Tips and Tricks for Building Reading Fluency in Grade K- 2 with Jan Hasbrouck
In today’s episode, I sit down with literacy legend Dr. Jan Hasbrouck — researcher, author, consultant, and co-creator of the widely used Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) norms. Known for her unmatched expertise in reading fluency, assessments, instructional coaching, and dyslexia, Dr. Hasbrouck brings decades of wisdom to this powerful conversation.
Together, Jan and I unpack myths about learning to read, the truth behind the “95% of kids can learn to read” statistic, what dyslexic learners really need, how fluency develops, and why teachers are essentially performing “brain surgery by instruction.” This episode is packed with clarity, encouragement, and inspiration for educators at every level.
In This Episode, We Cover:
1. Who Is Dr. Jan Hasbrouck?
Jan shares her long career as a university researcher, literacy consultant, fluency expert, and co-author of foundational texts. She continues to conduct research, write, train educators, and advocate for systems that support effective literacy instruction.
2. Can 95% of Students Really Learn to Read?
Dr. Hasbrouck explains what the 95% statistic truly means:
The number is based on early reading instruction (up to middle of 2nd grade).
It’s achievable only when systems and structures support teachers.
High-quality instruction + strong leadership + coaching + good curriculum + protected instructional time = successful readers.
Teachers shouldn’t feel blamed. Leaders must embrace this as a goal and build the systems to support it.
3. Misconceptions About How Reading Is Learned
Jan addresses persistent myths, including:
The idea that learning to read “just happens.”
The belief that all children learn the same way.
The assumption that exposure to books is enough.
She explains the importance of language, explicit decoding instruction, and the research-supported visuals like Scarborough’s Rope and Nancy Young’s Ladder of Reading & Writingto show the real process of how reading develops in the brain.
4. What Students with Dyslexia Really Need
Jan clarifies the long-standing confusion around dyslexia instruction:
Good instruction is good instruction for all learners—including dyslexic learners.
Students with dyslexia don’t need different instruction — they need more, with:
systematic design
explicit teaching
significantly higher repetitions
meaningful practice connected to language
She also explains that early “multisensory” successes weren’t due to shaving cream or rice trays — they were because those lessons were well-designed, explicit, and systematic.
5. The Slow and Awkward Phase of Fluency
This is the part teachers often want to rush through — but Jan reminds us:
Students need time to get from accurate decoding to automatic reading.
Teachers must “sit in the slow and awkward” phase with students.
Rushing through decodables or skipping application leads to fragile decoding.
Jan reintroduces her favorite framework from her fluency book: The Triple A Framework
A = Accuracy
A = Automaticity
A = Access (Meaning)
She shows how every sentence — even “The dog is big.” — can be used to build accuracy, automaticity, and comprehension.
6. Using Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) the Right Way
Dr. Hasbrouck explains:
ORF is like taking a student’s academic temperature—quick, reliable, powerful.
It identifies risk and is highly effective for progress monitoring.
We should avoid misuses, like pushing kids to read “faster and faster.”
The goal is fluency with comprehension, not speed drills.
Once students are strong readers, ORF does not need to be given three times a year.
7. Signs of Momentum in the Field
Jan shares real reasons she feels hopeful right now:
Teacher preparation programs are finally beginning to shift.
High-quality curriculum and intervention materials are more available than ever.
Educators are more willing to embrace evidence-based practices.
“It’s an exciting time,” she says.
8. Her One Message for Teachers
Jan closes with her favorite reminder:
“Teaching is brain surgery — brain surgery by instruction.”
Through precise, explicit, consistent teaching, educators literally change the structure and function of a child’s brain. Every “lightbulb moment” is a neural connection forming. Teachers are doing the most powerful work on earth.
Where to Find Dr. Jan Hasbrouck
Website: Jan Hasbrouck
She continues to share upcoming trainings, webinars, and new research across her platforms.
Want More?
Explore more Science of Reading PD, decodables, small-group planning tools, coaching sessions, and literacy resources at Route2Reading inside the Literacy Edventures Membership.
