Abstract:

Oral reading fluency, defined as the ability to read a text with accuracy, rate and prosody, is a central learning goal during elementary school. Deficits in this skill are common and tend to persevere throughout schooling, justifying the need of evaluating and monitoring students’ performance across time. For these purposes, it is of the utmost importance to apply measures that allow to compare scores obtained in different time points. Therefore, the use of multiple texts or test forms and the application of equating statistical procedures to ensure scores equivalence has been recommended. These statistical procedures will enable the establishment of comparable score scales, as well as the interchangeable use of different texts or test forms. This study presents data concerning the process of construction and validation of an oral reading fluency test with equated test forms for Portuguese students.

Two studies were conducted to address each of the following goals:
(a) to construct grade level test forms, horizontally and vertically equated; and
(b) to collect evidence of validity based on the relationships with other variables, namely reading comprehension, vocabulary, memory and teachers’ ratings, as well as oral reading fluency as measured by a different test.

The sample of study 1 was composed of 139 fifth graders and 138 sixth graders, whereas the sample of study 2 included 94 fifth graders and 85 sixth graders. The results of study 1 showed the equivalence of the equated scores within each grade level, as well as statistically significant differences between equated means between grade levels. Significant correlations were observed between the scores from all test forms and external criteria measures. Taken together, the results of the two studies provide empirical evidence for the validity of this test for the assessment of oral reading fluency in Portuguese students. Limitations and guidelines for future research, as well as implications for practice are discussed.

Keywords:

Oral reading fluency, equated test forms, validity, elementary school students, European Portuguese.