TEXES Science of Teaching Reading Practice Test

What assessment strategy is most effective for assessing a student's phonics knowledge in spelling?

1. The teacher embeds misspelled words in a paragraph, and students identify the misspellings

2. Students use their knowledge of phonics rules to pronounce a set of nonsense words prepared by the teacher

3. The teacher dictates a set of words for the student to write and then the teacher analyzes how the students encode different sounds

4. Students are given a set of words that follow common spelling patterns and substitute new initial letters to make new words

The correct answer is: The teacher dictates a set of words for the student to write and then the teacher analyzes how the students encode different sounds

The rationale behind selecting the strategy where the teacher dictates a set of words for the student to write, followed by an analysis of how the students encode different sounds, lies in its direct assessment of phonics knowledge in spelling. This approach allows the teacher to gather insights into how well students understand letter-sound relationships and spelling patterns as they apply their phonics skills to encode spoken words into written form. When students are dictating words, they must actively engage their phonological awareness, linking the sounds they hear with corresponding letters or letter combinations. This method illuminates their understanding of phonics rules and their ability to apply those rules to spell real words. Furthermore, analyzing the students' written responses provides detailed information about their specific phonics strengths and weaknesses, enabling targeted instruction moving forward. This approach is more effective compared to the other strategies, which may assess related skills but do not focus as specifically on the application of phonics in spelling. For instance, embedding misspelled words in a paragraph primarily measures a student's ability to identify errors rather than how they construct words themselves. Using nonsense words emphasizes pronunciation over practical spelling skills, while substituting initial letters in a set of words focuses more on manipulation than on their encoding capabilities during the spelling process. Thus, the