Based on a comprehensive literature review and further analysis of the data collected in Junin, this paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between fluency and comprehension measures in the early grades of primary school, and their use in policymaking. To this end, the paper addresses the following questions: How accurately do oral and written tests assess reading skills? What is the relationship between fluency and comprehension measures? Could there be more to it than what pairwise correlations have told us so far? And, based on the answers to those questions: How can reading tests be used to guide policymaking and strengthen accountability?

The paper is structured in five sections: introduction, background, fieldwork methodology, findings, and discussion. The background section presents a short review of the relevant literature and current research on what are the main reading skills; the cognitive processes linking reading fluency with comprehension; the teaching approaches that have proven more effective for early reading; the different instruments used to assess reading performance; the correlations between fluency and comprehension measures; what criteria to use when choosing between oral and written reading tests; and the differential behavior of tests and items in different populations. The section finishes with a review of how reading tests are been used in Peru for developing curricular standards and strengthening accountability.

The third section describes the methodology for the fieldwork. It explains the sampling approach used and describes the sample for this paper. Then, it describes the instruments used, the calculation of final reading scores, and the conditions of test administration.

The fourth section reports the results of the analyses. It begins by comparing and evaluating how accurately the oral and written tests measure reading skills. Then, it analyzes the relationship between scores in both tests, exploring signs of discontinuity in the fluency-comprehension relationship at or around the minimum rate of fluency needed for comprehension according to the literature.

The last section discusses the results taking into account the existing body of research, drawing conclusions with regards to the paper’s objectives.

# **<mark>2. BACKGROUND</mark>**

Reading constitutes the foundation of all school learning: a student who cannot read fluently will not be able to fully benefit from what school has to offer and will hardly become autonomous to access the knowledge imparted in it. Thus, experts in Peru and around the world agree that measuring beginning reading skills in the first grades of primary education is key in monitoring and improving the quality of teaching and learning processes (Abadzi, 2006; Banco Mundial, 2006; Crouch, 2006; Crouch, Abadzi, Echegaray, Pasco, & Sampe, 2005; MINEDU-UMC, 2007; Samuels, 2002; Thorne, 2005).

## **2.1. Developing reading skills**

Like in almost any country around the world, Peruvian children begin to learn reading in first grade of primary school. In order to learn to read and write, children must have previously acquired a set of abilities: oral language skills, the symbolic function, the capacity to focus attention and follow instructions, memory, perceptive spatial skills, laterality, and so on (Thorne, 2005). After these abilities are developed, to read efficiently students must apply letter-sound 4