Fluency Lab
What is Fluency Lab?
Fluency Lab is a place where you read a short passage out loud and record yourself. Your teacher listens to your reading, grades it, and gives you feedback. Over time, it also helps you and your teacher see how your reading is growing.
There are two kinds of reads:
A cold read — you read a passage and then answer a few questions about it.
A warm read — you just read the passage out loud. There are no questions.
Your teacher will tell you which one you are doing. Either way, the steps are almost the same.
Getting Ready to Record
A few things make your recording come out clearly:
Find a quiet spot. Background noise can make your reading harder to hear.
Use a headset or microphone if you have one. Earbuds with a mic work great.
Read the passage once in your head first if you want, so you know what's coming.
When you open your assignment, you will see the passage on the screen and a Start Recording button.
The passage screen: the "Fluency Lab" title, the instruction box ("📖 Click 'Start Recording' when you're ready to read the passage aloud. Note: Skip the title and begin reading directly from the passage text", the passage, and the Start Recording button at the bottom.
Recording Your Reading
When you're ready, click Start Recording.
Read the passage out loud in your normal voice. Read at a comfortable pace — you don't need to rush.
Start with the first word of the passage. Skip the title — you don't need to read it.
While you're reading, you'll see a red ● Recording indicator. When you finish, click ■ Stop.
While recording: the ■ Stop button and the red ● Recording indicator will be visible at the bottom of the screen.
After you stop, you can listen to your reading before you move on. Below the passage, a Play Recording button with a progress bar lets you play back what you recorded. At the bottom you'll also see two buttons:
🔄 Re-record — record the passage again. You can re-record as many times as you need.
→ Continue — move on once you're happy with your reading.
After you finish recording: the 🔄 Re-record and → Continue buttons at the bottom.
TIP
Read the whole passage, all the way to the end, in your normal voice. If you make a mistake, just continue on reading. You will have the option to re-record your reading if necessary.
Answering the Questions
This step is for cold reads only. If you're doing a warm read, skip to Turning it in.
After you record, click → Continue. You'll see the Comprehension Questions screen with a few questions about the passage you just read. Answer each one — the bar at the bottom shows your progress (like 0/3). When you've answered them all, click Submit to turn in your work.
The Comprehension Questions screen: "Question 1" with its answer choices, and the ← Back button and progress counter at the bottom.
Turning It In
For a cold read, clicking Submit on the questions turns in your answers and your recording together.
For a warm read (no questions), click → Continue after recording to turn in your reading.
You'll see a short "processing" message while your recording is saved. When it's done, you'll see "Assignment Submitted!" with a note that your work "has been submitted and needs to be graded." That means your reading is now with your teacher.
The "✨ Assignment Submitted!" confirmation screen — "Your reading assessment and comprehension answers have been submitted to your teacher."
You won't see your scores right away. Your teacher reviews and grades your reading first (see the next section).
Seeing Your Feedback
After you turn in your reading, a computer tool listens to it and makes a first set of scores. Then your teacher checks and approves them before you see them. So your feedback shows up a little later, once your teacher has reviewed it.
The student feedback view ("Your Feedback"): the passage on the left, and a "Your Results" panel on the right showing your scores (WCPM, Fluency, Accuracy, Prosody).
When it's ready, you can open your reading and see a "Your Results" panel. Each score looks at a different part of how you read:
Accuracy (0–100) — Did you say the right words? This checks whether you read each word the way it is written, without skipping words or saying them incorrectly.
Fluency (0–100) — Did you read smoothly? This looks at your flow and pace — reading steadily, without a lot of long pauses, hesitations, or stops and starts.
Prosody (0–100) — Did you read with expression? This looks at whether your voice sounds natural — rising and falling, grouping words into phrases, and reading it the way you would say it out loud, instead of flat or robotic.
WCPM — short for Words Correct Per Minute. About how many words you read correctly in one minute (your reading speed).
You'll also see:
Expression scores — under Prosody, four smaller scores (out of 4) for Expression & Volume, Phrasing, Fluidity (Smoothness), and Pace. These give a closer look at how expressive and smooth your reading sounded. (Click the Rubric link to see what each level means.)
Marked words — words your teacher marked, grouped as things like mispronunciations (said differently), omissions (skipped), and hesitations (long pauses). Each one comes with a short tip to help you practice.
These scores are your teacher's graded feedback on this reading. Looking at them together shows what you did well and what to practice so your next reading is even stronger.
Some questions to ask yourself when you look at your feedback:
What did I read smoothly this time?
Which words or parts were tricky?
What can I practice before my next reading?
Recording Problems
The "Microphone access is required to record. Please allow access and try again." message.
"Microphone access is required." Your browser needs permission to use your microphone. When it asks, choose Allow, then try recording again. If you already said no, you may need to turn the microphone back on in your browser settings.
I can't hear my recording, or it's very quiet.
Check that your volume is turned up.
Make sure your headset or microphone is plugged in all the way.
Move to a quieter spot and record again.
It won't let me turn it in. Make sure you've finished recording (you should see the 🔄 Re-record and → Continue buttons). For a cold read, make sure you've answered all the questions before you click Submit.
If something still isn't working, tell your teacher.
Questions Students Ask
Why can't I see my score yet? Your teacher reviews and approves your reading first, so your feedback shows up after that's done. Sometimes your teacher also sets an assignment so results appear only after the due date, or after everyone in the class has been graded — so it can take a little longer. If it's been a while, it's okay to ask your teacher.
Can I record again? Yes. Before you turn it in, you can click 🔄 Re-record as many times as you need. Turn in the one you're happy with.
Who can hear my recording? Your teacher can listen to your recording. It's kept during the school year so you and your teacher can listen to it, and then it's deleted.
A word is marked, but I said it right. Why? The computer tool makes a first guess, and it sometimes gets a word wrong. Your teacher checks every mark. If you still think one is wrong, tell your teacher.
Do I get graded on this? Yes. Your teacher reviews your reading and grades it, and your scores and feedback show how you did. Doing your best on each reading helps both your grade and your reading skills grow.
What's the difference between a cold read and a warm read? A cold read has a few questions after you read. A warm read is just the reading, with no questions.
Do I have to read the title? No. Skip the title and start with the first word of the
passage.
This guide describes what students do and see in Fluency Lab. For how scores are calculated, the rubric, AI details, data privacy, and teacher tools, see the Fluency Lab — Teacher Support Guide.