Getting Started: Assessment

1. Getting Started: Assessment

2. Effective Teaching • Effective teaching cannot begin until you understand what children already know about words and what they are ready to learn. • WTW p. 25

3. Informal Observations

4. Let’s look at Jake’s Writing Sample

5. Jake’s Writing • Many words are spelled correctly • Others are close • What does Jake know? What does he need to know? • What does he use but confuse? • Based on this sample, what stage might he be in?

6. How does what we know about reading help? • Reading/spelling are related but reading can be supported by contextual clues and pictures. • Within-Word Pattern spellers may read: shopping and bottle, but spell them: shoping and bottel. • If students can spell a word, then we know they can read it, it seldom works the other way around, except in the very early stages.

7. Qualitative Spelling Inventory • Consist of lists of words that represent a variety of spelling features or patterns at increasing levels of difficulty. • Designed to assess knowledge of key spelling features that relate to the different spelling stages. • Lists include the orthographic features that help identify the stage and instruction. • Take it as you would a spelling test • Analyze results to obtain a general picture of their development.

8. Use of Inventories • Quick and easy to administer and score • Reliable and valid measures of what students know about words Four basic steps: • Select an inventory based on grade/achievement level • Analyze spelling using a feature guide • Organize groups using a classroom composite to help plan instruction • Monitor progress by using inventory several times a year

9. Select and Administer Grade level: • Primary Spelling Inventory (PSI): K-3 • Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESI): 1-6 • Upper Level Spelling Inventory (USI): 5-12 Pay attention to whether list is too hard/easy Set aside 20-30 minutes Have them number the paper (for little ones, set it up ahead) Be direct in your explanation: SEE PAGE 31 Split into small groups if necessary Pronounce words naturally Say each word twice and use in a sentence

10. Select/Administer Cont. Move around the room and monitor: • Look for words you can’t read due to handwriting and have child tell you the letters • Note who is misspelling too many or not misspelling any • Make sure no one is getting frustrated or anxious • With younger, you can stop after 5 if they’ve spelled them all incorrectly • With older they may want to “save face” and keep going

11. Jake’s Spelling Inventory

12. Score and Analyze • Each word has a number of features that are scored separately • The feature guides will help you score in this manner • This analysis provides information regarding what students know and what they are ready to learn Establish a Power Score: Go through Jake’s and mark words right and wrong Write the correct spelling next to each misspelled word Put a power score on the test: # correct/ total # of words • See Table 2-2 on page 34 for Estimated Stage

13. Scoring a Feature Guide • Feature guides help analyze student errors and confirm the stages suggested by the Power Score • The feature guides are included in Appendix A

14. Jake’s Completed Feature Guide • Look across from left to right • Instruction should begin where student first makes two or more errors on a feature • What does Jake know? • What is he using but confusing? • Where do we start instruction? • Which chapter in WTW would we find activities for Jake?

15. Compare to Jake’s Writing • Spelling Inventory results should be compared to what we learn about students’ orthographic knowledge in terms of reading/writing. • We see similar strengths and weaknesses • Jake has mastered short vowels and attempts long-vowel and other-vowel patterns—this is what we would expect in Middle to Late Within-Word Pattern Spelling Stage • When Jake reads, he may confuse words like through and thought • These all offer evidence that we have identified his developmental stage and the features that need attention.