Earlier this year we introduced MAP® Reading Fluency™, the first and only K-3 computer adaptive oral reading fluency assessment that uses speech recognition technology with automatic scoring. The 20-minute assessment of oral reading fluency, comprehension, and foundational reading skills is delivered online, enabling group administration and saving teachers hours of time.

A complement to MAP Growth and part of the MAP Suite of assessments, MAP Reading Fluency is computer adaptive, so it adjusts to accommodate pre-, early-, and fluent readers. Using a headset with a microphone, students progress through a variety of activities, including reading passages aloud and answering comprehension questions. Passages are recorded, saved, and automatically scored using advanced speech scoring technology.

The results are delivered to teacher dashboards, along with reader profiles and specific instructional suggestions for each student. Teachers can use the results for screening, differentiated and group instruction, and guided interventions. Student recordings allow teachers to further evaluate prosody and analyze miscues.

Even though it’s still new, we’re making enhancements! Here are a few updates worth sharing:

1. iPad support is now available. An updated app for MAP Reading Fluency is now available for download from the iTunes App Store. If you plan to utilize iPad devices for student testing, always make sure you have the latest version of the app.
2. Reports now show Lexile reading level. Instructional reading levels for students who read passages will now be based on Lexile®. In addition to the Lexile range for instructional reading level, the Lexile level for each passage read will be shown in the student report and a Lexile level for each student will display on the student matrix.
3. Increased foundational skills coverage and reporting. Pre-readers who take the foundational skills portion of the assessment will see a broader range of foundational reading skills, including blending, segmenting, decoding, and encoding. The test will adapt within the phonological awareness and phonics and word recognition skills to provide progression-based reporting and zone of proximal development (ZPD) identification. The adaptation within the foundational skills provides enhanced instructional information for teachers, while keeping the test to its efficient 20-minute length.
4. An enhanced student matrix. The student matrix is getting a refresh and update, as well. The easy-to-read and color-coded dashboard has been updated to reflect the core assessment components of the adaptive MAP Reading Fluency test. In addition to the color blocks, a letter will also display to indicate if the student is approaching (A), meeting (M), exceeding (E) or below (B) expectations. All columns remain sortable, making it easy to group similar students for small group and individual instruction.

We were thrilled when MAP Reading Fluency recently won the 2018 SIA CODiE award for Best Student Assessment Solution, and we will continue to share updates and success stories as our new oral reading fluency assessment for K-3 readers evolves.