Midnight Ride Fluency Assessment
Student Copy
Oral Reading Fluency
Reading Level: End of 7th Grade
Student:
Date:
Period:
Directions: Read this passage aloud to your teacher as clearly and smoothly as you can. If you come to a word you do not know, do your best and keep reading. Continue until you reach the very end.
The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington
Historical Nonfiction • Reading Level: End of 7th Grade (7.8–7.9 Equivalent)
On a dark, rainy evening in April 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington sat quietly with her family in their New York farmhouse. Suddenly, a drenched courier banged loudly against the wooden door. He brought alarming news from Danbury, Connecticut, a town fifteen miles away. British troops had invaded the settlement, setting fire to military storehouses and homes. Sybil’s father was a colonel in the local colonial militia. He urgently needed to muster his four hundred volunteer soldiers to march toward the burning town. However, the exhausted messenger had collapsed from fatigue and could ride no further, while Colonel Ludington had to remain behind to organize and arm the men as they arrived.
Knowing that every passing minute endangered innocent families, Sybil volunteered without hesitation. She saddled her beloved yearling horse, Star, and plunged into the pitch-black night. A cold, relentless downpour turned the dirt roads into treacherous rivers of mud. Sybil rode over forty miles through dense forests and rugged hills, carrying only a heavy wooden stick. She used the stick to knock forcefully on shutters and drive off roving highwaymen who supported the British crown. At each dark homestead, she shouted into the storm: “The British are burning Danbury! Gather at Ludington’s!”
By dawn, soaked and shivering with bone-deep chill, Sybil finally guided her weary horse back home. Her heroic ride had covered more than twice the distance traveled by Paul Revere two years earlier. Thanks to her daring mission, nearly all of Colonel Ludington’s four hundred soldiers had assembled, ready to fight. They confronted the British forces, forcing a hasty retreat toward the coast. Sybil received personal praise from General George Washington for her extraordinary valor. Her nighttime ride proved that courage knows no age, securing her enduring legacy as a resolute sentinel of American liberty.
End of Student Reading Passage
Page 1 of 3
Examiner Form
Oral Reading Fluency Running Record
Reading Level: End of 7th Grade • Untimed Cold Read
Verbatim Examiner Script: “Please read this story out loud to me. Do your best to read each word accurately. If you get stuck, I will tell you the word so you can keep going. Read until you reach the very end. Begin when you are ready.”
Scoring Marks:
/ = Error SC = Self-Correct ^ = Insertion 3s = Supplied (>3s)
The Midnight Ride of Sybil Ludington (reading level: end of 7th grade) Cumulative Words
On a dark, rainy evening in April 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington sat quietly with [14]
her family in their New York farmhouse. Suddenly, a drenched courier banged loudly [27]
against the wooden door. He brought alarming news from Danbury, Connecticut, a town [40]
fifteen miles away. British troops had invaded the settlement, setting fire to military [53]
storehouses and homes. Sybil’s father was a colonel in the local colonial militia. [66]
He urgently needed to muster his four hundred volunteer soldiers to march toward [79]
the burning town. However, the exhausted messenger had collapsed from fatigue and could [92]
ride no further, while Colonel Ludington had to remain behind to organize and arm the [107]
men as they arrived. [111]
Knowing that every passing minute endangered innocent families, Sybil volunteered without [122]
hesitation. She saddled her beloved yearling horse, Star, and plunged into the pitch-black [135]
night. A cold, relentless downpour turned the dirt roads into treacherous rivers of mud. [149]
Sybil rode over forty miles through dense forests and rugged hills, carrying only a heavy [164]
wooden stick. She used the stick to knock forcefully on shutters and drive off roving [179]
highwaymen who supported the British crown. At each dark homestead, she shouted into [192]
the storm: “The British are burning Danbury! Gather at Ludington’s!” [202]
By dawn, soaked and shivering with bone-deep chill, Sybil finally guided her weary [215]
horse back home. Her heroic ride had covered more than twice the distance traveled [229]
by Paul Revere two years earlier. Thanks to her daring mission, nearly all of Colonel [244]
Ludington’s four hundred soldiers had assembled, ready to fight. They confronted the [256]
British forces, forcing a hasty retreat toward the coast. Sybil received personal praise [269]
from General George Washington for her extraordinary valor. Her nighttime ride proved [281]
that courage knows no age, securing her enduring legacy as a resolute sentinel of [295]
American liberty. [297]
Fluency Metrics & Rate Calculations (Cold Read)
Total Words 297
Errors (E)
Correct Words
Self-Corrections
Time Elapsed
___m ___s
Words Correct Per Minute (WCPM)
\(\text{WCPM} = \frac{\text{Correct Words}}{\text{Total Seconds}} \times 60\)
WCPM
Accuracy Rate (%)
\(\text{Accuracy} = \frac{\text{Correct Words}}{297} \times 100\%\)
Percent
Reading Level Norms (End of Grade 7): Above: >165 WCPM Benchmark: 135–164 WCPM Below: 110–134 WCPM Well Below: <110 WCPM
Examiner Signature: ___________________________ Page 2 of 3
Post-Reading
Oral Comprehension Protocol & Prosody Profile
Reading Level: End of 7th Grade Score: ___ / 8
Directions: Turn over or remove the student’s copy before asking questions. Read each question aloud verbatim without hints. Record notes and circle the earned score.
1. Literal Recall: “What alarming news did the drenched messenger deliver to the Ludington farm?”
Score: 0 1 2
Target Answer: British troops had attacked/invaded Danbury, CT, burning storehouses and homes; Colonel Ludington needed to muster his militia immediately.
Rubric: 2 pts = Mentions British attack on Danbury AND call to muster militia; 1 pt = Mentions only attack or only calling men; 0 pts = Inaccurate.
Student Oral Response: ____________________________________________________________________
2. Cause & Effect: “Why did Sybil volunteer to ride into the night instead of her father or the messenger?”
Score: 0 1 2
Target Answer: The courier collapsed from exhaustion, and Colonel Ludington had to stay behind to organize and arm the militia as they arrived.
Rubric: 2 pts = Explains both messenger’s collapse and father’s duty to organize troops; 1 pt = Explains only one reason; 0 pts = Vague or incorrect.
Student Oral Response: ____________________________________________________________________
3. Inferential: “What specific hazards and obstacles did Sybil overcome during her forty-mile journey?”
Score: 0 1 2
Target Answer: Cold relentless downpour/muddy roads, pitch-black darkness, rugged terrain, roving pro-British highwaymen, and physical exhaustion.
Rubric: 2 pts = Names at least two specific hazards (weather/mud and highwaymen/darkness); 1 pt = Names only one hazard; 0 pts = Inaccurate.
Student Oral Response: ____________________________________________________________________
4. Vocabulary in Context: “The author describes Sybil as a ‘resolute sentinel.’ What does this phrase mean?”
Score: 0 1 2
Target Answer: A ‘sentinel’ is a guard or lookout who warns of danger; ‘resolute’ means determined. She was an unwavering guardian who alerted her community to danger.
Rubric: 2 pts = Explains sentinel as guard/protector and connects to warning role; 1 pt = Vague reference to being brave; 0 pts = Inaccurate.
Student Oral Response: ____________________________________________________________________
Qualitative Prosody Rating (NAEP Scale)
Circle observed rating: 1 (Non-Fluent) to 4 (Fluent)
Level 1
Word-by-word reading; monotone; ignores punctuation.
Level 2
Two-word phrases; awkward pauses; limited inflection.
Level 3
Three to four-word phrases; mostly preserves syntax; some expression.
Level 4
Larger meaningful phrases; expressive voice; honors punctuation.
Examiner Diagnostic Checkpoints & Recommendations:
Hesitations (>3s) Disregards punctuation Frequent self-corrections
Notes: __________________________________________________________________________________
Assessment Protocol Complete • Oral Comprehension Total: ___ / 8 Page 3 of 3
