enhance reading instruction
- Some cool Fluency for All swag!
- At the completion of all steps, we’ll certify you a Fluency Champion!
The Data
A growing literacy gap
In education, a critical challenge unfolds as middle-grade students grapple with reading fluency issues linked to word recognition deficits. Compounding this issue, middle school teachers often lack traditional training in fundamental reading skills.
%
of 4th grade students cannot read on grade level
%
of students in grades 5-8 struggle with the foundations of reading
%
of graduate programs utilize phonological awareness instruction
%
of teachers are receiving additional training in phonics
THE FOUNDATIONS
The components of skilled reading
Dr. Hollis Scarborough, a leading reading researcher, studied the relationship between early language development and literacy. She created the Reading Rope as a visual metaphor to demonstrate the interaction of the skills needed to become a proficient reader (2001).
Scarborough divided the rope into two main strands:
Language Comprehension
Developing and integrating background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, and literacy knowledge.
Word Recognition
Developing phonological awareness, decoding, and word recognition; which lead to automaticity, accuracy, and fluency when these foundational skills are practiced.
Key Takeaways for Fluency
All the components are interconnected and interdependent, and if any strand is weak, it affects the other skills (Staake, 2023). Explicit systematic phonics instruction has been shown to be a necessary component of an effective literacy program to build foundational skills. However, without automatic word recognition, students cannot read with fluency and comprehension.
OUR VISION
At Fluency for All, we believe:
