Words per Minute Reading Speed Test
How to run the test:
1. Baseline test
A baseline test should be run in term 1 each year. For this test, start with the passage for the grade the
learner is in.
2. Termly testing
Review the baseline test from term 1. Estimate the reading level of your learner. Do they seem to be
reading at grade level, below grade level, or above grade level? When the learner is reading the passage, it
should not be frustrating and they should not be making many mistakes. If they are making mistakes while
reading the text, swap for a lower level.
Grade of learner
Number of mistakes made
Switch to a passage set at a
Grade 2-4
5 or more
lower level.
Grade 5-10
6 or more
3. Print out the learner and teacher/parent reading passages
• The learner will read the learner copy.
• The teacher/parent will use the teacher/parent version of the reading passage. This copy has word
counts on the right-hand side to make it easy to count the number of words read after the one-minute
timed reading session ends. Learners' details should be filled in at the top of the page for recording
purposes.
4. Time your learner for one minute while they read the passage aloud
• The teacher/parent follows along as the learner reads and discreetly marks the mistakes made. It is not
an accuracy test and it’s important not to make the learner nervous about making mistakes as this will
not give an accurate assessment. Marking the mistakes is simply recorded to ensure that the correct
test is given in the next round of testing.
Mistakes/errors that should be noted are:
• Mispronunciation or dropped endings
• Skipped words (Skipped lines count as one mistake)
• Leaving words/sentences out
• Substitutions
• Repeated words
• Inserting words that are not there
• Self-corrections
The number of mistakes should be indicated on the teacher/parent copy of the test.
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Words per Minute Reading Speed Test
5. Calculate the total number of words per minute the learner has read and record it on the teacher/parent
sheet. The following table shows the benchmark reading level for each grade.
Grade
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Number of words per minute
53-111
89-149
107-162
123-180
139-194
150-204
Adapted from Hasbrouck, J. & Tindal, G. (2017)
There should be an improvement throughout the year.
Page 2 of 5
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Words per Minute Reading Speed Test
Reading Passage
The Holiday – by Steve Johnson
'Another boring holiday in the dullest place on earth,' moaned Maya to
her little brother, Seb. Much to her disappointment, the two children had
already been to stay in the same cottage three years in a row and both
were wishing for somewhere different.
'I know!' replied Seb to his sister. 'Why do Mum and Dad want to keep
coming back here every single summer? Nothing exciting happens here.'
Little did they know that this would not just be any ordinary holiday!
At least one good thing about the small seaside town was a secluded little
beach that few people seemed to know about. It had a mixture of soft
sand, beautiful round pebbles and jagged rock pools, all surrounded by
tall cliffs. Among those cliffs and hidden away down a narrow winding
track, the holiday cottage was fairly isolated. Behind it, a path led down
to some wooden steps that weaved through the overhanging trees to
the beach. Fortunately, the other good thing was that the siblings were
now considered old enough by their parents to walk down to the beach
themselves. As long as they were not too close to the bottom of the cliffs
or too far around the rock pools towards the edge of the sea, they would
always be in plain sight from the huge lounge window of the cottage.
'I suppose it's not all that bad,' said Maya, as they made their way down
to the beach again on the second day of their stay. 'At least we know this
area so well now and we're allowed to come down to the beach without
Mum and Dad'.
Seb agreed and had to admit that he liked the freedom of being able to
wander and explore without the adults, as long as he stayed with his
older sister.
'It's just that we've seen it all before,' he countered, 'nothing much
happens and there's never anyone else around.’
Page 3 of 5
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Words per Minute Reading Speed Test
Grade 7 -Teacher/Parent copy
Learner Name: Grade: Reading Level: The Holiday – by Steve Johnson
'Another boring holiday in the dullest place on earth,' moaned Maya to
her little brother, Seb. Much to her disappointment, the two children had
already been to stay in the same cottage three years in a row and both
were wishing for somewhere different.
12
'I know!' replied Seb to his sister. 'Why do Mum and Dad want to keep
coming back here every single summer? Nothing exciting happens here.'
Little did they know that this would not just be any ordinary holiday!
59
At least one good thing about the small seaside town was a secluded little
beach that few people seemed to know about. It had a mixture of soft
sand, beautiful round pebbles and jagged rock pools, all surrounded by
tall cliffs. Among those cliffs and hidden away down a narrow winding
track, the holiday cottage was fairly isolated. Behind it, a path led down
to some wooden steps that weaved through the overhanging trees to
the beach. Fortunately, the other good thing was that the siblings were
now considered old enough by their parents to walk down to the beach
themselves. As long as they were not too close to the bottom of the cliffs
or too far around the rock pools towards the edge of the sea, they would
always be in plain sight from the huge lounge window of the cottage.
96
'I suppose it's not all that bad,' said Maya, as they made their way down
to the beach again on the second day of their stay. 'At least we know this
area so well now and we're allowed to come down to the beach without
Mum and Dad'.
240
Seb agreed and had to admit that he liked the freedom of being able to
wander and explore without the adults, as long as he stayed with his
older sister.
288
'It's just that we've seen it all before,' he countered, 'nothing much
happens and there's never anyone else around.’
315
Page 4 of 5
24
39
44
69
82
110
121
133
146
157
169
182
197
212
225
256
270
273
301
303
322
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Words per Minute Reading Speed Test
Grade 7 -Teacher/Parent copy
Mistakes made: Words read in one minute: Notes: Page 5 of 5
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