Shanahan on Literacy Should We Be Using "Words Correct Per Minute"?
Dec 20, 2025
They question whether counting words correct per minute really measures reading ability. They explore accuracy, prosody, and how decoding underlies fluent reading. They discuss readers who are accurate but slow and the difference between speed and automaticity. They present eye-voice span as an alternative for assessing true fluency.
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Fluency Is More Than Just Speed
- Fluency combines accuracy and ease of processing, not just speed.
- Words correct per minute mixes decoding skill with rushing, which can mislead teachers.
Avoid Speed-Only Fluency Goals
- Avoid encouraging students to hurry just to raise WCPM scores.
- Focus on developing automaticity so decoding doesn't distract from comprehension.
Fluency Enables Parallel Processing
- Fluent reading enables parallel processing between eyes and voice.
- Eye-voice span reflects how far ahead the eyes gather information while the brain processes prior words.