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MSV Miscue Analysis
How to code running record errors for meaning, structure and visual cues, and what the patterns tell you to teach next.
What MSV analysis is
MSV miscue analysis is a way to look at each error on a running record and ask what the child was paying attention to. M is meaning (does it make sense?), S is structure (does it sound right in the sentence?), and V is visual information (does it look like the word on the page?).
| Cue | Question to ask | Yes if the child's word… |
|---|---|---|
| M, meaning | Does it make sense? | fits the story and the pictures |
| S, structure | Does it sound right? | fits the grammar of the sentence |
| V, visual | Does it look right? | shares letters with the text word, such as the same start or ending |
Definitions follow the Louisiana Department of Education running record handout.
Worked examples
| Text | Child read | M | S | V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The horse ran fast. | The house ran fast. | No | Yes | Yes |
| The horse ran fast. | The pony ran fast. | Yes | Yes | No |
| She jumped in the puddle. | She jump in the puddle. | Yes | No | Yes |
In the first example the child looked at the letters but did not check the meaning, since houses do not run. In the second, the child kept the meaning but did not look closely at the word. In the third, the child read most of the word but missed the ending, which broke the grammar.
How to record it
- Next to each error, write M, S and V.
- Circle each letter that fits the child's attempt.
- Do the same in the self-correction column for anything the child fixed, circling what they seem to have used to notice.
- Count the circles for each letter across the whole record.
One error tells you very little. Look for the pattern across ten or more errors, and across two or three records.
What the patterns suggest
- Mostly V, little M: the child is looking at print but not checking that it makes sense. Prompt: “Does that make sense? Read it again and check.”
- Mostly M and S, little V: the child is predicting from the story instead of looking through the word. Prompt them to sound out the whole word, left to right, and teach the letter patterns they are missing.
- Endings dropped (S breaks): work on reading through to the end of the word, including endings such as -ed, -ing and -s.
- Few self-corrections: the child is not monitoring. See the self-correction ratio guide for prompts.
The debate about three-cueing
MSV analysis comes from the same model as three-cueing, where children were often taught to work out unknown words from pictures, context or the first letter. Reading research has shown that skilled readers identify words by decoding the letters, not by guessing, and some US states now restrict teaching three-cueing as a word-reading strategy.
That does not make your running record notes useless. Coding errors can still show you clearly when a child is not looking through the whole word. The change is in what you teach next. When V is weak, teach decoding and letter patterns. When M is weak, teach the child to check that what they decoded makes sense. Avoid prompts that encourage guessing from the picture.
Frequently asked questions
What does MSV stand for in reading?
MSV stands for meaning, structure and visual. Teachers use the three letters to code what a child seemed to pay attention to when they made an error or a self-correction.
How do you code an error for MSV?
Compare the child's word with the text word and ask three questions. Does it make sense? Does it sound right in the sentence? Does it look like the text word? Circle each letter where the answer is yes.
What does it mean if a child's errors are mostly V?
The child is attending to the letters but not checking whether the word makes sense. Prompt them to decode the whole word and then check that the sentence makes sense.
Is MSV the same as three-cueing?
They come from the same model. MSV analysis describes errors after reading. Three-cueing usually refers to teaching children to guess words from pictures or context, which many researchers now advise against.
Should I still use MSV analysis?
Many teachers still use it to describe what a reader attends to. If you do, use the results to strengthen decoding and checking, not to teach children to guess words from pictures or context.
More guides
- How to Calculate WCPM Step-by-step scoring for a timed fluency read, with error rules and grade-level norms.
- Running Record Accuracy Levels What independent, instructional and frustration levels mean, plus an error-rate conversion chart.
- Self-Correction Ratio Explained How to work out the SC ratio, what a good ratio looks like, and prompts that build self-monitoring.
- Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Explained Where the formula comes from, how to calculate it by hand, and what it cannot tell you.
- How to Take a Running Record Choosing the text, the standard marking codes, scoring rules and a worked example.
- Average Reading Speed by Grade and Age Oral reading fluency norms for Grades 1 to 6 and adult reading speeds, in one place.