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Run a 1:1 Oral Reading Fluency Assessment

Learn how to start a 1:1 oral reading fluency assessment, adjust reading settings, mark miscues, run AI analysis, review the score, compare it with other readers and grade norms, and share or delete an assessment.

A 1:1 oral reading fluency assessment is the core ReadingFluency.app workflow. A student reads a passage aloud, you mark miscues or run AI-assisted analysis, and the result becomes part of the student's reading record.

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Oral Reading Fluency Assessment Workflow and Auto Marking with AI

Start a 1:1 assessment

  1. Open a passage.
  2. Click Read Passage or Read for 1m.
  3. Use the mode controls to choose open-ended or timed reading.
  4. Use the display settings to adjust text size, font, and spacing.
  1. Click Start.
  2. As the student reads, tap words to mark errors:
    • first click: mispronounced
    • second click: skipped
    • third click: reset to correct
  3. Click Stop & Finish.
  4. Assign the result to a student if needed.

Use AI analysis and teacher review

If audio was recorded, click Run AI analysis to score the assessment automatically.

After analysis, the report shows:

  • reading rate in words correct per minute (WCPM)
  • accuracy, the percentage of words read correctly
  • AI-marked miscues
  • feedback summary
  • teacher notes

Teachers can still edit marks manually. Manual marks override AI marks and update the score.

See how the reading compares

Under the score cards, the How this reading compares card puts the WCPM in context in two ways:

  • Among readers of this passage: the reading's percentile and rank, such as "6th fastest of 23 readings", among every counted reading of the same passage in your workspace this school year (August to July). It appears once 5 readings of the passage count.
  • Grade norms: where the reading falls in the Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017) oral reading fluency norms for the passage's grade, Grades 1–6. The season comes from the reading date. Use the Fall, Winter, and Spring switch to see another season. The status is On track within 10 WCPM of the median, Needs fluency support 10 or more WCPM below it, and Above expected range 10 or more WCPM above it. Grade norms are for English passages scored by word. There are no Grade 1 fall norms.

A strip chart shows this reading beside the passage's other readings and the norm bands.

Use these comparisons to screen and set goals, not to diagnose. To see the full norms table for every grade and season, open ORF Norms by Grade. Click Hide to fold the card away; the report remembers your choice on this device.

Leave a reading out of the comparisons

Some readings should not count, such as a passage the student practiced, a reading that was interrupted, or a bad recording.

  1. On the How this reading compares card, turn off Count toward norms.
  2. Optionally, choose a reason: Practiced passage, Interrupted, Recording problem, or Other.

The reading stays in the student's history. It is left out of every comparison and every rate of improvement, and the student's progress chart shows it as a hollow dot.

Add a short teacher note

Do not leave the number alone when a student needs follow-up. A short note often makes the assessment more useful later:

  • accurate but choppy
  • slow on multisyllabic words
  • strong rate, weak retell
  • skipped line after visual tracking issue
  • needs decoding follow-up

Those notes help you interpret the score when you return to the student history or discuss progress with a team.

Share or delete an assessment

  1. Open the assessment report.
  2. Use Share to create a secure parent or collaborator link.
  3. Use the report action menu to delete audio or delete the entire assessment.

Next tutorial

If you want students to complete readings from their own devices, use a live session: Host a live group reading session.