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What guidelines should I follow for counting errors?

It is very important to consistently track the number of errors a student makes while reading. The following is an explanation of what commonly are and are not considered errors.

Errors:  
Description
Example
Mispronunciations and dropped endings:
If a student mispronounces a word, count it as an error.
The sentence reads:
John caught a bass.
The student reads:
John caught a base.
Errors: 1
Transpositions (out of sequence):
If a student transposes two or more words, count each word read out of order as an error.
The sentence reads:
Tim walked quietly away.
The student reads:
Tim quietly walked away.
Errors: 2
Hesitations (words supplied by examiner):
If a student pauses for three seconds before saying a word, count the pause as an error and tell the word to the student.
The sentence reads:
Tom walked his dog.
The student reads:
Tom...
Examiner says:
walked
Student reads:
his dog
Errors: 1
Omissions:
If a student skips a word, several words, or an entire line, count each skipped word as an error.
The sentence reads:
He is in the big chair.
The student reads:
He is in the chair.
Errors: 1

Substitutions with synonyms:
If a student substitutes one word for another, even if the substitution is a synonym, count it as an error.

The sentence reads:
I went to my house.
The student reads:
I went to my home.
Errors: 1
Repeated errors:
If a student makes the same error more than once, count each instance as an error.
The passage reads:
The cat likes milk. She drinks it every day. The cat likes me.
The student reads:
The cat licks milk. She drinks it every day. The cat licks me.
Errors: 2
Not Errors:  
Description
Example
Mispronunciations due to dialect or speech problems:
Mispronunciations due to dialect or speech problems are not errors and so are counted as words read correctly.
The sentence reads:
Pam made it for him.
The student reads:
Pam made it fo him.
Errors: 0
Self-corrections:
If a student self-corrects an error, count the word(s) as correct.
The sentence reads:
I ran to the park.
The student reads:
I ran to the pan... park.
Errors: 0
Repetitions:
If a student repeats words or phrases while reading, the repetitions are not counted as errors. The words are counted as words read correctly the first time they are read.
The sentence reads:
I am happy.
The student reads:
I am... I am happy.
Errors: 0
Insertions:
If a student adds words, do not count the words as errors. Counting the insertions as errors would result in subtracting them from the number of words read correctly, giving the student a lower number of WCPM than s/he actually read correctly.
The sentence reads:
Sheila cried hard.
The student reads:
Sheila cried very hard.
Errors: 0