The Opportunities and Challenges of Digital Assessments in Low-Resource Settings: Evidence from Measuring Reading Fluency in Brazil

The Opportunities and Challenges of Digital Assessments in Low-Resource Settings: Evidence from Measuring Reading Fluency in Brazil | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The Opportunities and Challenges of Digital Assessments in Low-Resource Settings: Evidence from Measuring Reading Fluency in Brazil Karine Roncete, Lucas Klotz, Wanjing Ma, Emily Arteaga, Luciana Alves, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5516837/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Reading fluency is a critical component of literacy. Rapid and reliable measurement can inform timely decisions to support students falling behind – from differentiated instruction to additional public funds –; yet, conventional methods of assessing reading fluency face significant challenges related to costs, required expertise, and accuracy, especially in low-resource settings. This study explores the opportunities and challenges of digital assessments in these settings by adapting and validating a silent single word reading and sentence reading fluency assessment (the Rapid Online Assessment of Reading, ROAR) to Brazil. Conducted with 2,651 first- to fifth-graders, the study confirms successful adaptation through patterns observed in test-retest reliability, the grade progression of assessed skills, and validation against conventional standardized exams. Compared to widely used analog assessments like EGRA, ROAR stands out for its scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ability to deliver immediate, actionable feedback without the need for human scorers or complex infrastructure. We further document that it reveals insights hidden by conventional tests, in particular when it comes to socioeconomic gaps in reading ability. Success was, however, contingent on multiple adaptations to the local context, including fine-tuning pseudowords and sentences’ generation as well as trial length to language specificities, managing connectivity constraints, and overcoming staff training challenges. Scientific community and society/Social sciences/Education Scientific community and society/Developing world Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files nrreportingsummary1.pdf Reporting Summary Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5516837","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":396985949,"identity":"0566dab9-a6a9-4e83-af2c-29867edb2e4e","order_by":0,"name":"Karine 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