New metrics, measures, and uses for fluency data: an introduction to a special issue on the assessment of reading fluency

The primary objective of this special issue is to synthesize results from recent reading fluency research endeavors, and to link these findings to practical uses of reading curriculum-based measurement (R-CBM) tools. Taken together, the manuscripts presented in this issue discuss measurement work related to new metrics of indexing student reading progress, the application of R-CBM tasks to traditionally underrepresented groups in the literature, specifically students in Grades 7–8 disaggregated by first-language and special education status, and new uses of aggregate reading fluency data to assist with school-level reporting. All manuscripts link to practical applications for R-CBM users and researchers. In this introduction to the issue, we provide an overview of the critical pieces of each article, discuss how and where the article fits in the broader context of reading research generally and R-CBM research specifically, and set the stage for how these articles can serve as a springboard for subsequent phases of R-CBM research.