The Developmental Spelling Analysis: A Measure of Orthographic Knowledge

This study describes the development and evaluation of an assessment of orthographic knowledge designed to help teachers interpret children's spellings for meaningful instruction and to aid researchers in advancing current understandings of how children acquire a knowledge of words. The Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) is based on developmental spelling theory and includes two components: a Screening Inventory for determining a child's stage of development, and parallel Feature Inventories for highlighting strengths and weaknesses in knowledge of specific orthographic features. Investigative results of the DSA's reliability and validity are presented, including developmental trends revealed by the performance of 1,016 students in Grades 1 to 8 and relations between the DSA and relevant reading and spelling tests. In addition, because teacher response ultimately determines the value of an assessment intended for their use, the reactions of teachers using the measure for the first time are examined.