Kaitlyn Rokita ELD 307 Spelling Inventory Assessment

Spelling assessments have drastically changed from the time I was in elementary school to now. When I was in school, every student was given the same list of words to learn and memorize. We would have a few exercises to complete with the words such as, writing the words out three times each and writing original sentences with the words, At the end of the week, we would be assessed on the words and the teacher would read the word aloud and we would have to spell the word out and be graded on accuracy of the spelling. I am currently placed in Mrs. Shwoms first grade classroom at Wicoff Elementary School in Plainsboro, New Jersey. I had the opportunity to give a student a spelling assessment. The West Windsor/Plainsboro district uses the DSA spelling assessment to place students into spelling levels. Each assessment level focuses on different aspects of spelling such as short vowels, long vowels, stressed syllables, syllable juncture, etc. I assessed Ian, a six-year-old first grader in Mrs. Shwoms class on syllable juncture. The methodology of this assessment is to individualize spelling for each student and challenge each student with words appropriate for his/her level. The way the assessment is performed is that the teacher reads the word of focus, a sentence with the word, and then repeats the focus word again for the student to spell. The score is counted up by accuracy of spelling and each type word such as long vowel words, syllable juncture words are counted up and if a certain number of each word is passed, then the student can continue on to more challenging words.

When I assessed Ian on syllable juncture I first pulled him aside during independent reading. Words that Ian was asked to spelled included: doubling & e-Drop with ed &ing, other syllable juncture doubling, long vowels (stressed syllable), Rcontrolled vowels (stressed syllable), and unstressed syllable vowel patterns. Ian has previously passed the beginning sections of the DSA spelling assessment, which included words that have initial & final consonants, initial consonant blends & digraphs, short vowels, affricates, final consonant blends & digraphs, long vowel (VCe), R-controlled vowels, other long vowels, complex consonants, and abstract vowels. My findings included that Ian spelled the most words correctly that has unstressed vowel patterns. These words included polar, trample, fountain, mayor, and salute. He did not misspell any words from that category. The next part of the DSA he spelled most of the words correctly in were words with long vowels (stressed syllables). These words included survive and explode, which he spelled correctly. Words he misspelled from the section included: complaint, compete, and escape. The next two sections he scored equally well in were doubling & e-Drop with ed & ing and other syllable juncture doubling. The words he spelled correctly included: making, sober, called, baggage, and tennis. The words he misspelled from these sections include swimming, trotted, pilot, and minnow. The section he scored the least well in was R-controlled vowels (stressed syllable). The words he spelled correctly included disturb and circus. Words he misspelled in this section included: furnace, termite, and burden. The final score that is counted up is called a stage score and Ian received a fourteen on the assessment, which means he can move on to more challenging words. The next sections of spelling Ian will be assessed on are words with silent & sounded consonants, consonant changes, vowel

changes, Latin-Derives suffixes, and assimilated prefixes. If Ian does not pass this section, he will continue to be assessed on the section until he can pass. There are multiple methods of instruction to help Ian learn to correctly spell the words he did not spell correctly in the assessment. One suggestion could be to find books or other reading texts for Ian that include the words he previously could not spell correctly. The more he has opportunities to see the word, the more likely he will become familiar with how to spell the word. Another method of instruction is to use flash cards of misspelled words to help Ian become familiar with the words. A more engaging way to help Ian is to sort words into patterns. Each letter of a word would be written on an index card and from there, find smaller words within the larger word until all the cards have been used. Another method using cards is to sort words by similarity. For Ian it can be based on types of words that sound the same and then learn the spelling of more complex words. This is an assessment I would definitely use in my own classroom. Spelling assessment in the classroom became a more individualized assessment. This type of spelling assessment can let me, as a teacher, focus on what types of words students can spell and cannot spell well. After assessing a student with the DSA, I can determine what types of words students have a hard time spelling and find books with the types of words the student struggles with and help the student become more familiar with the words.