Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN): Understanding Its Impact on Reading and Strategies for Improvement

Discover the impact of Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) on reading skills and effective strategies to improve student's RAN skills. Explore the importance of fluency and learn how to redefine fluency instruction for students with dyslexia. Implement proven approaches, such as structured literacy, phonics instruction, explicit fluency techniques, and memory strategies, to enhance overall reading fluency. Unlock the potential of students with dyslexia and empower them on their reading journey.

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN): Understanding Its Impact on Reading and Strategies for Improvement

​Rapid automatized naming (RAN) is a task that measures how quickly students can name aloud objects, pictures, colors, or symbols (letters or digits). It has been identified as a strong predictor of a student's fluency and later reading ability, especially when it comes to letters and digits. Poor RAN scores are often associated with reading difficulties in students. In this article, we will define RAN, explore the impact of RAN on reading skills, and learn strategies to improve student's RAN skills.

What is RAN?

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) is a task that measures how quickly students can name aloud objects, pictures, colors, or symbols (letters or digits). 

​RAN is considered to be a strong predictor of a student’s fluency and later ability to read.  In particular, RAN for letters and digits (numbers) correlate more strongly with reading skills.  Poor RAN is often associated with reading difficulties in students. 

Assessing RAN

RAN can be assessed using standardized assessments like the CTOPP-2 and the WISC-V. The RAN assessment is another method used to evaluate Processing Speed. During this assessment, students are presented with a sheet of letters, colors, objects, or numbers, and they are asked to name each item as quickly as possible within a specific time limit.

​Research has shown that completing this activity more slowly than other students can accurately predict difficulties with reading.​

RAN screeners like THESE can be used to informally assess a student’s RAN.  By utilizing these assessments, educators and professionals can gain valuable insights into a student's Processing Speed abilities, identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, and make informed decisions regarding appropriate interventions and accommodations.

Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN): Understanding Its Impact on Reading and Strategies for Improvement

Understanding the Impact of RAN on Reading:

Slower-than-average RAN scores are often linked to struggles with word-level reading. Word-level reading requires readers to attend to individual words in a text, which is based on phonological and phonemic skills. Difficulties in accessing phonemes in spoken words can negatively affect reading development, including phonics, sight word acquisition, and fluency. Skilled word-level reading is a crucial gateway to achieving overall fluency, and research has shown that a student's vocabulary size significantly influences their fluency.

Challenges and Strategies for Students with Dyslexia:

For students with impaired RAN who have been diagnosed with dyslexia, fluency must be defined differently. Impaired RAN is closely related to word-reading speed rather than word-reading accuracy. Hence, the goal of fluency for these students should focus on achieving a moderate rate and expression when reading.

​It's crucial to set realistic goals and provide direct instruction to address the student's specific fluency needs, rather than emphasizing speed as the primary measure of fluency.

Strategies for Improving RAN Skills:

So how can we teach RAN to improve students' reading?  Research says we can’t.  Well, kind of.  Let me explain…

While research suggests that RAN training alone may not directly improve reading skills, there are strategies that can enhance overall fluency and integrate reading skills for students with dyslexia. 

The Structured Literacy approach to reading is considered to be the best methodology for improving students’ oral reading fluency.  Implement a systematic and explicit approach that focuses on teaching the structure of language, including phonology, morphology, and syntax. This approach provides structured instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills to develop a strong foundation for reading.

At the word-level, readers must attend to the individual word in a text.  Word-Level reading skills are based upon phonological/phonemic skills.  Poor access to phonemes in spoken words negatively affects reading development.  Such difficulties affect phonic development, sight word acquisition, and fluency.  So our intervention instruction should target automaticity of advanced phonemic awareness skills, explicit instruction in lagging phonics skills, direct fluency instruction, and include RAN charts, word part and word drills, memory strategies, and games!

Intervention Instruction Components:

1. Automaticity of Phonemic Awareness: Provide explicit instruction in phonological awareness, targeting advanced levels of phonemic awareness. Help students develop automaticity in recognizing and manipulating sounds within words. Additionally, explicitly teach lagging phonics skills to expand the student's sight word pool and improve decoding and oral reading fluency.
2. Explicit Instruction in Phonics Skills: The largest factor that determines a student's fluency is the size of a student's vocabulary.  So fluency instruction should be directed towards building a student's sight vocabulary.  These words can be either phonetically regular or irregular, but the point is for students to be able to instantly read them because they are that familiar.⁠ 
3. Fluency Practice: Use explicit instruction techniques to improve fluency skills. Model fluent reading, employ strategies like "scoop sentences" to group words into meaningful phrases, and provide ample opportunities for repeated reading to build automaticity. Gradually progress from word-level to phrase and sentence-level instruction.
4. RAN Charts and Drills for Automaticity: Utilize Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) charts and drills to enhance automaticity in letter-sound correspondence, word parts (such as /am/ and /ip/), and whole words that incorporate previously learned skills. This helps students improve their retrieval of information, or automaticity!
5. Memory Strategies: Teach students memory strategies to enhance learning and information retrieval. Engage in games and activities that require quick thinking within a time limit, encouraging efficient work and effective use of memory.
6. Play Learning Games: Incorporate games into instruction to target RAN skills. Games such as…

Password, Scattergories, Taboo, Pictionary, Boggle, Crosswords, and Charades 

can engage students and provide opportunities for quick thinking and retrieval of information.

By combining these strategies and approaches, teachers can provide targeted instruction to improve fluency skills while integrating reading skills effectively.

While RAN training alone may not directly improve reading skills, it is possible to enhance overall fluency for students with dyslexia by implementing specific instructional strategies. By prioritizing the development of a sight vocabulary, comprising both phonetically regular and irregular words, students can improve their instant recognition and reading of familiar words. Remember that fluency should be defined based on individual student needs, focusing on achieving a moderate rate and expression when reading. By understanding the impact of RAN on reading and employing effective strategies, we can support students in becoming confident and proficient readers.

Happy & Healthy Teaching!
Miss Rae

Related Resources...

Related Blogs...