Targeted Instruction
Scoring and analyzing spelling errors by hand is so incredibly time consuming, often incomplete and too subjective. SPELL-2 does all the work for you, pinpoints where to begin word study instruction, and prescribes exactly what to teach.
Coming early 2023
SPELL-3—a web-based version of the powerful diagnostic prescriptive assessment of word-level reading and spelling skills! Learn more.
About SPELL-2
Skills & Content
- Phonological awareness, including phoneme and syllable segmentation, and vowel discrimination
- Orthographic knowledge, including letter-sound relationships, letter patterns and spelling rules
- Morphological knowledge, including letter-meaning relationships of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots
- Semantic relationships, including relationships between base words, inflected words, and derived words
- Mental orthographic images of words and word parts stored in long-term memory.
Target Audience
SPELL-2 is appropriate for all Grade 2+ students who are struggling with reading decoding, reading fluency, spelling, writing, and vocabulary. SPELL-2 is also for Tier 2 & Tier 3 students, special education students, speech-language impaired students, ELL students,
Title I students, and students with dyslexia and dysgraphia.
Research & Results
Criterion validity of SPELL
ASHA, 2006
Product Details
Format & Administration: Download software; computer-administered assessment with minimal supervision required; Examiner’s Manual (PDF) included.
Response: keyboard entry (option for students to write responses on paper for keyboard entry by examiner) and mouse click.
Completion time: 30–60 minutes.
Ages/Grades: Grade 2–Adult.
Minimum System Requirements*: Select a product code to view exact requirements.
*SPELL-2 is not compatible with macOS, Chromebook, and tablet devices. SPELL-3 (coming early 2023) will be compatible with macOS, Chromebook, tablet, and WinOS.
Link assessment to intervention and devote instructional time only where it’s needed. SPELL-2 identifies the underlying language processes that are interfering with successful reading and spelling and automatically links a student’s assessment data to specific structured language instruction by listing the corresponding lesson number and word study activities in the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing – Word Study Curriculum applicable for each instructional goal.
Detect oral and written language deficits often missed by other assessments. With SPELL-2, you obtain a deep, highly sensitive, and valid measure of a student’s word study knowledge and skills. The assessment software automatically and seamlessly adapts to a student’s responses, presenting test items that are uniquely tailored for the individual student.
SPELL-2 does all the testing work for you so you can devote more of your valuable time to teaching. Administration, scoring, data interpretation, written reports, targeted intervention plans—and with SPELL2g, student grouping by instructional needs—it’s all done for you!
About SPELL-3
With SPELL-3 (Spelling Performance Evaluation of Language and Literacy Skills—Third Edition) you’ll enjoy seamless compatibility with macOS and Windows OS; the option to administer the assessment using a desktop or laptop computer and most tablets including iPads, Chromebooks, and popular Android tablets; login flexibility so you can begin testing on one device and finish on another; and easy remote testing for virtual service delivery.
You and your students will benefit from an updated assessment that aligns with the most current research; deeper assessment of morphological knowledge and awareness; assessment of additional phonological, orthographic, and morphological patterns; assessment of more advanced words for older students; and a redesigned user interface appropriate for all ages including high school and adult.
You’ll save time because SPELL-3 automatically transfers a student’s results to a Print & Go Treatment & Progress Monitoring Plan, and you’ll enjoy seamless access to a built-in response viewer that allows easy examination of all responses made by a student, not just the errors that trigger intervention goals.
You’ll also save time with the built-in grouping tool that automatically groups students for instruction based on common learning needs.
You’ll have peace of mind knowing that your data is securely stored for you—no need to worry about backups and lost data! And you’ll know that assessment updates and new features will be added automatically, at no additional cost.
A comparison of the key features of SPELL-3 and SPELL-2:
Feature | SPELL-3 | SPELL-2 |
Platform | Web-based app | Desktop/laptop software |
OS Compatibility | macOS and Windows OS | Windows OS (not Mac compatible) |
Device compatibility | Desktops, laptops, most tablets including iPads, Chromebooks, and popular Android tablets | Desktops and laptops |
Remote access | Access the web-based program from anywhere; begin testing on one device, finish on another | Access the software program on your desktop or laptop; testing of a student must be started and completed on the same machine |
User interface | Ageless | Some users may dislike graphics and animations |
Pricing & Administrations* | Pay per administration, pay only for the number of assessments you need to administer; cost per administration decreases with increase in number of administrations purchased | Pay one-time fee for unlimited administrations per license |
Ability to simultaneously test multiple students | Included and unlimited | Additional licenses must be purchased to simultaneously test multiple students |
Grouping Tool | Included | Available at additional cost |
Automatic upgrades | Includes automatic upgrades to newer versions and immediate access to new test features and scoring analyses to reflect the most current research | Not available |
Automatic updates | Includes automatic bug fixes and patches to the existing software | Not available |
Storage/backup of student data | Securely stored and automatically backed up for you on our server | Stored on your local computer; requires manual backup |
Research basis | Updated assessment aligns with most current research | Older assessment not aligned with most current research |
Treatment plan report | Automatically created for you | Requires manual transfer of data from SPELL-2 to Appendix E in SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing curriculum |
Correlation with SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing curriculum* | A third edition of SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing, to be released at a future date, will directly correlate with SPELL-3 | SPELL-2 is directly correlated with lessons and activities in the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing word study curriculum (2nd Edition) |
Easy examination of all responses made by a student, not just the errors that trigger goals | Built-in | Runs Separately |
*Reasons you may want to continue using SPELL-2 at this time
FAQs
Will SPELL-2 still be available for purchase?
No. Once SPELL-3 is released, new customers will need to purchase SPELL-3.
Can I keep using the SPELL-2 software I already purchased?
Yes. You may continue using your SPELL-2 CD or SPELL-2 downloaded software. However, we will no longer provide tech support for the SPELL-2 CD and SPELL-2 downloaded software beginning April 1, 2023.
Can I still purchase additional user licenses for the SPELL-2 downloaded software?
Yes. You may purchase additional user licenses for the SPELL-2 downloaded software. However, tech support for SPELL-2 will be discontinued on April 1, 2023.
Can I still upgrade my SPELL-2 CD software to SPELL-2 download software?
Yes. If you currently use the CD version of SPELL-2, you may upgrade to the SPELL-2 downloaded software. We strongly recommend this for all SPELL-2 users. This upgrade option will no longer be available after April 1, 2023.