1. Assessing Phonics and Decoding Knowledge with the
Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA)
Implementation
and
Analysis

2. Assessing Phonics and Decoding Knowledge
Effective phonics instruction is preceded by an assessment of students’ phonics knowledge or simply what they know about words.
The goal of a phonics and decoding assessment is to discover what students understand about sound-symbol relationships.
Research has shown that the understanding students have about words can be revealed in a simple dictated spelling inventory (Perfetti, 1992; Templeton & Bear, 1992).

3. The Power of Developmental Spelling
Spelling errors or inventions are a means for understanding students’ word knowledge (Read, 1971).
Children advance their word knowledge through a stagelike progression(Bear et al., 1983).
Spelling (orthographic) knowledge is of central importance to writing words (encoding) and reading words (decoding) (Adams, 1990).
Dictated spelling inventories reliably and easily allow teachers to quickly assess each child’s stage of development and identify phonic concepts needed for instruction (Perfetti, 1992; Templeton & Bear, 1992).

4. Grades K-3 Developmental Spelling Analysis (DSA) (Ganske, 1999)
Purpose – to identify each child’s stage of development and to see the phonics patterns that the student already knows and what they need to learn
What? Spelling Inventory
Why? So teachers can design phonics instruction that builds systematically on the students’ already know
How? Refer to Guidelines

5. Stages of Spelling Development
Emergent Stage Letter Name Stage (LN) Within Word Pattern Stage (WW) Syllable Juncture Stage (SJ) Derivational Constancy Stage (DC)
LN STAGE
WW STAGE
SJ STAGE
DC STAGE
Initial & Final Consonants
Initial Consonant Blends & Digraphs
Short vowels
Affricates
Final Consonant Blends & Digraphs
STAGE SCORE
Long Vowels (Vce)
R-Controlled Vowels
Other Common Long Vowels
Complex Consonants
Abstract Vowels
Doubling & e-Drop with ed & ing
Other Syllable Juncture Doubling
Long Vowel Patterns (Stressed Syllable)
R-controlled vowels (stressed syllable)
Unstressed Syllable vowel pattern
Silent & sounded consonants
Consonant changes
Vowel Changes
Latin-Derived Suffixes
Assimilated Prefixes A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T

6. DSA Screening Inventory
Directions: I am going to say some words that I want you to spell for me. Some of the words will be easy to spell, and some will be more difficult. When you don’t know how to spell a word, just do the best you can. Each time, I will say the word, then use it in a sentence, and then I will say the word again. 1.
hen
The hen sat on her eggs. 2.
wish
The boy made a wish and blew out the candles. 3.
trap
A spider web is a trap for flies. 4.
jump
A kangaroo can jump high. 5.
brave
A brave dog scared the robbers. 6.
smile
A smile shows that you are happy. 7.
grain
One kind of grain is called wheat. 8.
crawl
The baby can crawl but not walk. 9.
clerk
The clerk sold some shoes to me.
10.
clutch
The lady had to clutch her hat to keep it from flying off.
11.
palace
The king and queen live in a palace.
12.
observe
I like to observe birds at the feeder.
13.
shuffle
Please shuffle the cards before you deal.
14.
exciting
The adventure story I’m reading is very exciting.
15.
treason
The man was found guilty of treason.
16.
column
His picture was in the first column of the newspaper.
17.
variety
A grocery store has a wide variety of foods.
18.
extension
The workers need an extension ladder to reach the roof.
19.
competition
There was much competition between the two businesses.
20.
illiterate
An illiterate person is one who cannot read.
Stop when a student has spelled 0 or 1 word correctly out of any set of 5.