STARI FAQs
How do I identify students’ fluency levels?
Students should work at a comfortable level of difficulty – their independent reading level. Unit 1 of each series has an introductory fluency activity (around Lesson 3) that helps teachers identify students’ fluency levels. The sample passage that students read in that introductory activity is a Level B. For more information, please refer to the Teacher Lesson Plans in Unit 1 of each Series, or the
Fluency Levels in STARI handout.
| Level | Lexile (Series 1-3) | Lexile (Series 4) |
|---|---|---|
| A | 500-590 | 410-600 |
| B | 600-690 | 610-800 |
| C | 700-790 | 810-1000 |
| D | 800-890 | 1010-1200 |
Related FAQs
STARI fluency pairs can be homogenous or heterogeneous depending on the preference of the teacher. There is no right or wrong way. The debriefs allow students to hear about other passages and all the fluency passages are on topics related to the book that students are reading at that time in the unit.
Consider posting ideas for “What to do when you finish” with some activities that students can complete to deepen their understanding while others are finishing. You might include things like: Write a 5Ws summary on what you’ve just read Prepare notes for the discussion Clarify new words/phrases Write question to ask your peers or teacher Identify your favorite line(s) of the reading and be ready to share why it stood out to you
Fluency passages are written by curriculum developers with the explicit purpose of building students’ fluency. They are written at four different lexile levels for readability, reinforce decoding lessons by including words with the specific patterns that are taught in each unit, and are on topics that correlate to the themes of each unit.
Yes. The fluency routine continues throughout the unit.
Students read all 10 passages in a unit, in the order presented in the curriculum. Fluency passages are written to align with the text students are reading at that time---they build background for that text.
There is guidance in the lesson plans and in the assessment guides about when to move students up in fluency. However, in general, look for students who are consistently reading with 95% accuracy and 90% or more comprehension, while reading at a good rate.