Assessment and Students Essay

Submitted By Lisa-Nix
Words: 1515
Pages: 7

Spelling Inventory
Lisa Nix
Walden University

Dr. Amy Summer, Instructor
EDUC - 6709G - 1: Literacy Development in an Academically Diverse Classroom
May 11, 2014
Spelling
Teachers assess students’ reading abilities using multiple forms of assessments. In addition to the timed fluency passages and informal phonics surveys, many teachers use a spelling inventory to assess student’s knowledge of words. The students’ ability to read correlates with their abilities to spell. The spelling inventory is another source for educators to use while gathering student data to guide instruction design of lessons and remediation if needed. The spelling inventory was given to a small group of second graders. There were five students who participated in the assessment. The spelling test was started using a first grade list consisting of ten words and students’ tests were scored. If the students scored 30% or lower, the test is stopped, but if the students scored 40% or higher the test continues. This quick assessment of each list continues until the test is complete. Once the spelling test is completed, the teacher grades the tests to determine the students’ independent, instructional, and frustration levels (Morris, 2014). Analyzing the test results provides information about student’s knowledge of phonics in addition to their reading and spelling abilities. Two of the five students were not able to test past the first grade list. According to the Synchrony of Learning (Bear, 2009), these two students are in the emergent stages of spelling. These two students were able to correctly write the beginning and ending letters of some of the words, but they struggled with correctly writing the vowels within the words especially the CVCe words. The next two students tested within the transitional stage, and the last student tested within the intermediate stage. In addition to the spelling inventory, an Informal Phonics Inventory (McKenna, 2012) would be administered to the students scoring in the emergent and transitional stages. Performing this additional assessment will provide specific data about whether students can recognize and read initial blends, cvc words, apply the rule of silent e, and initial letter sounds. These students would partake in weekly progress monitoring of their reading fluency along with working with word families with instruction targeting specific areas that students may need additional support in. The Response to Intervention (Mesmer & Mesmer, 2008) process would begin after the informal reading and phonics inventories are given to students. Once struggling students are identified, they will begin working with the teacher in small needs based groups. In these groups researched based strategies and quick assessments are used to document and evaluate students’ progress. The data collected is kept on a running log and provides vital information for targeting the needs of the students. The purpose of documenting the interventions and student results is to determine if students are responding to the strategies and small group instruction. The students’ data is not compared to other students but to their own initial scoring to determine growth or a decline in growth. This information can be used to identify learning disabilities. DIBELS Next is a reading assessment that provides data about students’ fluency, accuracy, and retelling skills. Students are benchmarked three times a year using this program. Students that score below the benchmark are color coded red and are identified as needing intensive intervention instruction. These students are progressed monitored using the DIBELS program on a weekly basis. Their weekly results are kept on a running log and used for RTI documentation. Students scoring in red and yellow are also required to complete the Informal Phonics Survey. This data is used to guide teachers when creating intervention lesson plans for needs based groups. Once