Frequently Asked Questions
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Why might DORA spelling scores not reflect classroom spelling test achievement?
Spelling is the most challenging sub-test on DORA as the answers are completely student generated as opposed to multiple-choice. If students are performing well on classroom spelling tests, consider the difference in the task.
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 05:23 AM.
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007
My son is in 2nd grade and can read OK but can’t spell very well. Should I have him assessed?
Yes. The processing abilities that are required to make a good speller are the some of the same processing abilities that make a good reader. Beginning readers who have trouble spelling often have trouble becoming efficient readers as well. In my experience, adults who consider themselves poor spellers are often phonetic spellers.
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 03:39 PM.
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Is it “normal” for a 2nd grader to spell words with many missing letters?
It depends on what type of letters is missing. By second grade, children should have good control of the sounds they hear in words and how they are represented by a letter or letter patterns. If the child's spelling attempts of words are "phonetically" correctly (i.e., all the letters appropriately match a specific sound) the child may still be learning the conventions of irregular words or words that she doesn't encounter often. These conventions are still working its way to her long-term memory. It's natural for second graders to still be learning these conventions. However, if the child is missing letters to many sounds that are in words, she may need intervention in accelerating her attention to the discrete sounds in words (or phonemes).
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 03:39 PM.
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My son is in 3rd grade and does not like reading. Does that mean he is not a very good reader?
Not necessarily. If he is doing fine with reading and spelling in school, he may be fine. However, he may not like reading because it is hard for him. Most anyone likes doing things that come easily. Third grade is a particularly critical time where reading is concerned. Third grade is the first time a student is required to read independently. A lot of readers realize reading problems for the very first time in midyear of third grade. Monitor his progress closely to make sure that he continues to make appropriate progress. Identifying a reading issue early is one of the most important things your can do for your child's reading abilities. A child who is one year behind this year will likely by two years behind next year and so on.
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 03:38 PM.
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Can both adults and children be assessed for spelling and reading problems?
My daughter is in seventh grade and reading and spelling have always been hard for her. Reading and spelling were always hard for me too and I still don't like reading very much. Should she be assessed or can we both be assessed?
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 03:38 PM.
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What does it mean if my student misspells a word several different ways?
My daughter is in fourth grade. She is not a very good speller. The weird thing is, she seems to spell the words wrong differently every time. She spelled "straight" several different ways in the same paragraph. Why does she do that?
Posted by Anne-Evan Williams at 03:36 PM.
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