How many words per minute should a child read, by grade?
In widely used US norms (Hasbrouck and Tindal, 2017), a child at the 50th percentile reads 60 words correct per minute in the spring of first grade, 100 in second grade, 112 in third grade and 146 in fifth grade. A score below the norm is a reason to look closer, not a diagnosis.
By Pierre Filstroff, published
| Grade | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | — | 29 | 60 |
| Grade 2 | 50 | 84 | 100 |
| Grade 3 | 83 | 97 | 112 |
| Grade 4 | 94 | 120 | 133 |
| Grade 5 | 121 | 133 | 146 |
| Grade 6 | 132 | 145 | 146 |
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Try it freeThe norms, grade by grade
A widely used reference in the United States is the 2017 update of the Hasbrouck and Tindal oral reading fluency norms, published by Behavioral Research and Teaching at the University of Oregon. They average the norms of three assessments (DIBELS 6th Edition, DIBELS Next and easyCBM) and cover grades 1 to 6. At the 50th percentile, the middle of the group, the spring scores are 60 words correct per minute in grade 1 (Year 2 in England), 100 in grade 2, 112 in grade 3, 133 in grade 4, 146 in grade 5 and 146 in grade 6.
The same table gives fall and winter values. At the 50th percentile, the fall scores are 50 in grade 2, 83 in grade 3, 94 in grade 4, 121 in grade 5 and 132 in grade 6. The winter scores are 29 in grade 1, 84 in grade 2, 97 in grade 3, 120 in grade 4, 133 in grade 5 and 145 in grade 6. The table has no fall value for grade 1. A child at the 50th percentile reads faster than about half of the students in the data and slower than the other half, so the number describes the middle of a range, not a pass mark.
What a word correct per minute is
The score comes from a short oral test. According to the authors, the student reads aloud from a passage they have not practiced for one minute, and the examiner notes the errors: words read incorrectly, skipped, read out of order, or supplied by the examiner after a 3-second pause. Subtracting the errors from the words read gives the words correct per minute, or WCPM.
WCPM counts speed and accuracy together. The National Reading Panel describes fluent readers as able to read orally with speed, accuracy and proper expression, and calls fluency one of several critical factors for reading comprehension. Read Naturally puts it simply: a fluent reader reads as well as they speak. The number only counts words, so it cannot tell you whether your child understood the passage. For the full definition, see the guide to reading fluency.
How wide the normal range is
Children in the same grade read at very different rates, and the table shows it. In the spring of grade 2, the 10th percentile is 43 words correct per minute, the 25th is 72, the 50th is 100, the 75th is 124 and the 90th is 148. In the spring of grade 4, the same five percentiles are 83, 105, 133, 160 and 184. A child at the 25th percentile is below the middle of the group without being an outlier.
The authors explain how teachers use the table. A student's score is compared with the fall, winter or spring benchmark and sorted as significantly above, above, at, below or significantly below benchmark. The comparison answers two questions: how the child is doing compared with peers, and whether the child may be at risk.
Growth is gradual. The Read Naturally version of the chart lists the average weekly improvement for each row. At the 50th percentile it is 1.9 words per week in grade 1, 1.6 in grade 2, 0.9 in grade 3, 1.2 in grade 4, 0.8 in grade 5 and 0.3 in grade 6. Gaining a word or two a week is typical at the middle of the group.
The norms also move over time. Compared with the 2006 version, the 2017 scores are higher in most grade, percentile and season combinations, by 5 words correct per minute on average. The authors also left two assessments out of the 2017 compilation, one because its scores differed significantly from the others. The numbers depend on the data and the test behind them.
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If your child is below the norm
A score under the norm is not a diagnosis. The authors write that students below or significantly below benchmark are at possible risk of reading difficulties and are good candidates for further diagnostic assessments, which help teachers identify strengths and weaknesses and plan targeted instruction. The next step is a closer look by the school, not a label.
Read Naturally, a publisher of reading interventions, gives a rule of thumb on its chart: students scoring 10 or more words below the 50th percentile, using the average of two unpracticed readings from grade-level material, need a fluency-building program. That is a guideline from a publisher, not a finding of the study. Tell the teacher what you see and ask what support is available.
Practice helps. The National Reading Panel found that guided repeated oral reading had a significant and positive impact on word recognition, fluency and comprehension across a range of grade levels, for good readers and for those with reading difficulties. The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide recommends that each student read connected text every day. Short rereadings of the same text at home fit this advice, as in reading ten minutes a day. A slow rate can have several causes, and only a qualified professional can tell them apart. If you are worried, talk to the teacher first, then to your pediatrician or a reading specialist. My child reads slowly covers what to try and the signs of dyslexia explains when to ask for an assessment.
Why one number does not tell the whole story
A score depends on the passage, the day and the way errors are counted. The norms are an average of three tests, each with its own passages, and the authors report that one further test gave significantly different scores, perhaps because of how its passages were built.
The data come from US schools, and grade labels and school starting ages differ from one country to another, so treat the table as a rough reference for a child in England or elsewhere. The authors call WCPM a robust indicator of overall reading development throughout the primary grades. An indicator tells you where to look. It also leaves out expression, which the National Reading Panel counts as part of fluent reading.
Measuring at home
Pick a passage at your child's grade level that they have not read before. Start a one-minute timer and let your child read aloud. Mark the last word read, count the words up to that mark and subtract the words that were read incorrectly or skipped. Compare the result with the right season and grade in the table. Home timing is informal and will not match a standardized test exactly.
Repeat the measure a few days later with another passage and average the two scores, as the Read Naturally rule of thumb does. If a teacher is monitoring progress, the authors say that frequent checks plotted on a graph, with a goal set in advance, show whether the child is making the expected progress. Sharing your home scores with the teacher gives them one more data point.
Those students below or significantly below benchmark are at possible risk of reading difficulties. They are good candidates for further diagnostic assessments to help teachers determine their skill strengths or weaknesses, and plan appropriately targeted instruction and intervention.
A words-per-minute score places a child against a group of peers. It helps you decide whether to look closer and when to talk to the teacher. It does not replace the teacher's judgment.
Related reading
What is reading fluency? Meaning, why it matters and how to practice
Reading fluency is the ability to read a text aloud accurately, at a natural pace and with expression. Once it is in place, a child no longer has to work out every word and can follow the story. At home, it grows mostly by rereading the same text with someone who listens.
My child reads slowly in first or second grade: what can I do?
A child who reads slowly does not necessarily have a problem, but slow reading usually means that decoding is not yet automatic. This guide gives reference points from US and English sources, the most common reasons, a simple rereading routine and the signs that justify a word with the teacher.
Oral reading practice at home: how to help your child read aloud
To help a child read aloud, give them a text they can mostly read already, a model to copy, and the chance to reread it several times before reading it to someone. Smooth, accurate reading comes first and expressive reading follows. US guidance describes exercises that work as well at the kitchen table as in a classroom, from kindergarten through third grade and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
In the 2017 norms, the spring score at the 50th percentile for grade 1 is 60 words correct per minute, with 34 at the 25th percentile and 18 at the 10th. The winter score at the 50th percentile is 29. The table has no fall value for grade 1.
In the spring of grade 3 the 10th percentile is 63 and the 25th percentile is 91, so 80 falls between them. That is below the 25th percentile and below the middle score of 112. The authors treat scores below benchmark as a possible risk and a reason for further assessment, not as a diagnosis. Measure again on another passage, then talk to the teacher.
The table describes where students scored. It does not set a speed to beat. The National Reading Panel defines fluent reading as speed, accuracy and proper expression, so a faster child is not automatically a better reader. If your child reads accurately, with expression, and understands the story, that matters more than a few extra words per minute.
The 2017 table stops at grade 6, where the spring score at the 50th percentile is 146. The older 2006 version goes up to grade 8, with spring scores at the 50th percentile of 150 in grade 7 and 151 in grade 8.
Sources
- Hasbrouck, J. and Tindal, G. (2017). An update to compiled ORF norms (Technical Report No. 1702). Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon
- Read Naturally, Hasbrouck and Tindal Oral Reading Fluency Data 2017 (chart with fall, winter and spring WCPM and average weekly improvement)
- National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Report of the National Reading Panel, Findings and Determinations of the National Reading Panel by Topic Areas
- What Works Clearinghouse, Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (practice guide, July 2016)
- Read Naturally, The Five Essential Components of Reading
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