Students need to be able to read a certain number of words per minute to remember and comprehend what they read. Fluent readers can read quickly and correctly in meaningful phrasal units. Fluency enables people to understand and remember what they read. When a child is fluent, reading is easy and they can learn new information quickly. If they read too slowly, they will forget and get frustrated. For students to read with comprehension, they must read with a certain level of fluency.

Because so much learning is through books and printed text, it is important for children to read fluently. If children do not read at these speeds, then they will have problems in all subjects in school, and in life. Learning to read is the most important skill we can teach students in the early grades.