ASSESSMENTS AND INVENTORIES

Qualitative Spelling Inventories

Spelling inventories are quick and easy to administer and score, and they are reliable and
valid measures of what students know about words. Many teachers find spelling inventories to be
helpful and easily-administered literacy assessments. Use of these spelling inventories requires
four basic steps summarized here:
1. Select a spelling inventory based on grade level and students achievement levels
provided by Words Their Way Appendix A pages 266-276. Administer the inventory
as you would a traditional spelling test, but do not let the students study the words in
advance or after administration.
2. You may choose to use the word list and dictation sentences provided in Appendix
A pages 266, 270, 273.
3. Score the students spellings using the Words Their Way feature guide provided in
Appendix A pages 267, 271, 274.
4. Organize groups by developmental stage and level. Words Their Way provides a
classroom composite form (pages 268, 272, 276) and the spelling by stage form
(page 269) that will help you organize these groups.
5. You may monitor overall progress by using the same inventory several times a year.
Weekly spelling tests may help you assess students mastery of the orthographic
features they study.

Where to start?
Select an Inventory
Using the students grade level is the easiest way to begin; however, you will need to
differentiate assessments depending on the range of achievement in your classroom. Each
inventory should be administered in a similar way based on the students needs. For example,
you may choose to administer the inventories individually or in a small group setting as dictated
by the needs in your classroom. This test is not to be used for grading purposes; however, it
should be used to help the teacher determine students developmental spelling levels to better
meet the students needs.

Words Their Way provides three different inventories (Primary on page 267, Elementary
on page 271, and Upper Level on page 274) all provided in Appendix A.

Primary Spelling Inventory (PSI)
o Recommended for Kindergarten through Early 3
rd
Grades
o Contains 26 words
o Assesses words from the Emergent to Late Within Word Pattern Stage
o Words range from CVC pattern (fan, pet) to inflected endings (clapping,
riding)





Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESI)
o Recommended for Grades 1
st
6
th

o Contains 25 words
o Assesses students up to the Derivational Relations Stage
o Words range from bed to opposition

Upper Level Spelling Inventory (ULI)
o Recommended for Upper Elementary Grades, Middle, High, and College
Level
o Contains 31 words
o Words range from switch to irresponsible

Spelling Inventories Grade Range Developmental Range
Primary Spelling Inventory K-3 Emergent to Late Within
Word Pattern
Elementary Spelling
Inventory
1-6 Letter Name to Early
Derivational Relations
Upper Level Spelling
Inventory
5-12 Within Word Pattern to
Derivational Relations


Administering the Inventories
Each inventory takes approximately 20-30 minutes to administer.
Students should number a paper as they would for a traditional spelling test.
Assure the students that the spelling inventory is not used for a grade, but it will help
you (the teacher) determine what needs to be taught.
Pronounce each word naturally. Say each word twice and use it in a sentence if
necessary.
Move around the room as you say the words aloud to monitor students work and
observe their behaviors.
You may stop administering the inventory if the students seem frustrated or are
making several errors. (Students must make a number of errors to determine a
spelling stage. It is better to side on too many words than too few.) Draw a line
under the last word administered and adjust the possible points at the bottom of each
feature column.


Scoring the Spelling Inventories
Scoring the spelling inventories involves more analysis than scoring a spelling test. The
purpose is to deduce what spelling patterns (features) the students know versus what words they
know how to spell. Therefore, each word has a number of orthographic patterns (features) that
are scored separately. Words Their Way provides a feature guide (Appendix A) to assist you in
scoring the orthographic patterns. This analysis provides qualitative information regarding what
students know about spelling patterns, which will help you plan what to teach next.



How to Score the Inventories
1. Select the appropriate feature guide provided by Words Their Way (Appendix A)
based on the spelling inventory administered. Copy one feature guide for each
student taking the inventory.
2. Begin by marking each word correct or incorrect. Write the correct spelling
beside any misspelled words.
3. Calculate a raw score based on the number of correct words. This will give you an
estimate of the students spelling stage. (This can be documented in the last column
of the feature guide.)
4. Each word has specific features that are relevant in identifying the developmental
stages of spelling. Score each word individually based on the identified features and
place a check next to each correct feature. For each word, total the number of correct
feature points and record the total in the feature point column on the feature guide.
5. After scoring each word, add the number of checks in each feature column and record
the total for each column at the bottom as a ratio of correct features to total possible
features. (Adjust this ratio and the total possible points if you administer fewer than
the total on the inventory.)
6. Add the total feature scores across the bottom and the total words spelled correctly.
This will give an overall total score that can be used to group students and to compare
individual growth over time.

Scoring Tips
Letter reversals or static reversals (such as writing b as d) should be noted but
scored as correct. You should give the student credit for spelling the word correct as
well. (Please note: letter reversals should decrease in frequency through the letter
name-alphabetic stage.)
Kinetic reversals (when all the letters are present but out of order) should also be
noted but scored correctly. You should give credit for the consonants and vowels
(features), but do not give the bonus point for the correct spelling.
If students spell the word correctly but add random letters to the word, you should
note the strategy they might be using. Give the student credit for the correct features,
but do not give the extra point for spelling the word correctly.
When in doubt, give students credit and make a note of the strategy they might be
using. Such errors offer interesting insights into their developing word knowledge.
The feature guide should be used to determine appropriate instruction. Instruction
should start at the point where a student first makes 2 or more errors on a feature.

Determining a Developmental Stage
Within each developmental stage there is an early, middle, and late progression of
development. A student who has learned to spell most of the features relevant to a stage is
probably at the end of that stage. Conversely, if a student is beginning to use the key elements of
a stage, but still has some misspellings from the previous stage, the student is at an early point in
that new stage.
Developmental stages should be circled in the shaded bar across the top that lists the
stages. (Developmental stages are subject to teachers discretion. You should always choose
word study activities at a slightly easier level than the stage identified through the inventories. It
is easier to introduce students to sorting activities when they are working with familiar features
and known words.)

Grouping for Instruction
In most classrooms, there will be a range in students word knowledge. The spelling
analysis will pinpoint students instructional levels and the features needed for instruction. After
analyzing students individually, you can create a classroom profile by recording the individual
assessments on the Classroom Composite, which will group them by features, or the Spelling-
by-Stage Organization Chart, which groups students by developmental levels (both found in
Words Their Way Appendix A).

Classroom Composite Chart
1. Sort students by the raw score (number of words correct) or by the total
feature score and record students names in rank order.
2. Record each students score from the bottom row of the feature guide beside
each childs name.
3. Highlight cells in which students are making more than one error on a
particular feature and column. Highlighted cells indicate a need for sustained
instruction on a feature. Do not highlight cells where students score a zero,
since these are at their frustration level. You should focus on features to the
left of the zero that are at the students instructional level first.
4. Look for instructional groups. If you rank your students prior to completing
the composite chart, you can find clusters of highlighted cells that can be used
to assign students to developmental stages and word study groups.

Spelling-by-Stage Classroom Organization Chart
1. Refer to the stage circled in the shaded bar with the developmental stages for
each students feature guide. Record each students name under a spelling
stage on the spelling-by-stage organization chart, differentiating among
those who are early, middle, or late.
2. After recording each students name, sort students into groups based on
his/her individual needs.

Tips for Organizing Groups
o Smaller groups make it easier for students to listen to each other and for the
teacher to observe how they sort. The size of the group will vary based on the
students needs and classroom dynamics.
o When grouping, some students may not be placed exactly at their
developmental stage. Please note that your more limited spellers are most
likely to suffer if they are working on a frustration level where they will not
make progress. However, your more capable spellers are less likely to be
affected when participating in word study activities that are easier for them.
(For clarification and examples of grouping, please refer to Figure 2-5 on page
42 of Words Their Way.)
o English language learners benefit from sorting with partners who clarify the
pronunciation and meaning of the words.

How Often to Assess
You may choose to assess your students several times during the school year to assess
progress and to determine if changes need to be made in groups or in instructional focus. Or you
may choose to only assess your students at the beginning and end of the year to document
progress.
Regardless of when you choose to assess, using the same spelling inventory each time is
recommended. This practice enables you to compare the assessment results to get a more
accurate representation of your students.
Weekly tests and dictation sentences are ways to monitor students mastery of the studied
features. You may also want to periodically give a review test without asking students to study
in advance. This will test the students for retention of previously taught skills.

* The Assessment CD-ROM includes several other assessment forms that teachers may
find useful as an alternative or supplement to the inventories.

Spelling Stage Expectations by Grade Levels

Grade Level Typical Spelling Stage
Range within Grade
End-of-Year Spelling
Stage Goal
K Emergent to Letter Name-
Alphabetic
Middle Letter Name to
Alphabetic
1 Late Emergent to Within
Word Pattern
Early Within Word Pattern

2 Late Letter Name to Early
Syllables And Affixes
Late Within Word Pattern
3 Within Word Pattern to
Syllables And Affixes
Early Syllables and Affixes
4 Within Word Pattern to
Syllables And Affixes
Middle Syllables and
Affixes
5 Syllables And Affixes to
Derivational Relations
Late Syllables and Affixes
6+ Syllables And Affixes to
Derivational Relations
Derivational Relations


Bear, D.R., et. al., Words their way word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction.
4
th
Ed. Pearson Learning