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My experience with spelling assessments involved taking a pretest at the beginning of a week, spending all week studying a set of words, and then taking a post-test at the end of the week. For me, spelling instruction seemed to stop around 3rd grade as standardized testing put more of a focus on reading comprehension than spelling. Last semester in a graduate class, I used the spelling inventory on a few of the students in the program that I work for. I used the elementary spelling inventory and the upper-level spelling inventory on students and was surprised at the results. Many of my students were barely proficient at the elementary level, but luckily, there are plenty of resources available to supplement instruction once a level is determined for a student. In addition, the assessment was very helpful in identifying certain spelling patterns that students are struggling with, such as the sneaky e or r-controlled vowels. Once a certain problem area was determined, resources such as word sorts were very beneficial for students, as there was frequent exposure to confusing patterns. In addition, explaining to students why certain words are spelled in that way can also be very helpful, especially if the words share a similar etymology.

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I have learned about words their way in previous classes in my undergraduate and was also tasked with administering it. I really loved being able to see a more consistent pattern of what my students were using but confusing and what sounds they were replacing with different letters. I do like that this assessment gives you the ability to set students in specific learning stages. This is something that I feel helps tremendously. After providing intervention for the students I had administered to, they really did seem to make the connection with their mistakes. They saw how they got it confused and were even able to explain to me how they should correct their mistakes.

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My experience with spelling assessments is limited to my undergraduate coursework where I assessed some of my internship students and determined their spelling level and further instructional needs. Because those students where in 5th grade and no longer received spelling or early literacy instruction in favor of comprehension strategy work, it was incredibly helpful for me to see where they were without instruction/intervention and how I could help them going forward. I used the Words Their Way ESI for those students and then created a small word sort task for the student to practice an "instructional level" skill for a few minutes three times a week before reassessing and seeing growth on that pattern! In general, I think the data gathered from spelling assessments are helpful for intervention and small groups because it gives an up close look at the spelling patterns students are struggling with. I've worked a lot with K-3 students in the last year and have seen that spelling assessments may be harder for them depending on their needs. I've found that students in lower grades often need phonological assessment and intervention which is later reflected in the spelling, but I am still learning how to best support students.

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1. I studied words their way in a previous class and we completed an inventory assessment via a case study. It was insightful to consider what my students are doing in the classroom and which skills they have mastered, use but confuse, and don't yet understand. This would be a helpful inventory to give my students at the beginning of the year and we settle into a new class. Additionally, even having background knowledge of the assessment allowed me to better understand the handful of students in my class who struggle with both spelling and reading.

2. Although I haven't formally used one of these assessments, I would find the data very helpful in a classroom setting. A child's spelling gives us a window into their reading abilities as they have to rely on so many of their reading skills to properly encode words. I would find it helpful to pinpoint what each student needs within their spelling instruction. Patterns and/or skills that are challenging could be more heavily incorporated into spelling instruction.

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I have learned about the Words Their Way Developmental Spelling Inventory throughout a few classes, and I have administered it once. When I was required to administer the assessment, I remember that seeing the patterns so specifcally in the feature guide that the student consistently missed or that they had mastered was a really beneficial experience for me. I was able to create a lesson that focused on the patterns that alligned with this students instructional level, identified through the observation of the number of mistakes. I was able to determine where this student had some struggles, but beginning to understand and use the pattern correctly. I then worked with this student on the skills that needed to be strenghtened based on their scoring. I did notice that this student remembered the lesson I taught them and they would make comments in class about the pieces they remmebered, whcih showed that they were growing in their spelling. I would not use only this assessment to determien further instruction for a students, but I do believe that it is a great tool to collect a snapshot of where the student is in their instructional level.

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Although I do not have much experience with spelling assessments, I did administer one during my block 1 internship with a small group of 5th grade students. After administering the spelling assessment, I used the data to develop an intervention lesson that targeted a certain spelling pattern within the students' instructional level. The lesson consisted of a word sort with the spelling pattern as well as a game that the students played with one another. I really liked the spelling assessment because the scoring process showed what the students know and what they are struggling with. It helped significantly in the planning process of the intervention lesson. A couple of days after our small group lesson, the students were given another list of words and most of the students in the small group showed improvement!

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I have used spelling inventories every year I have been teaching. My first two years of teaching 2nd grade, I used the Words their Way spelling inventory to form my intervention skill groups. They were very quick and easy to administer and score. I used Letterland whole group to teach phonics. I saw a lot of growth and the word sorts were easy to use and as the year went out students could do them independently. As a first grade teacher I still use Letterland for phonics but UFLI is my main intervention for skill groups however, I do use Words their Way word sorts that correspond with the UFLI lesson per each skill group.

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I provided this assessment to some students in fourth grade during my Block 1 internship. I found it very interesting to use this as a way of targeted intervention. I did this intervention with 3 students total, and was able to see which parts of their spelling needed development, and what they have mastered. After scoring I was able to create word sorts that were targeted to students needs. I did notice growth within my students, I think they really enjoyed the individual instruction time. However, I did not get to see how this instruction impacted the students work later on.

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1. I gave my first spelling inventory during my first undergrad internship. I got to work with 4th graders. I pulled a group of students ranging low to high on reading/spelling performance. I delivered the inventory just as one would give a spelling test, except it was not a "test" and I made sure students' knew that! After, I practiced reading and trying to determine where students could benefit from my instruction for the first time. It can be tricky! In a second internship, in a 5th grade classroom, I gave the spelling inventory for the teacher. However, she was the one that reviewed it.

2. The feature guide is very useful for seeing who can be grouped up together for specific instruction. I am currently a 2nd grade teacher and I use UFLI Foundations for guided reading. I used my spelling inventory data to help determine who needs to be grouped with who and where to begin interventions. One activity that my students love doing is interactive word sorts.

3. Interventions give me time to meet my students on a more personal level to help meet their needs. Guided reading is my favorite time of the day. Although there are skills that take longer than expected to grasp, my students are showing growth!

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1. Similarly to others, I administered my first spelling inventory to an elementary schooler in App State's undergraduate reading clinic. I don't remember all the details of the assessment, but I do remember reviewing the data, and while some parts revealed clearly what level he was at, other areas seemed less clear. There were a few different places where he had inconsistent results, showing he hadn't mastered the skill but also had some exposure to them. I have not administered this assessment at all during my student teaching, but I definitely could think of a few students it would provide helpful feedback about.

2. During my student teaching placement, I have worked on spelling with many different students, primarily at the 4th-grade level. The focus of these lessons is usually around suffixes, prefixes or which letter combination to use (e.g. -tch or -ch). I review/introduce the spelling rule and then the class and I take time to spell words that follow that rule. This seems to be more beneficial than having the students memorize the words, which is what I was familiar with growing up.

3. I definitely see growth in my students after using interventions. The level of growth ranges from student to student, but it seems that they all achieve the "ah ha" moment at some point for different spelling rules.

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1. Last year I gave the PSI to one of my students in third grade. We then did a unit on a target area of need. I was working on teaching the student "ai" vowel teams as well as "oi/oy". It was in her instructional area on the feature guide! It was really interesting to see her "deficit" areas so directly pinpointed but using a feature guide is so helpful!

2. The data on the feature guide gives you a very specific area of skills to improve upon. It will tell you which level the student is on and what areas are in their "instructional" range. You can then use a variety of different things to teach that pattern. One activity my students loved was "basketball" where they would throw a ball into a bin labeled with a pattern. I would call the word and they would throw it in to the correct one our of 3/4 options. They also love practicing spelling with letter shaped erasers because they feel like they aren't actually writing.

3. I was working one on one with my student but she showed so much growth. She just needed a little more time and attention to understand the patterns and actually use them in writing, not just her spelling tests. The student was motivated to learn and really felt accomplished by understanding those spelling patterns

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I have actually given this spelling inventory to my 5th graders during my Block 1 internship and then provided targeted instruction to those students afterwards. I gave the students the sheet of paper, called out the words, sometimes had to give students a sentence to put the word in context, and then scored their assessment. I pulled around 3-4 students and then created a small group lesson that targeted something from each person's needs. I really enjoyed the scoring to see which parts of their spelling development they could succeed at, as well as the spelling that needs more attention. After scoring, I planned word sorts with and without category labels for the students. I work with students on long vowels and short vowels as well as blends. After review and teaching the word sorts, I asked the students to try to spell words with the patterns we had worked on just like they would a vocabulary test every week. From the start to the end of this assessment and teaching, I did notice a difference in my small group. They felt more confident in themselves and said how it helped them take time to break down words. Although I would have loved to see growth in the classroom, I was not able to see how this changed/impacted the students future work because of my limited time in internship.

-Athena Ross

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Like several others in this class, I gave my first spelling inventory during my time spent in the reading clinic at App. At the time I had been given basic lists of spelling words that spanned across several grade levels. I had done this assessment a while ago, so I do not quite remember the exact results that I landed on. However, I do remember that I had a 6th grade student that was performing at around a 2nd or 3rd grade spelling level. I remember finding the assessment that I had been given, fairly easy to score. I also liked that I was able to clearly see the concepts in which the student needed improvement.

-Savannah Wilson

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1. I have not given any formal spelling assessments in my own classroom. I mostly just have my kindergarteners write and encourage them to write down any sounds they hear. This is just to build their confidence in writing and spelling. When I was in my block 2 internship, I helped mt CT by giving some spelling assessments, but I never used the information to help instruct them. I was simply just giving the assessment out of a book.

2. I would like to try to use a spelling assessment around this time of year for my students to see where they are at with spelling and if they using spelling patterns that we have learned, like digraphs or if they are struggling to hear the medial vowel in words. Once I have the data, I can see where I need to direct my focus in my small groups and if I need to go back and reteach anything to the whole group.

3. Since I have not yet used a spelling assessment to help guide my instruction, I can't say for sure that I have seen improvements. I am sure that using the assessment to focus on spelling patterns that students are missing would benefit the student and would help improve their spelling.

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Similar to Ry, I had given my first spelling inventory to a 2nd grade student during my time working in the reading clinic. I gave her just a spelling assessment to see how she spelled her words and I was able to see her isolation and blending skills. With the spelling inventory and how it was laid out I was able to determine what stage of reading she is in. I found it so beneficial and easy to use and score. Based on the way the spelling inventory is it does not cause stress to the student since it is not overly complicated words and we are not correcting them after every word since we need to determine where they are as far as their spelling. This was the only time I was able to use this spelling inventory. I think it is a great tool for educators.

-Katelyn Kidd

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The first time I had given a spelling inventory was with an elementary-age student and I worked with him in the reading clinic. I got to give him a spelling inventory where he wrote sentences and words which allowed me to see where he was when it came to spelling (his instructional level). I found this so interesting because it allowed me to see the information that I learned about developing readers in my class and apply it to teaching/tutoring. As I am currently in student teaching, I have worked a bit with spelling when it comes to spelling patterns or sound rules with 4th graders and found that spelling instruction works best when paired with a neutral environment that doesn't add pressure to a student who is embarrassed about their spelling/reading ability and with games/songs. I also collect data through the lesson as progress monitoring. Spelling, reading, and writing have been one of my favorite things to teach and see students grow at.

-Ry

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(1.) I have given a couple of spelling assessments over the past couple of years during block 1 and block 2. During block 1, I had to complete a project using the spelling inventory and then provide instruction for a student based on their spelling level. I really love using inventories because it helped me learn exactly where my student was at and what I needed to provide them. During block 2, I would give weekly spelling tests on Friday to my 1st graders. These would be the words they had been practicing spelling throughout the week.

(2.) I would use this assessment to help guide me where my students are at currently. Once I have gotten all the results from my class, I would put them into small groups that are made up of students on the same level. Then I would implement instruction that challenges them in their spelling but does not make them frustrated. I would do word sorts, games, and other engaging tasks so that my students can really remember the spelling patterns. I think I would do this every month just to see if my students are growing at all or if they are still struggling with one of the spelling patterns.

(3.) Based on the spelling instructor I gave to my fourth grader (block 1), they did end up improving. If I am remembering correctly, I did a mini lesson on ai words with a few common pattern spellings. We played a game and did a word sort. Afterwards, I gave them a spelling test using words that have the ai spellings and other common words. They were able to get all of those correct.

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Words Their Way Developmental Spelling Inventories

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Words Their Way Developmental Spelling Inventories

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While I have taught grades higher than K-5, I have not used spelling assessments with Grades 6 and beyond. I loved the fact that your 8th Grader was excited to take the spelling test.

I have used this assessment in the past with Grades 4 and 5, and I found that it was a great way for me to target intervention regarding spelling patterns and rules. I did notice that with the increased explicit instruction, my students were better able to decode words while reading. However, there is a difference between decoding and comprehension. For the most part, I have not noticed that these inventories increase reading proficiency. However, the students' confidence levels have increased by being able to pronounce words without stumbling over them.

Christy Thomas