[MissTeri]

This is our first year using AimsWeb. The administrator told me the Winter Benchmark for RCBM (reading fluency) was 19 words per minute. However, when I tested today it said the target was 30 words per minute. I'm confused ... which is it? And what is the Spring Benchmark for 1st grade?

[skoolteechur]

I am guessing, because we don't use AIMS; but in our reading program, our Winter Benchmark is also around 15 WPM, based on the 50th percentile. The 75th percentile is 30 WPM, which is what we actually use as a target for our students for the first quarter.

[rana712]

Our Aimsweb winter benchmark for first grade is 36 words per minute. The spring benchmark 60 (maybe a bit more). 36 words is the 50th percentile. Kids are considered to be average between the 25th and 75th percentiles. You won't actually know exactly where kids fall until the scores are normed nationally. Probably 25 words would still be in the ballpark for being considered average. The number of words for the benchmark can change year to year as Aimweb uses the national average. Last year it was only 30.

We did a practice a week before vacation. My range is from 7 to 188 words per minute. 9 kids are above the average and 10 are below. Yikes. I am hopeful that 4 of the remaining 10 will be within the average range, though below the 50th percentile.

[MissTeri]

Yikes indeed. Do schools choose their own benchmark (25th, 50th, 75th) or does AimsWeb have a universal target?

[bedazzled1]

Aimsweb has National Norms for all assessments and I believe you can find these on the Aimsweb Website. I believe there is a universal target, but districts may choose where they want to target students. Our school has been using Aimsweb for about four years --- right now the we expect first grade students to be reading 36 words per minute and I believe this is at the 50th percentile. It is confusing - hope this helps.

[bedazzled1]

68 words correct per minute is 75th percentile
100 words correct per minute is the 100th percentile

On the low end.....
19 wcpm is the 25th
11 wcpm is the 10th

[MissTeri]

Okay, I just asked our head AimsWeb admin. She said that even though it is saying the target is 30, we're going by 19 in winter and 39 at the end of first grade. That seems low to me, but it's probably because we are a low-performing school. I guess.

[broomrider]

One thing the one score fits all from AIMS neglects is that if a kid speaks slowly, s/he will read slowly.

I think the emphasis on fluency is decreasing comprehension rather than reflecting it. Anybody have any studies on this?