The goal of this study was to test the item-based assumption of the self-teaching hypothesis by reanalyzing Cunningham's (2006) data. In Cunningham's study, 37 first graders participated in a self-teaching experiment, and their orthographic learning was measured by a spelling task and an orthographic choice task. A 2-level logistic regression…

The Computer-based Orthographic Processing Assessment (COPA) is a newly developed assessment to measure orthographic processing skills, including rapid perception, access, differentiation, correction, and arrangement. In this study, cognitive diagnostic models were used to test if the dimensionality of the COPA conforms to theoretical expectation,…

Orthographic processing -- the ability to perceive, access, differentiate, and manipulate orthographic knowledge -- is essential when learning to recognize words. Despite its critical importance in literacy acquisition, the field lacks a tool to assess this essential cognitive ability. The goal of this study was to design a computer-based…

The current study explored a possible continuum of spelling features that children receiving literacy instruction in Spanish might be expected to master in Grades 1-3. We administered a developmental spelling inventory representing nine distinct Spanish spelling features to 864 students in bilingual and dual language schools across the U.S.…

Assessments of developmental spelling, also called spelling inventories, are commonly used to understand students' orthographic knowledge (i.e., knowledge of how written words work) and to determine their stages of spelling and reading development. The information generated by these assessments is used to inform teachers' grouping practices and…

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) has updated its 2009 intervention report for SuccessMaker®, a set of computer-based courses designed to supplement regular K-8 reading instruction. The program is designed to improve skills in areas such as concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and…

We investigated the latent factor structure of the "Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarteners" in Spanish ("PALS español K"). Participants included 590 Spanish-speaking, public-school kindergarteners from five states. Three theoretically-guided factor structures were measured and tested with one half of our…

This study examined the relationships between the cognitive processes of rapid naming and phonological processing and various literacy skills. Variables measured and used in this analysis were phonological processing, rapid naming, reading comprehension, isolated and nonsense word reading, and spelling. Data were collected from 65 second-to-fifth…

Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) is working to make high-quality voluntary preschool universally accessible to every 4-year-old in Los Angeles County by building upon the existing early care and education system. This brief provides a snapshot of children and families participating in LAUP center-based programs in the fall of 2007, at the…

This study examined factors affecting motivation for reading, writing, and spelling in primary grade students using a new measure, the Early Literacy Motivation Survey (ELMS). First-graders (198) responded to questions measuring attributions, self-efficacy, and perceived competence. The ELMS uses scenarios and short tasks to contextualize the…

AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO REPEAT, WITH REFINEMENTS, THE RESEARCH DESIGN OF THE HANNA-MOORE STUDY (1953) CONCERNING PHONEME-GRAPHEME RELATIONSHIPS. OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE--(1) TO EXAMINE THE SOUND-TO-LETTER CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EXTENDED LIST OF 10,000 WORDS, (2) TO DISCOVER TO WHAT DEGREE THE SAME 80 PERCENT CRITERION OF PHONEME-TO-GRAPHEME…

The primary objective of this study was to determine the most effective of three spelling programs for sixth graders coming from two culturally different and racially distinct areas of a large metropolitan school district. A secondary objective was to examine any differences which might exist between inner-city and suburban children in the…

A LINGUISTIC MODEL DEVELOPMENT FOR DESCRIBING SPELLING-TO-SOUND CORRESPONDENCES WAS UNDERTAKEN AND A NUMBER OF SPELLING-TO-SOUND PATTERNS ANALYZED, CONTINUING AN EARLIER STUDY PERFORMED UNDER PROJECT NO. S-039 (ED 003 445). RESEARCH EMPHASIZED VOWEL SPELLINGS AND THE INFLUENCE OF VARIOUS CONSONANTS UPON THE PRONUNCIATIONS OF THESE SPELLINGS. IT…

This two-part document contains a spelling word list compiled by the Sonoma County Superintendent of Schools (California) for use in the California State Elementary Spelling Championship competition, along with information for planning and conducting spelling bees. The spelling word list (also intended for use in the regional competitions) is a…

TO IMPLEMENT THE PHILOSOPHY THAT GOOD WRITING STEMS FROM GOOD THINKING AND THAT PRACTICE IN PRODUCTIVE THINKING IS A PREREQUISITE FOR WRITING INSTRUCTION, THE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS OF LOS ALTOS, CALIFORNIA, PREPARED THIS GUIDE FOR TEACHING WRITTEN EXPRESSION IN GRADES KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHT. THE OBJECTIVES ARE TO HELP CHILDREN (1) THINK…