Increasing Fluency in First Graders: Practice Makes Perfect, or at Least Better

There is a strong research base indicating that students who read more are better readers, but in the seven years since the report of the National Reading Panel (NICHHD, 2000), there has been much controversy surrounding the impact of Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) on students' reading achievement. This study attempted to assess the effects of time spent reading on first grade students' attitudes and fluency. Two first grade teachers dedicated 45 minutes at the end of every day to independent reading for a 7 week period. Pre- and post-assessment data were collected using two instruments: surveys for attitude and timed readings for fluency. One first grade classroom in the same school served as the control group. Results indicate that although there were no significant patterns in attitudinal changes, there was evidence of increased fluency across all ability levels, both in words read per minute and, more notably, in accuracy rates.