Spelling inventory: how to give it and score it by feature
In short
A spelling inventory is a list of words, ordered from easy to hard, that students spell without studying. You score each spelling pattern, or feature, rather than marking whole words right or wrong. The results show which patterns a student can use when writing.
Why use spelling to assess reading?
Spelling is harder than reading. To read a word you only need to recognize it, but to spell it you have to produce every letter in the right order from memory. So spelling shows you which patterns a student truly owns.
Strong spellers are nearly always strong decoders, but the reverse isn't always true. Some students read well and spell poorly, and those students still need pattern work to make their writing readable.
How do you give a spelling inventory?
- Tell students this isn't a graded test. It shows you what to teach.
- Say each word, use it in a short sentence, then say it again.
- Give young students the inventory in small groups so you can watch.
- Keep going until most students have missed several words in a row, then stop.
- Collect the papers before anyone sees a correct spelling.
- Teacher
- Some of these words are hard on purpose. Spell them the way they sound to you. I want to see your thinking.
- Student
- I don't know how to spell that one.
- Teacher
- Write the sounds you hear. That gives me a lot of information.
What does scoring by feature mean?
Each word tests a few features. Take "shining". It checks the digraph sh, the long i pattern, and dropping e before -ing. A student who writes "shineing" gets credit for sh and long i but not for the suffix rule.
Whole-word scoring would mark that a miss and lose all the information. Feature scoring shows the student knows two of the three things.
| Word | Student wrote | Features correct | Feature missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| chip | chip | ch digraph, short i | none |
| float | flote | fl blend, long o sound | oa vowel team |
| shining | shineing | sh digraph, long i | drop e before -ing |
| curb | crub | c, b | ur r-controlled vowel |
How do you find the teaching point?
Total the features by type across all words. A student who gets nearly all short vowels and blends but few vowel teams is ready for vowel teams. That's the edge of what they know.
Look for patterns across the class too. If most students miss the same feature, teach it to the whole class; if only a few miss it, teach it in a small group while others work on their own edge.
How is a spelling inventory different from a spelling probe?
An inventory finds features to teach. A timed spelling probe tracks growth over time. In a curriculum-based spelling probe, the teacher dictates a list at a set pace for two minutes, and scoring counts correct letter sequences.
Correct letter sequences give partial credit for each pair of adjacent letters in the right order. A word has one more possible sequence than it has letters. That partial credit makes the measure sensitive to small growth.
Use the inventory a few times a year for planning. Use a probe every few weeks if spelling is an IEP goal.
What do common spelling errors tell you?
- Missing vowels ("bk" for "back"): early stage; work on hearing every sound.
- One letter for a blend ("sop" for "stop"): segmenting blends needs practice.
- Spelling by sound only ("rane" for "rain"): sounds are there; vowel team spellings are next.
- Letters out of order: check segmenting, and watch for this pattern over time.
- Suffix errors ("hoped" as "hopt"): teach the past tense ending as a unit.
How do you choose the right inventory?
Pick one whose words run from simple short-vowel words to words with prefixes, suffixes and less common patterns, so most students reach their limit before the end. Primary inventories stop around vowel teams and simple suffixes. Upper grade versions add syllable junctures, unaccented syllables and Latin roots.
If most of a class spells nearly every word correctly, the inventory is too easy and tells you little. If most students miss the first five words, it's too hard and only measures frustration. Either way, switch to a level that matches the group.
How do you use the results across a year?
Give the inventory in fall to form groups and plan word study. Give it again at midyear to see which features students now control in writing. By spring most students should show clear growth, and students who show none are good candidates for a closer look at phonemic awareness and phonics.
Pair the inventory with samples of everyday writing. A student may spell a pattern correctly on a list and still miss it in a story, which means the pattern is known but not yet automatic.
Can parents give a spelling inventory at home?
Yes, if they use one written for that purpose and treat it as a snapshot rather than a test. Say each word naturally, don't stretch the sounds, and don't correct anything until the end. Then look for the patterns your child gets right, because those show where to start.