Reading accuracy is, like its name suggests, how accurately or correctly you read. Reading accuracy is generally determined by reading a passage aloud while someone listens and marks any errors which are then counted. The number of errors is subtracted from the total number of words and that number is divided by the total number of words to determine a percentage of accuracy. If you read 100 words and had five errors the math would be (100-5) /100 =0.95 or 95%. Depending on the source you are referring to, reading accuracy is generally considered appropriate for independent reading when it is 95% or better (some reading programs look for a little higher percentage.) Accuracy is one measure that is used to determine if a text level is appropriate for the reader. The University of Texas' division of RTI (Response to Intervention) has a great source to explain accuracy levels clearly. Click here to check it out.
Home support for building reading accuracy:
Sight words: One great way to build reading accuracy is to practice known high-frequency words. Often called sight words that you can read 'by sight' or snap words that you know in a 'snap'. Most text is made up of a surprisingly small number of different words, so when we can read the most frequently occurring words quickly and easily, we have higher accuracy. Your school should be able to provide you with a suggested list of high-frequency words to practice, but if you need one, there are several online available to choose from. In 1936 Dr. Edward William Dolch created a list of 220 words that are highly occurring and this is a great place to start. In the 1950's Dr. Edward Fry determined the most frequent 1,000 words in print. The website SIGHTWORDS will provide you with both Dolch and Fry printable lists, flashcard templates, and games to play as a way of practicing.
Strategies: Another big component of reading accurately is knowing how to read words that you cannot read in a snap. Readers use many strategies to figure out an unknown word. One strategy is to sound it out or decode the word. Helpful decoding strategies can be found on the phonics/decoding tab. However other strategies are to look at the picture, look at the first letter and think about what makes sense, skip over the word, read on then go back, are just a few. This Reading Mama has a great page devoted to this called 15+ Reading Strategies for Unknown Words which you should check out. Practicing these strategies and using encouraging/reminding prompts are great ways to increase this. The more quickly unknown words are read, the higher the accuracy.