Benchmark Fluency Assessment
1. When should I conduct benchmark assessments?
In a benchmark assessment, students can be assessed three times per year: fall, winter, and spring. Testing sessions should be approximately 16 weeks apart. Each benchmark assessment has recommended testing periods (when you should test) and the testing season boundaries (when you can test). The further outside the recommended dates that you test, the less accurate your results will be.
2. If I tested outside the recommended testing windows, can I use benchmark assessment results to evaluate student reading?
Testing dates matter!
Benchmark assessments are used to screen students for reading problems and to monitor their progress at specific times of the school year: fall, winter and spring. Assessments should be given approximately 16 weeks apart.
So, if you administer a benchmark assessment to a student outside the recommended testing windows, be aware that the percentiles and competency levels are less accurate.
Using Scores from Outside the Recommended Testing Window to Identify Students Who Need Intervention
You can still use the student's words correct per minute (wcpm) score to determine if the student may need intervention in reading. Compare the student's score to the scores on the table below and note the percentile of the student's wcpm score. Consider carefully how close the student's testing date was to the recommended testing windows to analyze how accurate the percentage may be. If you estimate that the score is below the 40th percentile, the student may need intervention in reading.
Using the Average Weekly Improvement (AWI) Table to Analyze Growth
If you have a student's wcpm scores from two benchmark assessment testing seasons, you can evaluate that student's growth (wcpm) no matter when you assessed the student by comparing the student's average weekly improvement (AWI) to the average weekly improvement listed in the table below. (AWI represents the number of words gained per week between the student’s first assessment wcpm score and the most recent score.)
To compare the student's average words gained per week with the AWI table, find the number closest to the student's first wcpm score in the table below. (Be careful to use the student's grade level and the correct season.) Then compare the student's AWI to the AWI in that row. If the student's AWI is greater than the AWI listed in the table, the student's scores indicate the student has improved relative to his or her peers.
| Grade | Percentile | Fall WCPM | Winter WCPM | Spring WCPM | Avg. Weekly Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 80 60 40 10 | – – – – | 55 29 18 6 | 90 64 43 15 | 2.2 2.2 1.6 0.6 |
| 2 | 80 60 40 10 | 86 62 41 11 | 107 84 61 18 | 124 100 79 31 | 1.2 1.2 1.2 0.6 |
| 3 | 80 60 40 10 | 107 82 61 21 | 127 102 82 36 | 143 118 96 48 | 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.8 |
| 4 | 80 60 40 10 | 126 103 84 45 | 146 122 103 61 | 160 134 113 72 | 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 |
| 5 | 80 60 40 10 | 147 121 101 61 | 163 137 116 74 | 175 150 127 83 | 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.7 |
| 6 | 80 60 40 10 | 160 137 115 68 | 175 150 130 82 | 185 161 140 93 | 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 |
| 7 | 80 60 40 10 | 162 138 118 79 | 173 147 127 88 | 184 160 140 98 | 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 |
| 8 | 80 60 40 10 | 168 145 124 77 | 180 155 135 84 | 183 161 142 97 | 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 |
This table is based on data collected in a study by Jan Hasbrouck and Gerald Tindal (2006. Oral reading fluency norms: A valuable assessment tool for reading teachers. The Reading Teacher. 59 (7), 636-644.)
3. Should I use the actual grade level passages when doing fluency assessment or should I use the instructional level?
For benchmark assessment, you must assess the student on passages at the student’s actual grade level. Benchmark assessments provide a baseline score to see how a student scores compared to his peers—based on national norms for the student’s grade level.
4. Can I use benchmark assessment scores to select the placement level for a student in Read Naturally?
Contact Please let us know what questions you have so we can assist. For Technical Support, please call us or submit a software support request.