Complex text and fluency: Evaluating the read like us protocol with third and fourth grade students

Abstract

This matched-sample study investigates the use of a wide range of texts of varying–and often challenging–complexity to promote fluency for students experiencing below grade level achievement. We designed a repeated-reading protocol called ‘Read Like Us’, and performed a pilot implementation in small groups with third- and fourth-grade students (n = 174) who ranked ‘Below Benchmark’ or ‘Well Below Benchmark’ on the Acadience Reading assessment. Students engaged in the Read Like Us protocol with 50 texts over 50 instructional sessions with texts that averaged fifth grade complexity. Students in an active control group participated (n = 194) in the partnering school district’s typical intervention curriculum for students below benchmark in fluency. Propensity score matching, multilevel modeling, and effect sizes were used to determine the performance of the Read Like Us cohort relative to the active control condition. Outcomes revealed the Read Like Us condition experienced greater gains in words read per minute and passage reading accuracy than the active control. However, null results were found on standardized vocabulary and comprehension measures. These results suggest that a wide range of texts of varying complexity can be used to promote oral reading fluency.