LC003 – Differentiation

Assessing and Differentiating Spelling Instruction

 Spelling assessment can be used diagnostically to improve both teaching quality and student learning. It also plays a crucial role in informing differentiated instruction and monitoring progress over time.

Price: $165 • Access: 90 days

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Course Detail

Spelling assessment can be used diagnostically to improve both teaching quality and student learning. It also plays a crucial role in informing differentiated instruction and monitoring progress over time. While spelling error analysis is a powerful assessment method, it can be time‑intensive and complex. Likewise, differentiating spelling instruction in diverse mainstream classroom settings presents its own challenges. In this course, Dr Daffern presents a range of innovative, comprehensive, evidence‑based and efficient ways to assess spelling and triangulate data. Participants will learn practical strategies for conducting high‑quality spelling assessment and for differentiating instruction so that all students are appropriately supported and extended in their learning. This course includes four parts:
Part 1: Assessing spelling skills – Introduction
Part 2: Assessing spelling skills in the early years of school
Part 3: Assessing spelling skills in Year 3 and beyond
Part 4: Differentiating spelling instruction

Course Features

  • Understand how spelling assessment can be used diagnostically to inform high-quality teaching and improve student learning outcomes
  • Learn efficient, evidence-based approaches for assessing spelling across the early years and primary–secondary continuum
  • Develop skills in analysing and triangulating spelling assessment data to identify student strengths and learning needs
  • Explore practical methods for differentiating spelling instruction to support both student progression and extension in diverse classrooms
  • Build confidence in using structured assessment tools and error analysis to monitor progress over time and guide instructional decisions
  • On-demand videos (4)
  • Follow-up Tasks
  • Includes downloadable tools for suggested spelling assessment schedule

Course Instructor

Dr Tessa Daffern is an experienced educator, researcher and literacy consultant with more than 25 years’ experience across schools, universities and professional learning contexts. Tessa specialises in evidence-based spelling instruction, with particular expertise in phonology, orthography and morphology, and is committed to supporting educators to strengthen language and literacy learning in their classrooms.

This course addresses AITSL standards 1.2.2, 2.3.2, 1.5.2, 2.1.2, 2.2.2, 2.3.2, 2.5.2, 3.3.2 and 3.4.2

NESA Registered PD Provider

Course Content

13 sections • 4hr30min+ total length

Assessing spelling skills – Introduction

Download and read Daffern’s Suggested Spelling Assessment Schedule

Assessing spelling skills in the early years of school

Download and read Daffern’s article, The ART of Learning to Spell Acquisition, Retention and Transfer

Note: suitable if you are currently teaching students in the early years of school

Design your own 2-step ART PhOrM assessment of taught skills

Assessing spelling skills in Year 3 and beyond

Complete a linguistic terminology ‘drag and drop’ matching task to consolidate your learning.

Note: suitable if you are currently teaching students in Year 3 or above

Design your own 2-step ART PhOrM assessment of taught skills

Download and read journal article by Daffern and Fleet (2021, preprint version):  Investigating the efficacy of using error analysis data to inform explicit teaching of spelling

Download and read journal article by Daffern and Ramful (2020) Measurement of spelling ability: construction and validation of a phonological, orthographic and morphological pseudo‑word instrument for students in Grades 3–6

Differentiating spelling instruction

Revisit and review your spelling assessment schedule as needed. Refer to the Daffern’s Suggested Spelling Assessment Schedule

Download and read the suite of available supplementary curated professional reading materials

Course access: 90 days from date of registration

This course is suitable for all school educators: early, primary and secondary school years.

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Strengthen Literacy Instruction with Confidence

Evidence-based professional learning designed to support explicit spelling and literacy instruction in today’s classrooms.

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