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Supplementary Spelling Assessments (SSpA) |
| Assessment Area |
English-Spelling
|
| Year level |
4-6 |
| NZ origin? |
Yes |
| Standardised? |
Yes , 2007 |
| Administration to individual or group? |
Group |
| What does it assess? |
Assesses a range of spelling skills that may not always be evident in students' writing. Tests in Part 1 assess achievement and progress, Part 2 contains diagnostic assessments. |
| Purpose |
Designed to augment the assessments of spelling that teachers make on the basis of how, and how well, children spell in their writing, by testing a range of spelling skills that may not always be evident in writing. |
| Validity |
Pages 42 and 43 of the manual provide information on item review and selection for validity for the trial tests. |
| Reliability |
Pages 42 and 43 of the manual provide information on item review and selection for measures of internal consistency for the trial tests. |
| What measures does it give? |
Progress in spelling performance via the SSpA scale
Comparative achievement against national norms
Progress through a developmental sequence for written spelling |
| How long does it take to administer? |
Different sub-tests vary in length. Tests can be administered more than once in the school year, and at any time of the year. |
| How much training is needed? |
A thorough read of the manual. |
| Scoring and data analysis |
Information for teachers is contained in the Teacher Manual and the Administration and Scoring Guide. |
| Does it provide 'what next' strategies? |
No , although the diagnostic tests enable careful pinpointing of areas of challenge. |
| Is it available in te reo Maori? |
No |
| Cost? |
Sample costs September 2017:
Starter kit $52.50;
Teacher's manual $26.00;
Test booklets (pkt 10) $11.50;
Diagnostic Assessment Pack (pkt 10) $29.00 |
| Author, date of publication and publisher |
Cedric Croft, 2007
Published by NZCER |
| Availability |
Available from NZCER. |
| Further Information |
Students write their answers on the test booklets. There are no separate answer sheets. The assessments consist of a number of short subtests, each of which assesses a different aspect of children’s spelling ability. The assessments may be used more than once in the school year, and at any time. Each test in Part 1 is made up of several subtests. The subtests are:
- Dictated Words (Tests 1, 2 and 3)
- Beginning Sounds (Test 1 only)
- Dictated Paragraph (Tests 2 and 3 only)
- Recognising Errors in Words (Tests 1, 2, and 3)
- Recognising Errors in Sentences (Tests 1, 2, and 3)
- Recognising Correct Words (Tests 2 and 3 only)
SSpA Part 2 has six subtests. They are recommended generally for use with students from Year 5 and above who are making significantly slower progress or displaying significant weakness in the skills covered by the range of subtests. There are two packs of diagnostic assessments. Diagnostic Assessments 1
- Beginning Sounds/Initial Consonants
- Beginning Sounds/Prefixes
- Ending Sounds/Suffixes
Diagnostic Assessments 2
- Short and Long Vowel Sounds
- Silent Letters
- Shortened Words/Contractions
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