From headaches when reading to repeatedly losing their place, students using Nimble Reading’s Visual Skills Insight screener tell us what they experience.
Each of the nine profiles below is drawn from anonymized data of actual students in a 131-student research cohort. Students selected descriptors in the Nimble screener that matched their their visual difficulty when reading. The quotes are based on students’ selections. Silent reading rate, iReady, Star, and state test scores came from each student’s assessment records.
Morgan, Grade 2
I need to reread the same line. I need a finger to keep my place. I have trouble lining up numbers or writing on the page.
Zone 3** (severe difficulties reported)
Comprehension-based Silent Reading Rate (CBSRR): 77 wpm, 14th percentile*
iReady: 41st percentile
Star: 47th percentile
Quinn, Grade 4
I get headaches with sustained near work. I have trouble switching focus near-to-far. I squint and tilt my head when I read. Words appear to wiggle on the page, sometimes they stick together and sometimes they split apart.
Zone 3** (severe difficulties reported)
CBSRR: 132 wpm, 40th percentile*
iReady: 25th percentile
Star: 71st percentile
State Test: Basic
Drew, Grade 6
My eyes are tired all day. I often get headaches with sustained near work. Letters often wiggle or stick together. I often skip words and lines. I keep re-reading the same lines.
Zone 3** (severe difficulties reported)
CBSRR: 118 wpm, 14th percentile*
iReady: 16th percentile
Star: 2nd percentile
State Test: Basic
Avery, Grade 2
My eyes hurt when I read. Sometimes the words look double. Sometimes words split apart.
Zone 2 (moderate difficulties reported)
Comprehension-based Silent Reading Rate (CBSRR): 115 wpm, 57th percentile*
iReady: 52th percentile
Star: 59th percentile
Jordan, Grade 4
I have trouble holding a steady gaze. I lose my place a lot. I misread similar-looking words. I need to use my finger to keep my place.
Zone 2 (moderate difficulties reported)
CBSRR: 139 wpm, 47th percentile*
iReady: 30th percentile
Star: 69th percentile
State Test: Proficient
Riley, Grade 6
I often skip lines and lose my place when I read. I need my finger to keep my place. I have trouble holding a steady gaze. I misread similar looking words.
Zone 2 (moderate difficulties reported)
CBSRR: 113 wpm, 10th percentile*
iReady: 18th percentile
Star: 20th percentile
State Test: Below Basic
Sam, Grade 2
Sometimes my eyes burn during reading.
Zone 1 (no reported difficulties)
Comprehension-based Silent Reading Rate (CBSRR): 156 wpm, 86th percentile*
iReady: 86th percentile
Star: 75th percentile
Casey, Grade 4
No reported difficulties.
Zone 1 (no reported difficulties)
CBSRR: 200 wpm, 89th percentile*
iReady: 84th percentile
Star: 93rd percentile
State Test: Advanced
Logan, Grade 6
No reported difficulties.
Zone 1 (no reported difficulties)
CBSRR: 200, 81st percentile*
iReady: 83rd percentile
Star: 85th percentile
State Test: Advanced
* Percentiles are based on a national silent reading efficiency study (Spichtig, A.N., Hiebert E., Vorstius, C., Pascoe J.P., Pearson P.D., & Radach, R. (2016). The Decline of Comprehension-Based Silent Reading Efficiency in the United States: A Comparison of Current Data with Performance in 1960. Reading Research Quarterly, 51(2), pp. 239-259. Please note that these silent reading norms are different from oral reading fluency (ORF) norms by Hasbrouck, J. & Tindal, G. (2017). An update to compiled ORF norms (Technical Report No. 1702).
** Note, many Zone 3 students could not successfully read a level 1 passage; the Zone 3 data is skewed toward higher performing students.