Running head: ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 1

Assessment Assignment

Alison Roberts

Longwood University
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 2

Assessment Assignment

Class Overview

This is an overview of my third grade class at Longwood Elementary School. My

students range from needing instruction in Late Letter Name to Middle Derivational

Relations features. I have eighteen students in my class. I have put them into four word study

groups based on where I think they will benefit the most from instruction.

Instructional Groups

Each student was given the Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory (see

Appendix A for each student’s spelling sample and power score). Each student’s errors were

evaluated using the Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory Feature Guide (see

Appendix B for Caleb’s feature guide). Using the Feature Guide and the Error Guide for

Elementary Spelling Inventory, I found what spelling stage each of my students were at and put

them into groups with students who were in similar stages. My word study groups will be

designated by color. Purple Group is in Early to Middle Derivational Relations. Yellow Group is

in Middle to Late Syllables and Affixes. Pink Group is in Middle to Late Within Word Pattern.

Green Group is in Late Letter Name to Early Within Word Patterns.

Purple Group

The Purple Group is comprised of Miguel, Trevor H., and Edwin. Miguel is Middle

Derivational Relations. He is the most advanced speller in the class. Based on Trevor H.’s

spelling errors, he is in Early Derivational Relations, and ready for instruction in Bases/Roots.

Edwin is also in Early Derivational Relation, and ready for instruction in Bases/Roots. I expect

Trevor H. and Edwin’s reading levels to be early to middle advanced, and Miguel’s reading level

to be middle advanced to advanced (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston, 2016, p. 45)
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 3

Grouping Justification.

I grouped these three students together because they will all benefit from advanced

instruction in Derivational Relations. Edwin and Trevor H. both need instruction in Bases or

Roots. Miguel only missed one in the Bases or Roots section, so this could be a review for him at

first. Soon, though, they will be able to do more advanced more with Derivational Relations.

Outliers.

Miguel is an outlier in this group. Edwin and Trevor H. both need instruction in Bases or

Roots, while Miguel only needs a review. I placed him in this group because they are the closest

to his instruction level. To support him, I will give him more advanced words to do Bases or

Roots work with.

Features.

All three students have mastered the features in Letter Name, Within Word Pattern, and

Syllables and Affixes words. They did not miss more than one for any of the features within

these stages, indicating their proficiency. Trevor H. and Edwin both used but confused features

within Bases or Roots. None of the features were absent in their samples.

Initial Sort.

The initial sort I have picked for this group is Greek Roots from Words Their Way (see

Table 1) (Bear et al., 2016, p. 363). I think this will be a good initial sort for this group because it

introduced the feature Bases or Roots well. It just compares two Greek roots, so it will not be too

overwhelming. Looking at roots is different than sorts they may have experienced before,

because it looks at the meaning of the words. These roots are obvious and regular, so I think it

will be a good starting point.

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 4

Table 1.
Autograph Telegram

Automatic Telepathy

Autobiography Telegraph

Autonomy Televise

Automobile Telephone

Autonomous Teleconference

Instructional Pace.

At the end of third grade, students are expected to be in Early Syllables and Affixes (Bear

et al., 2016, p. 43). This group has already shown proficiency above that level, so there is no

need to worry about keeping a quick pace with this group and no need for intervention. As

students move through the stages, their progress slows and they spend more time on each feature.

Considering this and how advanced they are, I think their pace will be slow to average.

Advanced Learner Considerations.

With how advanced this group is, I will give them more independence than I will my

other groups. I will be using blind sorts often to challenge my students to find the patterns in the

words. I will give them advanced reading material that challenges them to put what they have

learned about Bases and Roots into practice. I will give them more words to sort that have less

obvious contrasts (Bear et al., 2016, p. 67).

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 5

Yellow Group

The Yellow Group will consist of Callie, Natalie, Dana, Ben, and Lindsay. Callie is in

Late Syllables and Affixes. Natalie is in Middle Syllables and Affixes. Dana is in Middle

Syllables and Affixes. Ben is in Late Syllables and Affixes. Lindsay is in Late Syllables and

Affixes. I expect all of their reading levels to be Intermediate to Advanced (Bear et al., 2016, p.

45).

Grouping Justification.

I chose to group these five students together because they are all either Middle or Late

Syllables and Affixes. I thought about combining this group with the Purple Group, but I thought

it would be too slow of a pace for the Purple Group and too fast of a pace for this group. The

three students who are in Late Syllables and Affixes each missed one feature in Middle Syllables

and Affixes, making Middle a good place for review and starting.

Outliers.

There is not an outlier for this group. Two students are Middle Syllables and Affixes and

three are Late Syllables and Affixes.

Features.

All five students showed proficiency in Letter Name and Within Word Pattern stages.

They were all able to use Inflected Endings and Syllables Juncture features with no more than

one error per section per person. Natalie and Dana used but confused Unaccented Final

Syllables. All of the students used but confused harder suffixes. Callie and Natalie both used but

confused Bases or Roots. Dana and Ben had minimal Bases or Roots features, and Bases or

Roots Feature was absent for Lindsay.

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 6

Initial Sort.

I chose a sort that is instruction for the two Middle Syllables and Affixes students. It will

be good practice for the other three students, and will not cause any harm. Choosing a Late

Syllables and Affixes could harm the two lower students, so I chose to work at their level and

work up to the other three students. The first feature we work on will be Unaccented Final

Syllables. The sort I chose from Words Their Way compares er, ar, and or (see Table 2.) (Bear et

al, 2016, p. 359). All of the students were able to correctly spell either er, ar, or, or more than

one on the assessment, but missed one or more, which will give them support to build off of

while still progressing.

Table 2.
er ar or

bigger burglar doctor

freezer grammar favor

dreamer collar author

faster dollar editor

blister lunar tractor

jogger solar motor

speaker mayor

skater

smaller
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 7

Instructional Pace.

This group has already accomplished the end of the year goal of Early Syllables and

Affixes (Bear et al., 2016, p. 43). I expect their pace will be slower than it has been before

because they are going to be studying Late Syllables and Affixes and Early Derivational

Relations work this year. I do not think any of the students in this group will require intervention

based on how advanced their scores are.

Pink Group

Brian, Molly, Lexi, Kaylee, and Anna are in the Pink Group. They are all wither Middle

or Late Within Word Pattern. Brian is in Late Within Word Pattern. Molly is in Late Within

Word Pattern. Lexi is in Late Within Word Pattern. Kaylee is Middle Within Word Pattern. Anna

is Middle Within Word Pattern. Brian, Molly, and Lexi’s reading level is expected to be Late

Transitional, and Kaylee and Anna’s reading level is expected to be Middle Transitional (Bear et

al., 2016, 45).

Grouping Justification.

I grouped these students together because they are all close between Middle and Late

Within Word. The students in the Yellow Group are almost out of Syllables and Affixes, so they

could not be in a group together. The Pink Group is close in level to the Green Group. I chose to

separate these students because they had all shown mastery of Long Vowels, which the Green

Group still needs to work on.

Outliers.

There aren’t any significant outliers in this group. There are two students who are Middle

Within Word. I will tailor the initial sort to meet the needs to these two students so they do not
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 8

fall further behind. The three students who are in Late Within Word will not fall behind by

reviewing.

Features.

All of the students in the Pink Group showed proficiency in Letter Name features. They

also showed proficiency in Blends and Long Vowels. Kaylee and Anna used but confused Other

Vowels. Brian, Molly, and Lexi showed proficiency in Other Vowels. All five students used but

confused Inflected Endings. Brian and Lexi showed proficiency in Syllable Juncture. Molly,

Kaylee, and Anna used but confused Syllable Juncture features. Brian and Molly showed

proficiency in Unaccented Final Syllables. Lexi, Kaylee, and Anna used but confused

Unaccented Final Syllables. Brian, Molly, Kaylee, and Anna used but confused Harder Suffixes.

Harder Suffixes were absent in Lexi’s sample. Brian and Molly both scored one point for Bases

or Roots, while Bases and Roots were absent for the rest of the group.

Initial Sort.

The initial sort I chose from Words Their Way for this group works with Other Vowel

features (see Table 3) (Bear et al., 2016, p. 356). This sort focuses on r-influenced a. I chose this

ort because it will match the instruction needs of Kaylee and Anna, but will not be too easy for

the rest of the group. This sort compares –ar, -are, and –air. They will already be familiar with

seeing many of the –ar words, so I think this will be a good starting point for the group to build

from.
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 9

Table 3.
ar are air *

car care chair bear

star share pair

bark bare hair

card mare air

far rare

dark scare

arm hare

start

Instructional Pace.

Right now, this group consists of Middle to Late Within Word Pattern Students. They are

right at or slightly below where they are expected to be at the end of second grade. They need to

get to Early Syllable and Affixes by the end of this year (Bear et al., 2016, p. 43). Given this

information, I expect that, if this group keeps an average pace, they will meet the end of the year

goal. Looking at their scores, I do not believe intervention will be required to meet the goal.

However, I think I will need to keep a close eye on this group to make sure no one is falling

behind or needs interventional support.

Green Group

The Green Group is composed of Steven, Bridget, Sam, Trevor B., and Caleb. Steven is

in Early Within Word Pattern. Bridget is in Early Within Word Pattern. Sam is also Early Within

Word Patterns. Trevor B. is in Late Letter Name. Caleb is also Late Letter Name. The expected
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 10

reading level for Steven, Bridget and Sam is Early Transitional, while the expected level for Sam

and Trevor B. is Late Beginning (Bear et al., 2016, p. 45).

Grouping Justification.

These students are all Early Within Word Pattern or Late Letter Name. The closest

instructional group is the Pink Group, which is Middle and Late Within Word Pattern; I did not

want to mix these two groups because there would be too much difference in levels and pacing. I

chose to mix the Late Letter Name and Early Within Word Pattern because Caleb and Trevor B.

only need to master Diagraphs before they will be at the same level at the rest of the group.

While it would be ideal to have a separate group for Caleb and Trevor B., it is not possible. I do

think it’s possible to provide differentiated instruction within this group to help the two reach

where the rest of the group is.

Outliers.

Caleb and Sam are outliers in this group. They are both Late Letter Name. They both

have a gap in their knowledge with Diagraphs. However, they both have mastered Blends, and

their next area to work on after Diagraphs is Long Vowels. Their knowledge of Blends and

Diagraphs made determining their stages difficult, but the error patterns they were making on

words outside Blends and Diagraphs are consistent with students who are Late Letter Name. I am

going to work to accommodate them while keeping instruction moving for the other students in

the group. To do this, I will partner Caleb and Sam with other students in the group to help them

keep up. The initial sort I plan on using will not include any diagraphs, which Caleb and Sam are

using but confusing, so they will be able to read all of the words. After the initial sort on Long

Vowel patterns, I will include sorts that can be doubled for Long Vowel Patterns and Diagraphs.
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 11

This way, they will get instruction for both Long Vowel Patterns, which the rest of the group

needs, as well as Diagraphs.

Features.

All of the students in this group mastered the Consonants and Short Vowels. Steven,

Bridget, and Sam have mastered Diagraphs. Caleb and Trevor B. are using but confusing

diagraphs. All five students have shown proficiency in Blends. Steven, Bridget, Sam, and Caleb

are using but confusing Long Vowels, Other Vowels, and Inflected Endings. Long Vowels,

Other vowels, and Inflected Endings are absent in Trevor B.’s writing. All five students are using

but confusing Syllable Juncture and Unaccented Final Syllables features. Steven, Bridget, and

Sam are just starting to be use but confuse Harder Suffixes. Harder Suffixes are absent for

Trevor B. and Caleb. Steven seems to be beginning to use but confuse Bases or Roots, since he

was able to get one correct. Bridget, Sam, Caleb, and Trevor B. have Bases or Roots features

absent from their writing.

Initial Sort.

The initial Words Their Way sort I chose for this group is Short/Long a (see Table 4)

(Bear et al., 2016, p. 356). There are three words listed in the sort in Words Their Way that I will

take out so there are not any diagraphs in the words this week. This will leave words that all of

the students should be able to read. Next week, once students have gained some familiarity with

Short/Long a, I will add words with Short/Long a and diagraphs and have students do a double

sort. I think this is a good sort to start with because it only contrasts CCVC/CVC/CVCC, CVCe,

and oddball words. I think the familiarity the students will already have with the

CCVC/CVC/CVCC words will be supportive before we move into Long a Patterns.

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 12

Table 4.
Short a Long a *

hat name have

ask date

slap race

fast plane

lamp cape

flag page

pass same

glad safe

gave

gate

Instructional Pace.

To meet the end of the year goal of Early Syllables and Affixes, this group will need to

work hard (Bear et al., 2016, p. 43). They are currently only at or below the end of the first grade

goal (Bear et al., 2016, p. 43). They will need to keep a fast pace to be able to meet the end of the

year goal. I think this group will need intervention to reach this goal. I think this is especially

true for Trevor B. and Caleb. They will need a lot of support this year.

Struggling Learner and English Learner Considerations.

To support English Learners, I plan to find out more about their native language. I need

to find whether the language is alphabetic, what directionality is used, what sounds are used, and,
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 13

if the language is alphabetic, if the sounds match up to the same letter in both languages. I will

find cognates to support spelling and vocabulary. I will also look for errors that I believe are

caused by difference in letter-sound correspondence and work on developing their knowledge of

phonics. To support struggling learners, I will give have students work in pairs. I will also work a

lot of hearing the difference in the sounds and the way their mouths should move. For both

struggling learners and English learners, I will reduce the number of words used to contrast in

the sort and using words that are easier so they can read each word (Bear et al., 2016, p. 67).
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 14

References

Bear, D., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (2016). Words their way: Word study for

phonics, spelling and vocabulary instruction (6th Ed.), Boston, MA: Pearson.
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 15

Appendix A

Class Spelling Samples

ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 16
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 17
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 18
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 19
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 20
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 21
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 22
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 23
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 24

Appendix B

Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory Feature Guide for Caleb
ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT 25

Appendix C

Words Their Way Elementary Spelling Inventory Classroom Composite