Formatively Evaluating the Reading Progress of First-Grade English Learners in Multiple-Language Classrooms

This study provides descriptive data on first-grade reading proficiency of English learners in multiple-language settings. Using curriculum-based measurement of reading (CBM-R) to measure oral reading fluency (ORF) and a nonsense word— reading fluency (NWF) measure, weekly scores during the final 6 weeks of the first-grade school year indicated gains of approximately one word per minute each week on ORF and two words per minute each week on NWF. The results are very similar to the progress of non—English learners from previously documented studies of first-grade performance using CBM-R. Participating students experienced significant gains in both ORF and NWF in 6 weeks. By the end of the first grade, English learners in this study read a mean of 46 words per minute on the CBM-R. The correlation between the scores for ORF and NWF at the end of first grade was strong (r = .86). Weak correlations of fluency measures with student language proficiency and teacher ratings were found. Educational implications and future research are discussed.