What is fluency?
Reading fluency is the ability to read with accuracy, expression, comprehension, and appropriate rate. According to the National Reading Panel, fluency is reading text "with speed, accuracy, and proper expression."

Why is fluency important?
In essence, students who are fluent readers are better able to devote their attention to comprehending the text. A student has only so much attention to focus on comprehesion. As more and more of that attention is devoted to recognizing words, the result is likely to be limited reading fluency and comprehension. Fluency, then, generally results in increased compreshension.
(From Fluency: Questions, Answers, and Evidence-Based Strategies by Jerry Johns and Roberta L. Berglund)

First Grade
At the end of first grade, students should be reading 45-70 words correctly per minute on grade level (DRA2 level 16/independent). Students should be reading at least 40 wpm on the EOY DIBELS test of Oral Reading Fluency (ORF).

Second Grade
At the end of second grade, students should be reading 75-105 words correctly per minute on grade level (DRA2 level 28/independent). Students should be reading at least 90 wpm on the EOY DIBELS test of Oral Reading Fluency (ORF).

Third Grade
At the end of third grade, students should be reading 90-125 words correctly per minute on grade level (DRA2 level 38/independent).

Fourth Grade
At the end of fourth grade, students should be reading 105-140 words correctly per minute on grade level (DRA2 level 40/independent).

Fifth Grade
At the end of fifth grade, students should be reading 110-140 words correctly per minute on grade level (DRA2 level 50/independent).

Daily fluency practice is recommeneded for struggling readers. Some examples might be: paired reading, echo reading, reading into a tape recorder, and choral reading. For these and other fluency ideas see Fluency by Jerry Johns and Roberta Berglund which can be found in all elementary campus libraries. It is strongly recommended that students graph their fluency rates so that they become motivated. (Download ideas for parents.)