Communicating Reading Fluency Progress with Families for Clarity

The foundational skills of literacy develop long before students become fluent readers. These literacy milestones begin to accrue during the first three years of life. This means that children develop literacy skills long before they enter PreK or kindergarten. Literacy milestones lead to reading fluency. I mention this because literacy and fluency are often confused. Let’s be crystal clear in the way we communicate fluency with families.

Fluency describes the ability to decode written words with accuracy, speed, expression, and comprehension (Henry, 2010). Students fluent in the alphabetic principle, developed as literacy milestones, will struggle less with reading difficult words and more easily comprehend complex topics (Clay, 1993; Henry, 2010). Of course, the expectations of literacy and reading fluency in PreK and kindergarten will look different than what is expected in first or second grade. No matter the expectation or grade level, the need to keep families in the loop with their child’s progress is necessary.

Why Regular Communication of Fluency Matters

Once a child enters kindergarten, sharing weekly fluency updates with families can serve as an opportunity for family members to celebrate and practice specific literacy targets with their student. Families need to understand what success looks like within grade-level expectations, and teachers need to articulate to families where students are in the progression of meeting each level of success (Kreider and Caspe, 2002).

Communicating weekly reading fluency scores is a viable way to invite families to participate in their student’s educational journey. One way to promote communication of reading level is with a simple weekly notification form. Weekly forms keep families up to speed without asking them to do more than read (and possibly sign) a form that was sent home with their student.

What Does a Form Tell Families?

A form can tell of a student’s goal, how many words were read, and the number of errors made. A quick note regarding the errors made can be used as a literacy target that families can work on at home. For instance, if a student misses three heart words (sight words), make a note of those words on the communication form and state to practice reading the words each evening until the student can read them with ease. A form can also state if a student passed the fluency check, if more practice is needed, new targets, and what can be worked on at home.

What Does a Form Tell Students?

I believe forms can express how much I care about students. Each week, I complete a fluency check on all of my students. I fill out a form as soon as each student is done reading to me. I take time to praise them on several wonderful and targeted “noticings” that I discovered during the reading session. That might sound something like…

• “Jaxson, you remembered to point under each word as you read. Way to go! Last week you struggled with tracking words, and this week you rocked it. What’s your secret to success? Have you been practicing tracking at home with Dad?”

I also take time to talk about any errors I noticed. The feedback regarding errors made while reading is important. This is the root of where learning targets are formed for most students. Errors also help teachers discover patterns in a student’s reading fluency. Pointing out errors is not a negative consequence for students. It is a simple conversation that may sound something like this…

I also take time to talk about any errors I noticed. The feedback regarding errors made while reading is important. This is the root of where learning targets are formed for most students. Errors also help teachers discover patterns in a student’s reading fluency. Pointing out errors is not a negative consequence for students. It is a simple conversation that may sound something like this…

• “Jaxson, I noticed you said the word has each time the word have was listed in the book. The word have is one of our heart words. That is one of the words we all need to know by heart and recognize it as soon as we see it. (I also show the word and review the spelling with him.) Would you like me to add the word have to our morning meeting note and Connect Four game for extra practice? I will also write the word on the note to Mom so she will know to practice reading that word with you at home.”

I make sure to leave space for each student’s ideas regarding how they would like to practice reading skills and make note of it in my running records tracker. Listening to ways they want to practice reading, along with notifying them of ways I can think of to help them, lets them know I care about their success.

From there, we set new targets…or rehash an old target. This is all done with a strong tone of excitement and growth mindset. To meet a new goal, we must practice. It is a natural part of any learning process. In my classroom, I emphasize to my students on a daily basis that practice does not make learning perfect. It makes learning permanent.

The form I use to communicate with families, as simple and silly as it might seem, grants me the opportunity to tell students I am proud of their successes, and they get to take a tangible item home and show it to their family members. It helps make learning targets clear for students and families. A form can also assist teachers as they find positive and consistent ways to approach families with important updates regarding student progress.

Reading Fluency Communication Resources for Your Classroom

Over the years, I have developed literacy and fluency communication forms for grades PreK through 2. The forms below target kindergarten, first, and second grade reading fluency. Check back again soon for forms relating to PreK literacy milestones!

Clay, M. M. (1993). Reading recovery: A guidebook for teachers in training. Heinemann.

Henry, M. K. (2010). Unlocking literacy: Effective decoding and spelling instruction (2nd ed.). Paul H. Brooks Publishing.

Kreider, H., & Caspe, M. (2002). Defining “fine”: Communicating academic progress to parents. Harvard Family Research Project.