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WCPM calculator

Words correct per minute and accuracy from a one-minute oral reading, with the percentile band for grades 1 to 6.

Short answer

Words correct per minute (WCPM) is the number of words read minus errors, divided by the reading time in minutes. A student who reads 98 words with 6 errors in 60 seconds scores 92 WCPM with 93.9% accuracy. Enter your numbers below.

92 WCPM92 words correct, 93.9% accuracy (under the 95% guideline).

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How do you give a one-minute reading?

  1. Give the student an unpracticed passage at their grade level and a copy for yourself. Say: "Please read this out loud. Do your best reading. If you get to a word you don't know, I'll help you." Start the timer on the first word.
  2. Follow along on your copy. Put a slash through any word the student skips, misreads, or doesn't read within about three seconds; say that word and let them keep going. A word the student fixes on their own counts as correct.
  3. Stop at one minute and mark the last word read. Count every word up to that mark: that's words read. Count the slashes: that's errors. Type both into the calculator with 60 seconds.
  4. If the student finished the passage early, enter the actual seconds. The calculator prorates the score to a per-minute rate, which is the standard way to handle a short reading.
  5. Repeat with two more passages and use the middle score, not the average. One hard passage can pull a single reading down by 15 words or more.

Worked example

Maya is in third grade. In January she reads a grade-level passage for one minute. She reaches the 103rd word, and you marked 7 errors: two skipped words, three misread words, and two words you supplied after a pause.

Words correct is 103 - 7 = 96. Over 60 seconds, that's 96 WCPM. Accuracy is 96 / 103 = 93.2%. The grade 3 winter median is 97, so her rate is typical. Her accuracy is under 95%, though, and that's the part to act on: look at which words she missed.

Where the percentile band comes from

The band compares the score with the compiled oral reading fluency norms for the grade and season you pick. A score equal to a percentile value counts as reaching it. The calculator also tells you when a score sits within 10 words of the median, the range usually read as typical.

Questions people ask

How do you calculate words correct per minute?
Subtract errors from total words read, then divide by the reading time in minutes. For a one-minute reading, WCPM is simply words read minus errors. For 45 seconds, multiply words correct by 60 and divide by 45.
What counts as an error?
A skipped word, a misread word, a word substituted for another, and a word the student does not read within about three seconds (you say it and they move on). Self-corrected words, repeated words and inserted words are not errors.
What is a good accuracy rate for oral reading?
At least 95% on grade-level text is the common guideline for reading at grade level. Below about 90%, the passage is too hard for the student to practice alone.
Which norms does the percentile band use?
Hasbrouck and Tindal (2017) compiled oral reading fluency norms for grades 1 to 6, fall, winter and spring. Grade 1 has no fall row, so the band is not shown for grade 1 in fall.