Building the Bridge to Reading Comprehension

Discover why fluency is essential for helping learners move from accurate decoding to meaningful comprehension

Schools and education systems have made important progress in strengthening early literacy instruction. But when fluency isn’t intentionally developed through everyday classroom teaching, some learners struggle to move from accurate decoding to understanding what they read.

The result can be stalled reading progress and an increasing need for targeted support.

This free, research-informed article explores why fluency is a critical bridge between decoding and comprehension—and how education leaders can support more consistent, evidence-informed fluency instruction across classrooms.

In this free article, you’ll learn how to:

• Understand the role of fluency in reading development: Explore why fluency is essential for helping learners progress from word recognition to comprehension.
• Spot signs of inconsistent fluency instruction: Understand how gaps in classroom instruction can contribute to reading difficulties and increase the need for targeted support.
• Identify evidence-informed fluency practices: Discover practical approaches educators can incorporate into everyday literacy instruction.
• Address fluency gaps earlier: Learn how strengthening classroom instruction can help address learning needs earlier and reduce the need for more intensive support.
• Build greater instructional consistency: Consider how leaders can support a more coherent approach to fluency across classrooms and year or grade levels.