Garga Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Ok. This embarrasses me. But (deep breath) my rising 8th grader took the DORA (reading comprehenion and spelling) test yesterday and scored at level or way above level in all the categories...except for spelling. He tested as a mid-year 2nd grader. ??!? We have used AAS (All About Spelling) for a few years now and I thought things were ok. We were at level 6 at the end of this year. He liked it and always (I mean ALWAYS) got all the words right in the book. I don't know if he was just racing through the test without trying or what, but I was floored that the result was THAT low. I mean, I know spelling isn't his strong suit, but I expected he'd be at the 5th or 6th grade level. I really did. I knew he was a bit "behind" his grade level, but...2nd grade?? Does anyone have a recommendation for a spelling program? I have no idea what we even need now. NOTE: He's never been a big reader. I'm going to have him read more than usual in the hopes that the more he sees words the more he'll remember how to spell them. He likes reading ok, but he'd rather run around and do things. I'm going to carve out some mandatory reading time for him each day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 How is his spelling in his writing? Do the lessons from AAS seem to be transferring? If so, I wouldn't worry. If not, you might want to take a run through Sequential Spelling for Adults. I haven't used the DORA in several years, but I seem to remember that my sons both scored much lower on it than expected (one has dyslexia and one is a natural speller). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I would never change things I do as a result of one (and only one) test result, especially if you don't have any details (and didn't watch him take the DORA). If you want to check his "spelling level" with another test, try something like the Morrison-McCall spelling test. (There are others out there if that one doesn't fit your needs.) If you are looking for something less teacher intensive, there is Megawords. (For the record, I didn't like Megawords. But many people on this board have used it and loved it.) It is definitely geared toward older kids and 7th grade is a great grade to start the series in. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I would also try some other tests first! That you administer and can see that he is focused and trying. In the end I think I have one child who will never get spelling. We will finish Apples and Pears and then she will have to carry a pocket dictionary and use spellcheck. She is so smart and amazing in so many ways I just have other fish to fry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 How's his spelling in real life - when he writes (not for spelling tests). I'd also encourage reading and think about retesting (or ignoring the results) if you don't see them in real life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 IME standardized tests just plain don't test spelling very well. How is his spelling in his writing? That'll give you a more meaningful measure of his spelling abilities than a test will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 Here is another test. He could watch through my spelling lessons. If he is truly that behind, I would focus on the 1,000 most common words from Spelling Plus, you will want to add Spelling Dictation to see if he retains the words in sentences. http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Spelling/spellingtests.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I don't know how DORA test spelling. My natural speller did not score well on the spelling portion of a state test a few years ago because he is bad at syllabication. He can spell the words correctly but not break the word up into syllables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 Thank you for all the responses. I'm going to take the advice to do more spelling testing. I didn't want to hang over his shoulder during the testing and make him nervous, so I'm not sure exactly what was going on in the DORA test. I'm going to use the resources about testing and placement given above. He knows he did great on the test except for spelling. I told him that we need to make sure that test result wasn't a mistake and try another test just to be sure. He agreed he'd rather take a few more tests than have to re-do all his spelling lessons if it turns out the test results were wonky. Thanks for not making me feel like a failure at teaching spelling. As far as in his work: yes he makes errors, but not all over the place. Maybe 2 or 3 errors per side of a loose leaf piece of paper. Honestly I haven't been tracking exactly what the errors are. I tell him to ask Siri for the correct spelling and he fixes them. He was doing fine in his spelling program so I wasn't too worried about it. I expected a few errors and wasn't monitoring exactly what they were. I will flip back through his work to see the errors. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 If he typically only makes 2-3 spelling errors on a page of writing--he's doing pretty well I'd say. Level 6 of AAS is way beyond 2nd grade level words, and he'd have way more errors than that on a side of notebook paper if it wasn't transferring. Most standardized tests are multiple choice, which are geared for the natural speller, and can be very troublesome for students who struggle with spelling. They see the multiple possibilities, and suddenly each one looks like a good possibility, and it gets confusing. Their mind tells them that logically “fusible†and “fusable†can both say the same thing. Without having the visual picture that the natural speller has, it is very difficult. Some kids just chose the first option that looks halfway decent without putting much thought into it. Others look at the test like it's an "unwinnable" game and just want to get it done. I would encourage you not to get hung up on the testing. What you are looking for is every day spelling improvement. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 The DORA test is not multiple choice, you have to spell the words on your own. However, they do not use that many words, it is one of the shorter portions of the test. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocassie Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I don't know how they test on the DORA but I know that my DD has trouble picking out the correct spelling when the other spellings are wrong but close to the correct spelling. However, in her everyday writing she makes very few errors and mostly on words we haven't actually covered yet. Occasionally she makes a lazy error, but overall she is a good speller. It's when they all look the same that she second guesses herself. Maybe something like this happened to your son. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Is this a one off, or has he ever scored that low before on spelling? If it's a one off, I'd be inclined to think something was amiss with the test or his game on that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Two or three words wrong, provided his handwriting is normal sized, is average in my opinion, provided the content of the text is at grade level. I agree with the others: test again, ask him to take it seriously as you were a little concerned about the last results, and see how he does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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