"Literacy and Reading News: Tackling Reading Fluency Issues "A National Reading Panel report that identified fluency as "a critical component of skilled reading," has inspired teachers across the country to make reading fluency a critical part of teaching and assessing students. Many teachers have turned to Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D., a nationally known educational consultant, researcher, and trainer, for the best advice on how to improve their students' fluency. Dr. Hasbrouck defined fluency as the ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and good expression. "Fluency is now understood to be a unique and fundamental component of skilled, proficient reading because of its close link to comprehension and motivation," she said. "Elementary students who struggle with fluency will most likely have difficulty understanding what they have read. These students will also be much less likely to read for pleasure and enjoyment."""

Fluency is a very critical component.

"A National Reading Panel report that identified fluency as "a critical component of skilled reading," has inspired teachers across the country to make reading fluency a critical part of teaching and assessing students. Many teachers have turned to Jan Hasbrouck, Ph.D., a nationally known educational consultant, researcher, and trainer, for the best advice on how to improve their students' fluency. Dr. Hasbrouck defined fluency as the ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and good expression. "Fluency is now understood to be a unique and fundamental component of skilled, proficient reading because of its close link to comprehension and motivation," she said. "Elementary students who struggle with fluency will most likely have difficulty understanding what they have read. These students will also be much less likely to read for pleasure and enjoyment.""

If students dont have literacy, it will not be as fun for them to read, because they cant do as well and it is a bore.

"Why is fluency important? Comprehension is the goal of reading, and fluency is required for comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000, p.3-1). At a minimum, accurate and efficient word reading is necessary. Comprehension suffers when poor readers must focus on "getting the words off the page" and therefore areble to give much attention to the meaning of what they are reading. In contrast, fluent readers are able to focus on meaning because for them, decoding is automatic and effortless. "

Explaining why fluency is something you need and how it is important.

"The literacy rate in the US has many educators in search of answers about this problem that has plagued our country for decades. Instead of decreasing, the numbers of literacy has steadily increased over the years. This raises a lot of questions about our education system, how it is ran, and why there is such a problem with illiterate people in our country. The NAAL (National Assessment of Adult Literacy) administered tests which revealed that an estimated 14% of US residents would have extreme difficulty with reading and written comprehension. These people can legally be defined as illiterate. This could lead to numerous problems for these people now and in the future. When looking to apply for a job, there are forms that have to be filled out. Adults with literacy issues are unable to fill out these forms which decrease their chances of getting a job and raises unemployment issues."

This tells about the way literacy has increased in the US, and how people with low literacy rates are illiterate.

"Literacy is fundamental for learning in school. It has an impact on an individual's ability to participate in society and to understand important public issues. And it provides the foundation upon which skills needed in the labour market are built. Technology, and the science behind it, permeates all aspects of our lives, from how we work and communicate to what we shop for and how we pay our bills. The complexity of today's world means that individuals need to have some level of proficiency in reading, mathematics and science in order to understand and participate fully in economic and social life. "

This tells you that literacy is very important if you want to go anywhere in life.

" Reading fluency is a measure of how quickly, smoothly, and easily text is read. Fluency means that words are read quickly and accurately, with little or no stumbling. It allows complete comprehension because less effort is needed for decoding. More thought power is available for understanding the author's message. Fluent readers read with expression and follow the punctuation cues. They read in sensible phrases, with pauses in natural places. Fluent readers are able to read aloud without attracting attention to the reading process, and listeners get the sense that the reader has a good grasp of the author's intent. Many reading students fall short of fluency. They read well enough to get by, but not well enough to enjoy what they are doing. Struggling readers often have a very large gap between the level at which they read fluently and their grade placement level or the demands of their day-to-day life. Most find this very frustrating, and they will try to avoid reading tasks. "

This tells you what reading fluency is and how kids fall short of it.

"The National Literacy Act of 1991 defines literacy as "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential." Research indicates that 17-20% of our nation's children experience substantial difficulties in learning to read, and that more than a third of students in fourth grade (and nearly 70% in some low-income urban schools) read below the basic level. Children who are not fluent readers by fourth grade are likely to continue struggling with reading into adulthood, making early identification and intervention of reading problems essential to a child's success in both school and society."

This stresses the importance of childrens literacy & fluency.

"Is it possible to be fully literate in English without being fluent. By literate I mean able to read most content easily and to write correctly. By fluent I do not refer to pronunciation, just the ability to express oneself orally. I am not talking about theoretically. I mean is it possible to imagine a person, other than a deaf/mute, who is literate and not fluent? In other words, is pursuing literacy a strategy for achieving fluency. "

This tells how if your literate, then you are also most likely fluent. Your not just one or the other.

"Fluency is a significant struggle for many. The less fluent a reader, the more he or she must focus on decoding individual words. Less fluent readers have difficulty with oral reading, which is often slow, choppy, and without natural expression. Less fluent readers must focus their time and attention on figuring out the words, leaving little room for actually understanding the text. Since reading fluency is the key to reading comprehension, less fluent readers often fall behind in educational and professional achievement. "

This topic is showing how it is harder for a person with no fluency to read, and some of the things they have to do, like decoding, to read.

"The second wave industrial revolution was associated with broad effects to expand the literacy in schools, libraries, so as to incorporate people in to work and life. Policymakers, scholars, public institutions and grassroots movements are striving for broad computer literacy. "

This is about the literacy throughout technology, schools, and the public.