A method and apparatus are provided for high performance, high voltage memory operations on selected memory cells (200) of a semiconductor memory device (100). A high voltage generator (106) during program or erase operations provides a continuous high voltage level (702) on selected word lines (502) and maintains a continuous high voltage level supply to a bit line decoder (120) which sequentially provides the high voltage level (706) to a first portion of bit lines (504) and discharges (708) those bit lines (504) before providing the high voltage level to a second portion (710). For additional improvements to program operations, the high voltage generator (106) decouples high voltages provided to the word lines (502) and the bit lines (504) by providing a current flow control device (1208) therebetween and provides a boosting voltage at a time (1104) to overcome a voltage level drop (1102) resulting from a capacitor load associated with selected bit lines (504) and/or the bit line decoder (120) precharges (1716) a second portion of the bit lines (504) while providing a high voltage level to a first portion to program (1706) a first portion of memory cells (200). For improvements to read operations, whether dynamic reference cells (2002) are blank is determined by providing non-identically regulated high voltage levels from a first voltage source (2112) to the dynamic reference cells (2002) and from a second voltage source (2104) to static reference cells (2004) and, if the dynamic reference cells (2002) are not blank, reads selected memory cells (200) by providing identically regulated high voltage levels to the selected memory cells (200), the dynamic reference cells (2002) and the static reference cells (2004).