Cut-off point, sensitivity and specificity for screening the reading fluency in children

to establish cut-off point for reading speed and accuracy, to obtain minimum values for comprehending texts, and allow classifying students from 2nd to 5th grade of elementary school according to good or poor reading performance. 147 assessment protocols for oral reading and text comprehension of students from 3rd to 5th grade of Elementary School with and without reading difficulties were analyzed. The oral text reading rate and accuracy values were analyzed. ROC curves were constructed, and sensitivity and specificity calculated for each reading fluency parameter, and each school grade. Sensitivity and specificity for measures of rate and accuracy in text reading were calculated for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Rate and precision under the ROC curve did not differ statistically. The values for the 2nd grade were mathematically estimated. The cutoff values expected for students from 2nd to 3rd grade were identified, with recommendations for using the oral text reading rate for reading comprehension screening procedures.