The Relationship Between 2nd Grade Spelling and Reading Comprehension

1. Results and Conclusions Purpose Method The Relationship Between 2nd Grade Spelling and Reading Comprehension Elissa Arndt,Florida State University, FCRR Yaacov Petscher, Florida State University, FCRR Barbara Foorman, Florida State University, FCRR TABLE 1 – Correlations Among Spelling, Word Reading, and SAT-10 Figure 1 – Quantile Regression of Spelling and SAT-10 This study was conducted to explore the development and validation of a 2nd grade test of spelling ability. Additionally, we studied the relationships among second grade students’ spelling ability on the test, timed word reading, and reading comprehension on the SAT-10 across two time points. Our research questions were: 1) Does spelling performance add value to word reading’s prediction to end of year reading comprehension? 2) What is the variability of student performance by quantile across two time points? 3) Does performance on the spelling test predict reading comprehension better for some groups of students over others? Correlation (Spelling and SAT-10) Findings suggest poor performance on spelling in the fall is not indicative of poor SAT-10 performance. Additionally, in the winter, high performance on spelling is not indicative of high performance on SAT-10. Timed word reading performance increases the overall relationships and normalizes the relationship between spelling and reading comprehension. Word reading added 5% and 1% unique variance at fall and winter, respectively. When broken down by ethnicity the correlation between spelling and comprehension varied by subgroup. Overall, conclusions suggest that spelling adds value to word reading for the middle range of student performance and average spelling ability is a better predictor of reading comprehension than low or high ability. Quantile Figure 2 – Quantile Regression of Ethnicity Subgroup at Fall and Winter Fall Correlation (Spelling and SAT-10) Participants were 191 second graders from four Florida counties representative of the demographics of the state. Students’ spellings were assessed at two times during the year (fall and winter) with a 25 word dictated test. Words were selected using item response theory. Total words spelled correctly, timed word reading, and end of year SAT-10 data were analyzed using bivariate correlations, quantile and hierarchical regression. Additional analyses were conducted using student ethnicity status. Quantile Winter Correlation (Spelling and SAT-10) Please address correspondence to: Elissa Arndt, earndt@fcrr.org Quantile