Criterion Validity of the Spelling Performance Evaluation For Language and Literacy (SPELL)

Date of Graduation

Spring 2006

Degree

Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Committee Chair

Julie Masterson

Abstract

This study determined the criterion validity of the Spelling Performance Evaluation for Language and Literacy (SPELL), as assessment instrument for spelling and word-study skills. Previous research indicates that spelling and reading are related, and instruction in one can lead to improvements in the other. Participants included 135 students in Grades 1 through 6. Participants’’ performance on SPELL was compared to their performance on two subtests of the Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery and the Test of Written Spelling-4. The results from Pearson-r correlations and a simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicate that SPELL validly measures students’ skills in spelling, decoding, and recognition of sight words. SPELL can be used to identify word study goals in a variety of grades and settings.

Keywords

no child left behind act, spelling, reading, assessment, validity

Subject Categories

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Copyright

© Rebecca J. Mooney

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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