Follow the steps below to test your child’s reading speed, fluency, and words per minute (wpm).
Estimate the reading level of your student Do they seem to be at reading grade level, below grade level, or above grade level? If the test reading passage is frustrating, the level is too high.
Print out the student and instructor reading passages
Your student will use the student version.
As a parent, teacher, tutor, or instructor, use the instructor’s version of the reading passage. The instructor copy has word counts on the right-hand side to make it easy to count the number of words read after the timed reading.
Time your student for one minute while they read the passage aloud
Follow along with your printed instructor version. Mark any mistakes discreetly. You can tilt your paper up so that your student will not see you make any marks. If your student sees you react as they are reading, it will distract them and could give inaccurate results.
Calculate the total number of words per minute your student reads and the total mistakes/errors Mistakes/errors are:
Mispronunciation or dropped endings
Skipped words (Skipped lines count as one mistake)
Omissions
Substitutions
Repeated words
Inserting words that are not there
Self-corrections
If your child makes more mistakes or errors than marked below, you will want to try the level below the one you selected
Assessment After the Reading Speed and Fluency Test
Assess your child’s reading speed by comparing current reading speed rates (words-per-minute) by grade level. The chart below includes average reading fluency rates.
1st Grade (Spring)
53 – 111
wpm
2nd Grade (Spring)
89 – 149
wpm
3rd Grade (Spring)
107 – 162
wpm
4th Grade (Spring)
123 – 180
wpm
5th Grade (Spring)
139 – 194
wpm
6th-8th Grade (Spring)
150 – 204
wpm
Hasbrouck, J. & Tindal, G. (2017)
Remember, there is no good or bad result. We expect kids to make mistakes. You may want to repeat the test with reading levels above and below to see if there are any major differences in the number of words read per minute and the number of mistakes or errors made.
Scholar Within’s Reading & Spelling Program
We have the perfect step-by-step program to help you improve your child’s average reading speed and comprehension this year!
Includes: reading speed training, comprehension strategies, read-aloud selections, card games, puzzles, video spelling and phonics lessons, and more.
Reading fluency drills are one of the best activities you can do to improve your reading fluency. With our custom-designed, phonetic-based drills, you work on improving the underlying brain processes of reading. When you do these drills, you target five areas of visual processing, six areas of auditory processing, and two areas of tactile-kinesthetic processing. This process also strengthens phonemic awareness and phonics skills at the same time. We do this in just 5 minutes a day and 3-5 days a week.
Scholar Within’s Reading & Spelling Program has these reading fluency training drills built-in. This training has been custom-designed to improve your eye-tracking skills and speed up your visual processing skills.
Download Free Reading Drill
Download the first drill of our custom-designed reading fluency training. The first sets of words have extra space between the letters, highlighting or emphasizing the letter or letter combination being studied. In our program, the drills are organized according to phonic rules and letter combinations that are used in reading. Each drill builds upon prior drills, providing continual review and mastery of all concepts.
This year is the perfect time to take your child’s education into your own hands. With Scholar Within’s Reading & Spelling Program, you can not only fill in the gaps where your child may be struggling, like with their reading fluency, but they’ll also learn critical new skills like note-taking and reading comprehension strategies.
“My son and I have tried many reading programs; this one has made the most significant difference. It trains the brain to think of reading and spelling in ways beyond rote memorization. In addition, the reading program is enjoyable and effective. As a result, my son started the school year with increased confidence as a reader, and I feel better prepared to help him with his learning.”
Kelley B.
Research Supports Reading Fluency
Students who read slowly typically have difficulty sounding out words, focusing, and attending to reading content. As a result, both their comprehension and writing skills are impacted.
Multiple studies by Palmer, Bashir, and Hook found a strong positive correlation between reading fluency, reading comprehension, and writing skills.
If a reader does not recognize words quickly enough, the meaning will be lost.
Reid Lyon, Ph.D., stated in 1997, “While the ability to read words accurately is a necessary skill in learning to read, the speed at which this is done becomes a critical factor in ensuring that children understand what they read. As one child recently remarked, ‘If you don’t ride a bike fast enough, you fall off.’ Likewise, if the reader does not recognize words quickly enough, the meaning will be lost… If the reading of the words on the page is slow and labored, the reader simply cannot remember what he or she has read, much less relate the ideas they have read about to their own background knowledge.”
A 2017 study by Taylor, Davis, and Rastle showed that learning to read by sounding out words (phonics) has a dramatic impact on both the accuracy of reading aloud and comprehension. Researchers tested whether learning to read by sounding out words is more effective than focusing on whole-word meanings. Their results suggest that early literacy should focus on phonics (letters-to-sounds) rather than on teaching sight-word strategies (whole language approach).
What is your child’s reading level?
Select a grade level to learn more about each individualized program:
