One-minute read
Reading fluency benchmarks by grade
These are the oral reading fluency benchmarks from the Hasbrouck and Tindal national norms. Each number is the words read correctly in one minute by a student at the 50th percentile, reading a story at his or her grade level.
Accuracy: 95% or moreWord-reading accuracy is the share of words read correctly.
Rate: at the benchmarkWCPM: words correct per minute, the reading rate.
This one-minute read
If the rate is far from the benchmark, it is worth asking your child’s school about extra reading help, an evaluation, or both. Nightly lessons and a school evaluation can go side by side. Our free evaluation request kit shows how to ask in writing.
| Grade | Beginning of the year | Middle of the year | End of the year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 1st grade | N/A | 29 | 60 |
| 2nd grade | 50 | 84 | 100 |
| 3rd grade | 83 | 97 | 112 |
| 4th grade | 94 | 120 | 133 |
| 5th grade | 121 | 133 | 146 |
| 6th grade | 132 | 145 | 146 |
| 7th grade | 128 | 136 | 150 |
| 8th grade | 133 | 146 | 151 |
- To meet the benchmark, a student must meet both goals: 95% accuracy or more, and a rate at or above the number for his or her grade and time of year.
- Accuracy comes first. Under 90% accuracy, the story is too hard for right now, so the rate is not compared.
- The rate is not a race. The goal is reading that sounds like talking, never reading as fast as possible.
- Kindergarten has no oral reading fluency benchmark, and 1st grade starts in the middle of the year.
Source: Hasbrouck, J., and Tindal, G. (2017). An update to compiled ORF norms (Technical Report No. 1702). Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. Chart prepared with A New Page’s Founding Literacy Advisor, Julie Bedell.