Equating Oral Reading Fluency Scores: A Model-Based Approach

Abstract

Words read correctly per minute (WCPM) is the reporting score metric in oral reading fluency (ORF) assessments, which is popularly utilized as part of curriculum-based measurements to screen at-risk readers and to monitor progress of students who receive interventions. Just like other types of assessments with multiple forms, equating would be necessary when WCPM scores are obtained from multiple ORF passages to be compared both between and within students. This article proposes a model-based approach for equating WCPM scores. A simulation study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the model-based equating approach along with some observed-score equating methods with external anchor test design.

From A to Z: Effects of a 2nd-grade reading intervention program for struggling readers

“…The "TAF test forms from grades 2 to 6 were horizontally equated using equipercentile equating to place test forms of each grade level on the same metric" and "…to ensure the comparability of the scores between grades, the chained equipercentile method with NEAT [non-equivalent groups with anchor test] design was used to vertical link the TAF test forms" (Rodrigues et al, 2022, p. 4). When multiple forms of assessments are used, equating is necessary to allow comparisons between and within students (Kara et al, 2023). For every grade (1 to 6), the reliability values, based on testretest correlation analysis, are very high, exceeding .90.…”

Back to Bayes-ics: Improving Universal Screening Decisions by Quantifying Uncertainty

“…(Glover & Albers, 2007). For example, oral reading fluency is a highly popular method of predicting academic risk on criterion reading outcomes (e.g., Kara et al, 2023). Computer adaptive measures that often capture a broader range of skills are also popular tools (Forcht & Van Norman, 2024;Shapiro et al, 2015).…”

A Scoping Review of Research on the Use of Digital Technologies for Teaching Reading Fluency

“…WCPM can be conducted using standardised texts such as those in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-DIBELS tests [47] or authentic classroom texts. There is a strong correlation between WCPM and reading comprehension, and it can be an efficient assessment, although measuring fluency through WCPM in authentic classroom texts can entail limitations as the difficulty level of texts may vary, reducing the reliability of WCPM in these circumstances [48]. It is worth noting that Valencia et al [12] found that the use of WCPM does not provide fine-grained information about readers' fluency, so assessment including multiple indicators is needed.…”