To investigate the effect of the Initial Teaching Alphabet (ITA) on spelling proficiency, a study was devised whereby seventh grade students who had been taught reading in the first and second grade using ITA were compared with students who had been taught in the traditional manner. Each group of students was tested on the spelling sections of two achievement tests and also completed a reading achievement test. Analysis of the results indicated that there was no significant difference between the ITA group and the traditional group on the spelling tests. In both groups a significant correlation existed between reading and spelling ability. The results of the study indicated that the use of the ITA as the initial teaching medium did not inhibit students' ability to learn proper English spelling, nor did it improve spelling proficiency. Reading ability proved to be a more accurate indicator of spelling performance than the method by which the student learned to read. (Author/MAI)