BUILDING COMPREHENSION: A CAUSAL COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ORAL READING FLUENCY OF FIRST GRADERS

Teachers are charged with the task of reaching all students academically in hopes all students will become proficient readers by third grade. Oral reading fluency is a predictor in academic success since fluency reflects comprehension. Students often come to school unprepared in their earliest years due to a lack of opportunity and/or early literacy experiences, creating an achievement gap, a disparity in academic performance between groups of students. This study identifies the correlation between socioeconomic status, race, gender, and preschool enrollment and the oral reading fluency of first-grade readers as indicated by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8 composite score, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8 Oral Reading Fluency words read correctly (ORF-WRC) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) 8 Oral Reading Fluency accuracy (ORF-ACC) score. Key findings show that socioeconomic status, race, gender, and preschool enrollment are predictors of oral reading fluency