A two-part study investigated the prevalence of unrehearsed oral reading and compared reading fluency for rehearsed and unrehearsed reading passages. In the first part of the study, a total of 21 teachers were interviewed and 24 classrooms were observed. Results indicated that by far the most prevalent practice in basal reading programs is the "round robin" oral reading approach where children often read in turns from left to right around the table. In the second part of the study, two 9-year-old boys and a kindergarten girl, read aloud a rehearsed and an unrehearsed passage. Results indicated that the subjects read the rehearsed passages more fluently than the unrehearsed passages. Findings suggest that judging children's reading ability based upon how well the child reads unfamiliar text is an inauthentic reading experience and often does not accurately reflect the child's reading skill. (Three tables of data are included.) (RS)