GL Assessment launches new test series to check spelling is on track23 April 2009 – GL Assessment has today published a new edition of its well-established spelling test series, the British Spelling Test Series 2 (BSTS2) for 6 to 13 year olds. The new edition is designed to play an important role in checking that spelling attainment is on track, supporting teachers in their own assessment of their pupils’ attainment and highlighting where additional support is needed for those pupils for whom spelling is especially difficult. BSTS2 checks spelling at word, sentence and at continuous writing level, and contains a wide mix of questions and tasks that test spelling in different contexts – an element that is unique to this series. Each test contains an equivalent form, so that teachers can use the first form at the beginning of the school year and the alternative form to check progress later on. Each test has been carefully tailored to the age of the pupils and comprises an extended range of tasks that assess spelling based on classroom and teaching activities. New, full colour illustrations are included for the younger learners and, in line with recent thinking, proof-reading has been discarded from all but the test for 11 – 13 year olds. The tests can be administered in groups or individually, and each test takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Sue Thompson, the series publisher at GL Assessment, believes that BSTS2 offers something very different to teachers. “Achieving fluency and proficiency in English spelling is a challenge for many pupils and is an area of literacy that rightly demands attention on a regular basis.” “Whilst we have produced a rigorous spelling test, we also wanted to make it attractive to pupils – to engage them rather than scare them. We had a lot of fun with the illustrations and these have been welcomed by teachers and pupils alike. It also helps that the teacher is very involved in the entire process, providing a feeling of support to the pupils.” BSTS2 was developed by a recognised team of literacy experts, led by Denis Vincent, and incorporates up-to-date pedagogy and Government strategy for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Fully trialled and standardised on 13,000 UK pupils, BSTS2 test results provide standard age scores, age equivalent scores and percentile ranks - all of which provide powerful evidence when schools have to account to parental and public audiences on spelling standards. Denis Vincent, the series author, explains: “The ability to spell words accurately and confidently is as important as being able to read them. Spelling is the key to written literacy, just as word recognition is the key to reading. Both skills require systematic teaching and this will be at its most effective when supported through systematic assessment. Formal standardised tests are a valuable resource for teachers to do precisely this, and for reading, there many published options available.” “For testing spelling, BSTS2 provides teachers with a normative benchmark of attainment, matching comparable leading nationally standardised reading tests in terms of reliability, validity and norms. Wherever the use of a standardised test of reading is desirable, the inclusion of BSTS2 deserves serious consideration, paralleling the assessment of reading with a comparable test of written literacy.” He continues, “BSTS2 will identify children who are struggling with writing even though their performance on reading tests does not raise concerns. More generally, the learning of spelling continues to present a challenge to many learners long after they have acquired full fluency in oral reading skills. BSTS2 enables teachers to screen the failing writer and monitor the overall performance of all pupils.” BSTS2 contains four tests that cover the following year groups: Years 1/2 (P2/3), Years 3/4 (P4/5), Years 5/6 (P6/7) and Years 6 – 8 (P7 – S2). Each test has a Teacher Guide explaining how to administer, mark and score the test, as well as how to use conversion tables to obtain standardised scores and spelling ages. The guides also provide guidance on assessing the severity of the spelling problems of pupils who performed poorly on the test.
- ends - About GL Assessment GL Assessment is the UK’s leading independent provider of tests and assessment services for education. It publishes across the 4 -19 age range, with the majority of its assessments designed for 5-14 year-olds. For further information, please contact Danielle Morgan PR and Events Manager, Granada Learning Tel: 020 8996 3632 / 07740 393448 Email: danielle.morgan@gl-assessment.co.uk
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