Cart
Which percentile in the oral reading fluency norms should I set as a long-term fluency goal for my students?
It is recommended that students receive fluency practice and support if they read at a rate 10 or more words below the 50th percentile. Some schools or districts set the goal for a specific percentile or number of words per minute, and students must meet this to be considered "at benchmark." Typically, schools or districts set the goal at the 50th percentile.
There is a study from the University of Oregon entitled Using Oral Reading Rate to Predict Students’ Performance on Statewide Achievement Tests. The most important finding of this study is the fact that 100 percent of the second-grade students who read at least 72 words correct per minute (wcpm) passed the statewide reading test taken the following year. Also, in the third grade, 94 percent of the students reading less than 117 wpcm did not pass the statewide reading test taken during the same year. These clear and simple data communicate powerful information to practitioners.