Spelling Assessment Rationale

Context

The Spelling Assessment, which is part of the ERSI Kindergarten Assessment, was completed in a kindergarten classroom.  The spelling assessment was assigned at Appalachian State University under the advisement of Stamey Carter, Block I instructor, and under the advisement of Tina Slaughter, a kindergarten teacher at Whitnel Elementary School in Caldwell County, NC.  I completed this assignment as a requirement for RE-3030, Foundations of Literacy.

Through the assessment it was determined the student was at the Pre-Communicative Stage.  Students in the Pre-Communicative stage of spelling use random letters and no connection between letters and sound are present.  The assessment shows the student is not aware of any of the phonemes in words.

Impact

With the knowledge of the student’s spelling level, the teacher can work on activities that will move the student from the Pre-communicative stage to the Semi-Phonetic stage.  The teacher and student will need to work on beginning sound recognition through picture-to-picture and picture to letter activities.

Alignment

     This spelling assessment aligns the following program standards:

NCDPI Standard 1: Elementary teachers have a broad knowledge and understanding of the major concepts in English Language Arts and Literacy.

• Indicator 1: The spelling assessment allowed to me to focus on the developmental stages of language acquisition.  I determined the student was at the Pre-Communicative Stage, the knowledge of this level would allow me to choose activities that work on beginning sounds to ensure the student gains knowledge of the connection of beginning sounds and spelling.
• Indicator 8:This artifact met this indicator, because in order to assess the student correctly I needed to know and understand written and oral composition processes.

NCDPI Standard 8: Teachers design instructional programs and strategies that build on students’ experiences and existing language skills to help students become competent, effective users of language.

• Indicator 1: The Pre-Communicative Stage displayed by the student’s spelling will allow the teacher to work on beginning sounds to move her into the next stages of spellings, which will later move her into reading.  The gain of the student’s connection of beginning sounds will help her in her reading by the use of letter/sound relationships. 
• Indicator 6: This artifact met this indicator, because the artifact showed the importance that teachers speak clearly and with correct grammar so the students can learn from the teacher’s example.