03 Mar Standards for Braille Reading Speed

So many people ask, “How fast should my child be reading?” Here are the national standards as presented by Jerry Johns, a leading reading specialist in the country. Click on the link to download your copy Reading Speeds. 

For an another extensive list of information on Braille standards go to California Reading Standards

I use these same standards for my blind and low vision students. If you set high standards then children will meet those standards. I have taken on beginner students and told them how fast they would be reading braille in a couple months, even in middle and high school. Just remember the older you start the longer it will take for them to gain speed.  At the end of the 2 months, as their fingers would fly across the page reading braille, as I timed them, at the end I would ask, “So did you really think you would be able to read that fast?” They would reply, “Of course, you told me I would be able to.”

So tell them, they can, and they will.

Tricks to use
Time them every week, so they see their progress
Have them reread the same material to get flow and fluency
Have them braille the material first using contractions, then read what they wrote

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