Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of 'Words per Minute'

Resource type
Journal Article
Authors/contributors
Title
Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of 'Words per Minute'
Abstract
Primary school enrolment in low-income countries has increased in recent years. The quality of education is, however, still a cause for concern. Better measurement of early reading progress has been suggested as a means of improving education quality. Benchmarks based on the number of 'words per minute' (WPM) students are able to read correctly have been proposed as a basis for assessment and comparison, even where languages and orthographies differ. This paper explores the extent to which WPM benchmarks, based mainly on research with native English speakers, are appropriate for cross-language comparisons. A quantitative study of early grade reading in two European (English and Dutch) and two African languages (Sabaot and Pokomo) analysed WPM and comprehension scores of over 300 children in three countries. Results indicate that similar comprehension scores were associated with diverse WPM rates. This suggests that WPM is not a reliable comparative measure of reading development since linguistic and orthographic features can differ considerably and are likely to influence the reading acquisition process. We argue that a good understanding of the languages of literacy (L1 and/or other) and their effects on reading acquisition are essential to the quest for quality education.
Publication
Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of 'Words per Minute'
Volume
27
Issue
3
Pages
244-259
Date
20140101
Language
eng
ISSN
0790-8318
Extra
an: EJ1046196; source: Language, Culture and Curriculum; docTypes: Journal Articles ; Reports - Research; pubTypes: Academic JournalReport;
Citation
Graham, B. E., & van Ginkel, A. J. (20140101). Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of “Words per Minute.” Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of “Words per Minute,” 27(3), 244–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2014.946043