Brief Description

The Reading Fluency Test (RFT) consists of a list of 75 words and a second list of 35 pseudowords. The words are arranged in four columns with increasing difficulty and are designed to assess reading speed and accuracy. The words have been selected for their familiarity and frequency in students’ everyday language. The procedure includes a 45-second time limit for each list.

Purpose

The test aims to evaluate elementary school students’ reading fluency on two levels: (a) automatic recognition of high-frequency words and (b) decoding of unfamiliar words (pseudowords). Its purpose is to identify possible issues in reading speed that may be related to learning difficulties.

Scoring Method

Scoring is based on the number of words and pseudowords a student reads correctly within 45 seconds for each list. Two separate scores are derived: one for the real words and one for the pseudowords, which reflect the student’s level of reading fluency.

Validity

The RFT is appropriate for assessing problematic reading speed and shows good construct validity. Its correlation with the recognition subscale of the TORP and other reading measures supports the test’s validity. Correlation indices between subscales range from 0.23 to 0.55, indicating moderate convergence with other scales and a clear distinction between different forms of reading proficiency.

Reliability

Internal consistency coefficients for the subscales were measured as follows: 0.97 for Word List A, 0.87 for Word List B, and 0.79 for the Pseudoword List. The consistency between the two alternative word lists (A and B) is also very high (0.98), indicating strong reliability of the tool.

Data Analysis and Use

The data obtained from the RFT are used to evaluate reading fluency and detect students who may be experiencing learning difficulties. The scores can be interpreted in comparison to classroom averages or used diagnostically to guide the design of intervention programs.

References

Mouzaki, A., & Sideridis, G. (in press). Reading disability profiles among Greek students of middle elementary grades. Hellenic Journal of Psychology.