An SSD controller maintains a zero count and a one count, and/or in some embodiments a zero/one disparity count, for each read unit read from an SLC NVM (or the lower pages of an MLC). In an event that the read unit is uncorrectable in part due to a shift in the threshold voltage distributions away from their nominal distributions, the maintained counts enable a determination of a direction and/or a magnitude to adjust a read threshold to track the threshold voltage shift and restore the read data zero/one balance. In various embodiments, the adjusted read threshold is determined in a variety of described ways (counts, percentages) that are based on a number of described factors (determined threshold voltage distributions, known stored values, past NVM operating events). Extensions of the forgoing techniques are described for MLC memories.