Many non-proficient readers do not make the critical silent reading transition that enables them to acquire information more quickly and efficiently than through listening, affecting their capacity to meet grade level reading demands.
Research Summary
This cross-sectional study examined silent reading rates for proficient and non-proficient students in Grades 3-12. Students completed the InSight assessment, a valid and reliable measure of vocabulary and reading comprehension, and which provides a silent reading rate in words per minute (wpm). Students whose composite vocabulary and reading comprehension score was at or above grade level were identified as proficient readers, while those performing below grade level were identified as non-proficient readers. Average silent reading rates for each group were calculated by grade and compared to the typical conversational speaking rate range of 150–170 wpm.
| Grades: | 3 – 12 |
| Participants: | n = 555,558 |
| Measure: | InSight |
| Publication: | World Education Research Association (WERA) International Conference, Tokyo, Japan (2019) |
| Authors: | Alexandra Spichtig, Ph.D; Jeffrey Pascoe, Ph.D.; John Ferrara, M.Ed. |
Results showed that proficient readers reached the lower end of the conversational speaking rate range by Grade 4. By Grade 7, their average silent reading rates exceeded the upper end of the speaking range, and by the later high school years, they were substantially higher. In contrast, non-proficient readers never reached average silent reading rates at typical conversational speech at any grade level.
These findings suggest that many low-performing students do not make the critical silent reading transition that enables them to acquire information more quickly and efficiently than through listening. While proficient readers often make this transition by the middle school years, many non-proficient readers do not. As a result, not only are their vocabulary and reading comprehension below grade level, they may require substantially more time and effort to complete reading-based learning tasks throughout their school years.