To understand text effectively, children must be able to read with what quality?

Reading fluency is essential for effective comprehension of text. It refers to the ability to read text smoothly and accurately at a conversational pace, which allows students to focus on understanding the meaning rather than getting caught up in decoding words. When children read fluently, they can better comprehend and retain the information because their cognitive resources are not overly consumed by the mechanics of reading. Fluency encompasses three components: accuracy, speed, and proper expression, all of which contribute to a smoother reading experience that promotes deeper engagement with the material.

While clarity, engagement, and complexity are important in other contexts, they do not directly address the ability to read text smoothly and effortlessly, which is what fluency encapsulates. Clarity might refer to how well a text communicates its ideas, engagement pertains to the interest a reader has in the topic, and complexity relates to the difficulty or intricacy of the content, but none of these qualities focus on the reading process itself as fluency does. Thus, fluency is the key quality necessary for children to understand text effectively.