Glossary · Fluency and assessment
What is an accuracy rate?
Definition
Accuracy rate is the percentage of words a student reads correctly in a passage, found by dividing words correct by total words read.
A student who reads 100 words with 5 errors has an accuracy rate of 95 percent. It is simple to calculate and often more telling than speed.
Common guides treat about 95 percent and above as a level the student can read independently or with light support. Between about 90 and 95 percent is workable with teaching. Below 90 percent, the text is too hard for practice reading. The cutoffs vary a little between sources, but the idea holds.
Accuracy comes before speed. If a student's accuracy is low, pushing for faster reading only makes guessing faster. Fix the decoding first, using text at the right level, and speed usually follows on its own.
In a lesson
A student reads 62 words with 8 errors. Accuracy is 54 divided by 62, about 87 percent. The passage is too hard for independent practice, so the teacher picks an easier one.
Why does this matter for the record?
Record accuracy every time you record words correct per minute. Accuracy below 95 percent should prompt a look at the error patterns.
Rate each skill as you teach it
Needs support, Developing, Secure. The rating schedules the review and builds the report.