Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor (RFBA)
Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor (RFBA) is a reliable, efficient way to measure reading fluency and screen for reading problems. RFBA enables teachers to determine where each student ranks relative to national reading norms. The RFBA passages can be used to assess student progress and identify those who may need intervention with a fluency-building program.
Advantages of RFBA
- Quick and easy to administer.
- Includes reading passages that have been rigorously field-tested
to ensure that the passages for each grade are valid and equal
in difficulty.
- Includes powerful software that makes it easy to capture
and analyze assessment results. This saves you time and helps
you make appropriate educational decisions.
- Provides a clear picture of a student’s fluency level
and monitors student progress over time.
- Predicts student success on standardized testing.
- Provides documentation of progress made by individual students,
entire classrooms, or schools, which is useful for writing grants.
- Requires a minimum investment in training examiners, who
could be teachers, parents, or paraprofessionals.
- A one-time expense, not a subscription or consumable book.
What educators say about RFBA
"[RFBA is] very comparable to the LNF test that comes with DIBELS, but being able to do it on the computer and get the results printed out for you is pretty slick."
"I just set up my school with the RFBA software. I trained our instructional assistants in one hour and sent them out to complete the benchmark assessments of our third to fifth grade classrooms. I could not believe how easy it is to use. All of the teachers and assistants remarked how quick it was to administer. The software is very easy to understand. The teachers were very impressed by the report printouts. They could easily see how each student performed and how they measured up against the national norms. They especially liked how it banded the students and gave specific ideas on how to work with each band. We were doing [Curriculum Based Measurements] on paper and calculating them by hand. This program allows us to complete a student in under five minutes and does all of the calculating for us. Thank you for such a GREAT product!”
"The best aspect of the RFBA is the student passages.
They are interesting and appropriate for the various grade
levels."
"I'm thrilled to have an assessment that is easy to
share with parents and easy for me to use. The kids think
the graphs are 'cool,' and take pride in sharing their success
with parents and teachers."
"I really appreciate having an assessment tool that
helps me monitor my students' progress over the course of
the year. My students get excited when I show them their
progress on a graph. The visual feedback is very encouraging;
they love seeing their growth over the course of the year!"
What's Included
- Reproducible masters of three field-tested passages at each
grade level (1–8).
- Reproducible masters of three sets of randomly ordered letters
for assessing the letter-naming fluency of kindergartners.
- New powerful software that makes it easy for teachers to
capture assessment data and produce reports that can facilitate
decision-making for both school administrators and teachers.
- One year of free deluxe technical support.
- Optional graphs and record sheets for manual record keeping.
About the passages
The assessment passages are fiction and nonfiction
and are representative of general curriculum. The passages for
grades 1–4 were leveled using the Fry and Spache readability
formulas, and the passages for grades 5–8 were leveled using
the Dale-Chall readability formula. The passages were also rigorously
field-tested to ensure that all three passages for a grade level
are of equal difficulty.
RFBA includes reproducible masters of student and examiner versions
of each passage. The student versions have only the passages.
The easiest way to compile assessment results is with the RFBA
software, which automatically calculates the words correct per
minute (see “Administering the Assessment”). Teachers
can also collect results manually with printed examiner copies
that include line-by-line word counts.
Administering the assessment
RFBA is administered three times a year: fall,
winter, and spring. Minimum intervals of three months minimize
the practice effect. The same passages are read at each test administration
for increased reliability and validity.
While listening to a student read a printed passage, teachers
can follow along and score the assessment with the RFBA software.
The teacher clicks the missed words and the last word read to
calculate and store the student’s words correct per minute.
Teachers also have the option of entering assessment results
manually.
Using the results
The software included with RFBA features
a comprehensive reporting capability with extensive charts and
tables that show fluency assessment results. The reports show
progress among fall, winter, and spring results and compare them
to national norms.
School-level reports display assessment results that school
administrators can use, including fluency composites for each
grade, demographics, and students ranked by need. Other reports
enable teachers to identify students at risk and to assess whether
a student’s instruction needs adjusting. Individual student
reports facilitate communication with parents.
RFBA Reports Overview
Software Options
Three types of software licenses are available for RFBA version
2:
- Single-Teacher License
- For use by one teacher on one computer with record-keeping
capabilities for up to 75 students. Price: $125.00
- Stand-alone School License
- Enables you to enter and store information for an unlimited
number of students on any single computer. Price: $775.00
- Network School License
- Enables you to enter and access information for an unlimited
number of students from any networked computer and store the
information on a server. Price: $775.00
Workstation requirements
| Windows |
Macintosh |
• Windows NT, 2000, or XP
• 350 MHz or faster processor
• 256 MB RAM
• 800 by 600 screen resolution
• 15 MB hard disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• Windows
Media Player 6.1 or higher, or QuickTime 6 or higher
• Adobe
Flash 6 or higher
• Internet Explorer 5 or higher |
• Mac OS 9.2 or OS X 10.2 or higher
• 350 MHz or faster processor
• 256 MB RAM
• 15 MB hard disk space
• 800 by 600 screen resolution
• CD-ROM drive
• QuickTime 6 or higher
• Adobe
Flash 6 or higher
• Internet Explorer 5.1 for Mac OS 9 or Internet Explorer
5.2 for Mac OS X* |
| *Note: A web browser is used to view and print
the RFBA reports. The advantage of using Internet Explorer for
the reports is that Internet Explorer can print the graphs, which
are displayed using the Macromedia Flash player. Other browsers,
such as Safari, the default web browser for Mac OS X computers,
do not print the graphs. See Printing Graphs from Macintosh Computers for the available workarounds for this issue. |
Server requirements (network version)
| Windows |
Macintosh |
• Windows NT, 2000, XP, Server 2000, or
Server 2003
• 512 MB RAM
• 50 MB hard disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• TCP/IP network |
•Mac OS X 10.2 or higher, or
Mac OS X Server 10.2 or higher
• 512 MB RAM
• 50 MB hard disk space
• CD-ROM drive
• TCP/IP network |
Order RFBA
- To order online, enter the quantity in the table below and then click Add to Order. You can add products from as many product categories as you like. When you are finished, click Finalize Your Order.
- To order by mail or fax, complete the printable order form.
- If you have questions, call Customer Service at 1.800.788.4085.
