Initial Evidence That Letter Fluency Tasks Are Valid Indicators of Early Reading Skill

• Published in: The Journal of special education Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 223 - 233
• Main Authors: Speece, Deborah L., Mills, Christina, Ritchey, Kristen D., Hillman, Elgen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 2003; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Alphabet letters; Early Identification; Early Reading; Fluency; Grade 1; Grade 2; Grade 4; Grade 5; Kindergarten; Kindergartens; Language development; Letters (Alphabet); Multiple Regression Analysis; Naming; Nonsense Words; Nonwords; Phonological Awareness; Predictive Validity; Primary Education; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading Difficulties; Reading Failure; Reading Fluency; Reading Readiness; Reading Skills; Students; USA
• ISSN: 0022-4669; 1538-4764
• DOI: 10.1177/002246690303600403

This longitudinal investigation evaluated the validity of letter-name fluency (LNF) and nonsense word fluency (NWF) measures as indicators of early reading skill with a sample of 39 kindergarten children. In the spring of kindergarten and first grade, these children responded to a battery of language, reading-related, and reading measures. Construct and social consequential validity were evaluated through concurrent and predictive criterion-related validity coefficients, multiple regression analyses, and classification analysis. Evidence supportive of validity was found for both fluency measures, with NWF receiving the strongest support. Both fluency measures were more sensitive to poor reader status in first grade than any other measure when reading was defined by oral reading fluency. These findings extend the usefulness of NWF to the early identification of kindergarten students.