Students who struggle with reading in Grade 3 often fall behind their peers in reading proficiency. Failure to meet minimum reading proficiencies of state-mandated tests can negatively affect children’s success in subsequent grades. Educators have used oral reading fluency tests as reliable indicators of students’ later reading proficiency. Studies in 7 states found that oral reading fluency predicted performance on state reading assessments. One aspect of the automaticity theory was used to explain why struggling readers have insufficient attention to devote to reading proficiently. This nonexperimental, quantitative study investigated whether a statistically significant relationship existed between Grade 3 students’ oral reading fluency rates and their reading proficiency when assessed by the state-mandated assessment. Pearson correlation was used to compare the middle-of-year oral reading fluency rates, measured by the Dynamics Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills oral reading fluency, and reading proficiency, measured by the scale score Grade 3 Reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, of 155 Grade 3 students for the 2008-2009 school year in a school district. The results indicated a relationship between oral reading fluency and reading proficiency. Study results may help elementary school administrators, teachers, and reading specialists to identify at-risk readers and implement interventions to enable students to gain greater reading proficiency and improve their performance on state-mandated assessments.