According to the developmental viewpoint, when does fluency start to develop?

Fluency, from a developmental perspective, is recognized as a process that begins before formal reading instruction and continues to evolve beyond the read-to-learn phase. This understanding highlights that the foundations of fluency can be nurtured through various forms of exposure to language and text even in the early stages of literacy development.

Children engage with language through listening, speaking, and interactive experiences long before they learn to read independently. These early interactions play a crucial role in building the necessary linguistic skills, such as vocabulary knowledge and understanding of sentence structure, which are vital for fluent reading.

Once children enter the read-to-learn phase, their fluency develops further as they practice reading texts that require them to integrate comprehension with reading speed and expression. Additionally, fluency continues to enhance as they progress into more advanced levels of reading, reflecting a lifelong journey of literacy development rather than a discrete stage that ends after achieving basic proficiency.

This continuous trajectory of learning and engagement contrasts with the ideas presented by other options, which either confine fluency development to specific phases or suggest it solely follows the attainment of reading proficiency. Recognizing fluency as a process that begins early supports educators in fostering critical early literacy experiences that lay the groundwork for lifelong reading success.