About Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor is an assessment tool that you can use to quickly assess the reading fluency of general student populations. It is typically administered in the fall, winter, and spring to check students’ progress and help identify students who may need fluency intervention.

Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor

RFBA includes field-tested passages for assessing fluency at grades 1–8 (three passages per grade) plus letter-naming pages for kindergartners. New software makes it easy to capture students’ assessment results and analyze the data to make appropriate educational decisions. 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.

Reports Overview Read Naturally, Inc. 750 S. Plaza Drive #100 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55120

750 S. Plaza Drive #100 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55120 Phone: 651.452.4085, 800.788.4085 Fax: 651.452.9204 Website: www.readnaturally.com

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Phone: 651.452.4085, 800.788.4085 Fax: 651.452.9204 Website: www.readnaturally.com

Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Reports Reports Overview The RFBA software features two types of reports: teacher reports and school reports. Teacher reports enable you to view details of your students' progress, whereas school reports display general trends for all students in the school who were assessed with the Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor. Only the RFBA administrator has access to school reports. To create a report, click the Reports button from any tab. When you click it, the Reports window opens. From this window, you can select which type of report you want to view by using the Teacher tab or the School tab. All reports display in your web browser. You can also print reports from your web browser. Note: Teachers do not have access to the School tab. Also, in the School License, you do not have access to any reports if you are logged in as an assessor.

Reports Window: Teacher Tab

Reports Window: School Tab

Many reports use "competency levels," a color-coded rating system that categorizes students according to their instructional needs. The levels range from Level 1 (considerably below median range) to Level 5 (considerably above median range). A student's level is based on the percentile in which his or her score falls using the Hasbrouck/Tindal national norms (2005). 

Level 1: below 10th percentile (considerably below median range)



Level 2: 10th – 39th percentile (below median range)



Level 3: 40th – 59th percentile (within median range)



Level 4: 60th – 79th percentile (above median range)



Level 5: 80th percentile and above (considerably above median range)

Competency levels apply only to oral reading fluency. Letter-naming reports use "risk levels," based on the DIBELS™ indicators of risk. This scale has three levels: 1–At Risk; 2–Some Risk; 3–Low Risk.

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Teacher Tab In the Reports window, the Teacher tab enables you to view Summary reports that detail your students' progress. You can view a report for your current students, a report for how your current students performed in a previous year, or a report for your past students. You can also select which of your students to include in the reports. For example, you could select all of the students in a class, or just a single student. Summary reports compare students to national norms for their own grade level. Therefore, when you view a report that includes students from more than one grade level, the report separates the students based on grade level.

Viewing Summary Reports To view a Summary report, follow these steps: 1. Log in to the RFBA software, and click Reports (from any tab). The Reports window opens. Note: If you logged in with an assessor password, the Reports button is not available. 2. In the Reports window, click the Teacher tab. Note: If you logged in with a teacher password, the Teacher tab is the only tab that is available.

3. Select the students on whom you want to base the report (Current students or Past students). If you select Past students, you must also choose a past school year from the drop-down list. If you select Current students, you have these options: 

Show how your students have performed in the current school year. To do so, leave the Show how current students did in a past year box unchecked.



Show how your students did in a past school year. To do so, check the Show how current students did in a past year box, and then select a past school year from the drop-down list. Note: This box will be disabled if you do not have information recorded for past years.

4. If you are logged in as the RFBA administrator, use the drop-down list to select a teacher. Note: Skip this step if you are logged in with a teacher password; the drop-down list does not appear because teachers can view reports only for their own students.

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5. Choose the type of students on whom you want to base the report (Homeroom students or Reading students).

6. In the list of students, select the specific student(s) on whom you want to base the report. 

To select all of the students, click Select All.



To select several consecutive students, click the first student's name, hold down the Shift key, and then click the last student's name. All of the students between the first student you clicked and the last student you clicked will also be selected. Tip: To select all of the students in a particular class, first sort the list by class (click the Class Name column heading). Because all students are now listed by class, you can use the method described above to select these consecutive students.



To select several non-consecutive students, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or (Macintosh) as you click the students' names.

key

7. Click Create Report. The Summary report opens in your web browser.

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Summary Reports When you open a Summary report, you are presented with a table that lists your students' mean score for each season. The table also displays the DIBELS™ benchmark goals for grades K and 1 and the Hasbrouck/Tindal national 50th percentiles for grades 1–8. Below the Summary of teacher's students heading, a report icon appears for each grade. Click the icon to view a Results report for the students in that grade. If the icon is not enabled, that means your report does not include information on students in that grade. For example, suppose you created a report for a class that contains third graders and fourth graders. In this scenario, the report icons would be enabled for grades 3 and 4; all other report icons would be disabled. See the next page for more information. Note: Grade 1 has Results reports for both letter-naming (fall) and oral reading (winter and spring).

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Results Reports To view a Results report for a specific grade, click the report icon below the Summary of teacher's students heading on the Summary report. A Results report contains the same information for each grade, with the exception of kindergarten and grade 1 (fall); these reports contain information about letter-naming rather than oral reading fluency. Each section of a Results report is described below.

Oral Reading Fluency A graph displays the mean assessment scores for the selected group of students compared to Hasbrouck/ Tindal national norms (2005). Use this graph to see how, overall, your group of students performed from season to season, and to see how your group compares to national norms. Use the table following the graph to look up individual students and see how they performed on their assessments. The table includes fall, winter, and spring scores for the following categories: words correct per minute (WCPM), errors, and national percentile. You can click on a student's name to open a detailed report for that student. See "Student Details Reports" on page 56 for more information.

Letter-Naming Proficiency This section applies only to kindergarten and grade 1 (fall). It corresponds to the Oral Reading Fluency section described above. Use the graph to see how, overall, your group of students performed from season to season, and to see how their mean letter-naming scores compare to DIBELS™ benchmark goals. The DIBELS™ benchmark goals show the lowest number of letters correct per minute that a student must reach to be considered at low risk.

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Oral Reading Fluency – Continuously Enrolled Students This section again compares the group mean for each season to national norms, but the mean is calculated using only the scores of students who were tested in every possible assessment for the school year. For example, after the winter assessment, the continuously enrolled students are those who were tested in both fall and winter. Looking at continuously enrolled students enables you to more accurately judge the effectiveness of your instruction because the score does not take into account students who joined the class late or left early.

Letter-Naming Proficiency – Continuously Enrolled Students This section applies only to kindergarten and grade 1 (fall). It corresponds to the Oral Reading Fluency – Continuously Enrolled Students section described above, but this section reports the results of letternaming assessments instead of oral reading assessments.

Competency Summary Use this section to see how your group of students is distributed among competency levels. Students in levels 1 and 2 are considered at risk. See page 49 for more information on competency levels.

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Risk Summary Use this section to see how your group of students is distributed among risk levels. See page 49 for more information on risk levels.

Students Ranked by Scores on Most Recent Test Use this section to identify those students who need extra help in reading fluency such as a supplemental fluency-building program. You can also see those students who are reading above the level of their peers and may need extra reading challenges. Across the seasons, most students' scores increase; for struggling students, however, the scores may not increase fast enough. Look for an increase in a student's national percentile ranking, competency level (grades 1–8), or risk level (grades K–1) to help you determine whether he or she is on track. After the winter assessment, you can use information in this table to predict whether the student is likely to meet his or her spring target. Multiply the change in number of words (or letters) per week since fall by the number of weeks between the winter and spring assessments, and add the result to the student's winter score. This result indicates how the student will perform on the spring assessment if the student's progress remains steady. If the predicted score is less than the target, you may need to change or intensify the student's instruction.

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Student Details Reports A Student Details report provides detailed information for an individual student. You can use this report to help you make instructional decisions about the student. You can also show this report to parents at conferences to facilitate discussion about the student's reading performance. To see this report, click a student's name in the Oral Reading Fluency section of the Results report. Each section of a Student Details report is described below.

Student Results This section provides an overview of the student's assessment results for the current school year. Using the graph and table, look for increasing scores with a reduction in errors. A student whose national percentile ranking falls below the 40th percentile may require additional diagnosis and intervention.

This student read 117 WCPM in the fall. Sixteen weeks later, in the winter, she read 138 WCPM. Thus, she gained 21 WCPM over 16 weeks, for an average gain of 1.31 WCPM per week.

This student's fall score placed her at the 73rd percentile. Therefore, the "Typical Words Gained per Week" row displays the WCPM gained per week by students at the 73rd percentile, based on the Hasbrouck/ Tindal national norms (2005).

The "Student's Words Gained per Week" row displays the average number of WCPM the student gained per week from fall to winter and from fall to spring. The "Typical Words Gained per Week" row displays the average number of WCPM gained per week by students reading at this percentile nationally. Even if the student's percentile changes over the course of the year, this row continues to display numbers based on the student's fall percentile. Thus, at the end of the school year, you can compare the student to others who began the year in the same percentile. In the fall, you can use the "Typical Words Gained per Week" row to predict how the student will perform on future assessments. This information can be useful in setting a realistic target for the student to achieve. Using the example above, you could have predicted the student's winter score by multiplying the number in the "Fall to Winter" column (1.25) by the number of weeks between the fall and winter assessments (16) and then adding the student's fall assessment score (117): 1.25 x 16 + 117 = 137.

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After the winter assessment, compare the "Student's Words Gained per Week" row to the "Typical Words Gained per Week" row. The "Typical Words Gained per Week" row shows how your student must perform to stay at the same percentile ranking. If your student is at a low percentile, you want the student to exceed the typical gains in order to move to a higher percentile ranking. After the spring assessment, you can see how well the student progressed compared to others at the same national percentile. "Standardized Test Comprehension Score" displays the following information: test date, test name, percentile, and NCE (normal curve equivalent).

Student History This section displays the student's past RFBA scores. In kindergarten and in the fall of first grade, students are assessed using timed letter naming. This assessment can be used to predict which students are likely to experience difficulty in learning to read in first grade. The "Early Fluency Indicator" section displays the student's letter-naming history along with guidelines based on DIBELS™ Kindergarten and Grade 1 goals, which can help you interpret the student's scores. The "Oral Reading Fluency History" section displays a graph and table that show how the student's scores compared to national norms over time. Use the fluency history to trace the student's growth.

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Instructional Considerations A graph displays the student's score compared to the color-coded competency levels (grades 1–8) or risk levels (K–1). Suggested instructional interventions appear below the graph. If a target has been set for the student, a second graph displays the student's actual fluency scores versus the student's target score. "Words Missed" displays the average number of errors the student made in each assessment session. For students who were assessed with the RFBA software, the actual words (or letters) that the student missed are listed for each passage. If the student was assessed using paper and pencil and scores were entered manually, only the number of errors is shown. Patterns in the words the student missed may indicate that he or she needs extra instruction in a certain area.

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Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Copyright © 2006 Read Naturally, Inc.

School Tab Only the RFBA administrator has access to the School tab. This tab enables the administrator to view reports that show general trends for all of the students in the school who were assessed with the RFBA. You can base your report on the performance of current students or on the performance of past students.

Viewing School Summary Reports To view a School Summary report, follow these steps: 1. Log in with the RFBA administrator password, and click Reports. The Reports window opens. 2. In the Reports window, click the School tab.

3. Select the students on whom you want to base the report (Current students or Past students). If you select Past students, choose a school year from the drop-down list. 4. Click Create Report. The School Summary report opens in your web browser.

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School Summary Reports When you open a School Summary report, you are presented with a table that lists the mean scores for each grade in the school. Letter-naming scores are compared to the DIBELS™ benchmark goals for the grade. DIBELS™ benchmark goals show, for kindergarten and early first grade, the lowest number of LCPM that a student must reach to be considered at low risk. Oral reading fluency scores are compared to the national 50th percentile, based on the Hasbrouck/Tindal national norms (2005). Below the Performance heading, a report icon appears for each grade. Click the icon to view a report that summarizes the achievements and needs of that grade. See "School Performance Reports" on the next page for more information. Below the Demographics heading, a report icon appears for each grade. Click the icon to view a report for that grade, based on demographic information such as race/ethnicity, gender, English Language Learner status, socioeconomic status, and special education services. See "School Demographics Reports" on page 65 for more information. Below the Students Ranked by Need heading, a report icon appears for each grade. Click the icon to view a list of that grade's students ranked by most recent fluency score and separated into competency levels or risk levels. See "Score Ranking Reports" on page 70 for more information. Note: Grade 1 has reports for both letter-naming (fall) and oral reading (winter and spring).

Note: If no students have been tested in a grade, the report icons for that grade are disabled.

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Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Copyright © 2006 Read Naturally, Inc.

School Performance Reports To view a School Performance report for a specific grade, click the report icon below the Performance heading on the School Summary report. A School Performance report contains the same sections for each grade, with the exception of kindergarten and grade 1 (fall); these reports contain information about letter-naming rather than oral reading fluency. Each section of a School Performance report is described below.

Growth Summary A graph displays the average WCPM scores for continuously enrolled students over the course of the year. Below the graph, a table displays the fall, winter, and spring statistics for the grade's mean WCPM scores and the grade's national percentile ranking. The table also shows the number of continuously enrolled students in the grade. Continuously enrolled students are those who were tested in every possible assessment for the school year. For example, after the winter assessment, the continuously enrolled students are those who were tested in both fall and winter. Looking at continuously enrolled students enables you to more accurately judge the effectiveness of your instruction because the score does not take into account students who joined the class late or left early. The second table displays the average number of WCPM that the continuously enrolled students in the grade have gained since fall. The table displays words gained by students at the national 75th, 50th, 25th, and 10th percentiles for comparison. For kindergarten and early first grade, the Growth Summary section shows LCPM (letters correct per minute) scores rather than WCPM. The graph compares the grade's average LCPM score to the DIBELS™ benchmark goals. No growth curve graph appears if students have been tested in only one season.

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Competency Summary The first graph displays the grade's range of WCPM scores and the color-coded competency levels to which these scores correspond. A narrow black line indicates the grade's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the scores between the 75th and 25th percentiles. To interpret this graph, compare the black candlestick that represents the students at your school to the striped background, which represents national norms. Is the middle of the thick bar over the orange level 3 band? If so, the students in your school are performing at a typical level for their grade. Look also at the height of the thick part of the candlestick. If the thick line is short, it indicates that the students between the 75th and 25th percentiles are performing at about the same level. If the thick line is tall, then there is more variation in your students' scores; this indicates that some students are performing much better than others. Look at the table that follows the graph for specific information about how the students at your school are performing in comparison to national norms. The second graph displays the percent of students at your school who fall into each of the competency levels. Use the table that follows the graph to see the number of students in each level and the percentage of students in each level.

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Risk Summary This section applies only to kindergarten and grade 1 (fall). It corresponds to the Competency Summary section described on the previous page. The color-coded bands on the graphs represent risk levels rather than competency levels, and scores are reported in LCPM rather than WCPM.

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Fluency History Students in kindergarten and grade 1 (fall) are tested on letter-naming. The letter-naming history for the grade's students includes the following information: season, number of students tested, median score on timed letter-naming, and mean score on timed letter-naming. A graph displays the national 50th percentile of WCPM scores for grades 1 through 8. Black dots represent the history of the students in the grade you are reporting on by showing the students' mean scores in past years. For example, if the report was generated for second graders, the Fluency History section would show this year's grade 2 scores, last year's grade 1 scores, and the previous year's kindergarten scores. Note that scores for past years are not based on continuously enrolled students, but on all students tested in the grade at the time. Note: The Fluency History section appears only in oral reading fluency reports; it does not appear in letter-naming proficiency reports.

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School Demographics Reports To view a School Demographics report for a specific grade, click the report icon below the Demographics heading on the School Summary report. A School Demographics report contains the same sections for each grade, with the exception of kindergarten and grade 1 (fall); these reports contain information about letter-naming rather than oral reading fluency. Each section of a School Demographics report is described below.

Racial/Ethnic Group A graph displays each racial/ethnic group's range of WCPM (or LCPM) scores and the color-coded competency levels (or risk levels) to which these scores correspond. For each racial/ethnic group, a narrow black line indicates the group's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the group's scores that fell between the 75th and 25th percentiles.

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To interpret this graph, compare the black candlestick that represents the racial/ethnic group to the striped background, which represents national norms. Is the middle of the thick bar over the orange level 3 band? If so, the racial/ethnic group in your school is performing at a typical level for the grade. Look also at the height of the thick part of the candlestick. If the thick line is short, it indicates that the students between the 75th and 25th percentiles of the racial/ethnic group are performing at about the same level. If the thick line is tall, then there is more variation in the group's scores; this indicates that some students are performing much better than others. Look at the table that immediately follows the graph for a breakdown of the racial/ethnic groups in your school. This table can help you determine the racial/ethnic groups that have the greatest number or percentage of students who are at risk. The table indicates the number of students for whom no race or ethnicity was specified, although these students are not included on the graph. Look at the second table for specific information about how each racial/ethnic group is performing in comparison to the Hasbrouck/Tindal national norms (2005). The second table reports the mean score based on continuously enrolled students in the group. Please note that this table does not appear in letter-naming reports because the national norms are restricted to oral reading (not letter-naming).

Gender A graph displays each gender's range of WCPM (or LCPM) scores and the color-coded competency levels (or risk levels) to which these scores correspond. For each gender, a narrow black line indicates the gender's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the gender's scores that fell between the 75th and 25th percentiles. See the "Racial/Ethnic Group" section for more information on how to interpret the graph and tables.

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English Language Learner Status A graph displays the grade's range of WCPM (or LCPM) scores and the color-coded competency levels (or risk levels) to which these scores correspond. For ELL students and for non-ELL students, a narrow black line indicates the group's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the group's scores that fell between the 75th and 25th percentiles. See the "Racial/Ethnic Group" section for more information on how to interpret the graph and tables.

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Socioeconomic Status A graph displays the grade's range of WCPM (or LCPM) scores and the color-coded competency levels (or risk levels) to which these scores correspond. For students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and for students who are not, a narrow black line indicates the group's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the group's scores that fell between the 75th and 25th percentiles. See the "Racial/Ethnic Group" section for more information on how to interpret the graph and tables.

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Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Copyright © 2006 Read Naturally, Inc.

Special Ed Status A graph displays the grade's range of WCPM (or LCPM) scores and the color-coded competency levels (or risk levels) to which these scores correspond. For students who are in special education and for students who are not, a narrow black line indicates the group's total range of scores, while a wide black line indicates the group's scores that fell between the 75th and 25th percentiles. See the "Racial/Ethnic Group" section for more information on how to interpret the graph and tables.

Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Copyright © 2006 Read Naturally, Inc.

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Score Ranking Reports To view a Score Ranking report for a specific grade, click the report icon below the Students Ranked by Need heading on the School Summary report. A Score Ranking report contains the same sections for each grade, with the exception of kindergarten and grade 1 (fall); these reports contain information about letter-naming rather than oral reading fluency. A Score Ranking report contains only one section, which is described below.

Students Ranked by Scores on Most Recent Test A table ranks each student by his or her score on the most recent test. Students who have the same score on the most recent test are listed alphabetically, and a "t" next to their ranking indicates that they are tied. Students who were not assessed on the most recent test are listed, unranked, at the end of the report. On oral reading fluency reports, the table includes the following statistics for all seasons tested: WCPM scores, national percentile, and competency level. On letter-naming proficiency reports, the table includes the following statistics for all seasons tested: LCPM scores and risk level. Use this table to see how many students, and which students, fall into the various competency levels or risk levels on the most recent assessment.

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Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Copyright © 2006 Read Naturally, Inc.

About Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor Reading Fluency Benchmark Assessor is an assessment tool that you can use to quickly assess the reading fluency of general student populations. It is typically administered in the fall, winter, and spring to check students’ progress and help identify students who may need fluency intervention. RFBA includes field-tested passages for assessing fluency at grades 1–8 (three passages per grade) plus letter-naming pages for kindergartners. New software makes it easy to capture students’ assessment results and analyze the data to make appropriate educational decisions. 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.

750 S. Plaza Drive #100 Saint Paul, Minnesota 55120 Phone: 651.452.4085, 800.788.4085 Fax: 651.452.9204 Website: www.readnaturally.com

RFBARD–0606