Reading Rates

By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
November 9,2015

It is important to document print reading rates to evaluate reading efficiency and academic achievement in order to determine the appropriateness of print as the primary literacy medium. The TVI should document whether the student is completing tasks efficiently through print, making academic progress within a reasonable time compared to sighted peers. The students reading should be assessed using the reading media of choice and using low vision devices. 
Although ongoing short passage assessments are helpful, they don’t indicate if visual fatigue is a concern for the student. For this reason it is important to evaluate the student’s reading when reading lengthier passages and/or collaborate with classroom teachers to evaluate how a student performs when taking longer assessments.  If a student experiences fatigue by the end of the day, it may be helpful to evaluate the student in the morning and compare to the reading level at the end of the day.
​The student’s overall academic achievement should be considered as well as how the student has performed on state competency tests, and other standardized achievement tests. The magnitude of the gap between the student’s reading and the student’s sighted peers should be considered when determining appropriate reading media. Some possible solutions identified on p. 262 of Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical and Functional Perspectives by AFB, could include one of the following:
  • Continue print as the primary literacy medium and add additional literacy tools, such as audio books and live reader services, to the supplement print reading and writing.
  • Continue with print as the primary literacy medium but provide targeted and intense reading skills instruction to improve reading efficiency and achievement.
  • Begin instruction in braille reading and writing while continuing to use print and other options to make academic gains until braille becomes either the primary or a secondary literacy medium.
 
There are many reading rate charts that are available by searching the internet. Fountas & Pinnell, a commonly reading assessment tool used in schools identifies the following expected Oral Reading Rates (Words per Minute) at grade and instructional levels:
  • End of 1st grade (J-K), 75-100 WPM
  • End of 2nd – 3rd grade (L-M-N-), 90-120 WPM
  • End of 3rd grade (N-O-P), 100-140 WPM
  • End of 4th grade (Q-R-S), 120-160 WPM
  • End of 5th grade (T-U-V), 140-180 WPM
  • End of 6th grade (W-X-Y), 160-200 WPM
  • End of 7th – 8th grade (Y-Z), 180-220 WPM
 
These averages appear slightly higher than other reading charts and reflect rates of students with unimpaired vision. The following describes the typical oral and silent reading rates for students without visual impairments found in Foundations of Low Vision: Clinical and Functional Perspectives by Corn and Koenig.
  • 1st grade – 60WPM oral reading – less than 81 WPM silent reading
  • 2nd grade – 70 WPM oral reading – 82-108 WPM silent reading
  • 3rd grade – 90 WPM oral reading – 109-130 WPM silent reading
  • 4th grade – 120 WPM oral reading – 131-147 WPM silent reading
  • 5th grade – 120 WPM oral reading – 148-161 WPM silent reading
  • 6th grade – 150 WPM oral reading – 162 – 174 WPM silent reading
  • 7th grade – 150 WPM oral reading – 175-185 WPM silent reading
  • 8th grade – 186-197 WPM silent reading
  • 9th grade – 198-209 WPM silent reading
  • 10th grade – 210-224 WPM silent reading
  • 11th grade – 225-240 WPM silent reading
  • 12th grade – 241-255+ WPM silent reading
 
In general, to measure a student’s oral reading rate and to get the number of words read per minute, record the number of seconds the student needs to read the passage. Divide the number of words in the passage by the number of seconds needed to read each selection, then multiply the quotient by 60 to determine words per minute. Alternatively, divide the number of words in the passage by the number of minutes spent reading to determine the words per minute.

​It is very common for students with visual impairments to have a slower reading rate but the team should look at whether the student is making adequate progress from year to year and whether they can compete with sighted peers. 

Additional Resources...

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Basic Reading Inventory ("Johns") is a popular informal reading inventory. Large Print and Braille reading lists and reading passages are now available from APH. It helps determine a student's instructional, independent, and frustration reading levels & listening levels based on speed, accuracy, and comprehension. This tool helps determine the most effective literacy modalities for students with visual impairments.
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A great resource on conducting Learning Media Assessments is the Texas School for the Blind (TSBVI) Learning Media Assessment.
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Functional Vision & Learning Media Assessment (FVLMA) is an assessment tool, available from APH, that helps practitioners gather, store, track, and analyze information regarding students' functional vision and appropriate learning media.
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