Course: Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale

Topic outline

A Johnny Can Spell Assessment Tool
- The Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale is a standardized dictated spelling test. It contains eight subtests, so it can be administered multiple times throughout the school year without affecting its validity. The words in each subtest are ordered by increasing difficulty level.
  The test was developed to be used with spelling curriculum that used the spelling list of high frequency words researched by Leonard Ayres and the Russell Foundation. Test norms were established in 1923 based on research with hundreds of students in US public schools.
  When the test directions are strictly adhered to, comparison of individual student progress can be tracked can from one subtest to another. Also, when the same subtest is administered during a school-wide testing window, horizontal grade level and vertical school-wide comparisons can be made to determine grade level progress and school-wide progress.
  Since JCSpell incorporates the ranked word list from Ayres (along with Dolch and Fry and Marzano vocabularies), and since looking at norms from 1923 will not lower our expectations, Alice Nine recommends using this test as a progress monitoring tool.
  It can be used strictly as a summative tool. However, if one analyzes student misspellings on the test, it can also be used as a formative assessment tool. The Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale (testing booklet) is included when you purchase the Johnny Can Spell Teacher's Guide.
- The design of spelling assessments.
  Most standardized spelling assessments use "spelling recognition" in testing questions to assess spelling skills, e.g., objective questions in the editing section of writing tests. Whereas, the Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale is a dictated spelling assessment.
  Read more about the difference between results from dictated spelling test and spelling recognition tests in the article linked below -- a 1929 study concerning the validity and comparability of test results from dictated spelling tests and self-administered spelling recognition tests.
  
  If you are monitoring student progress using the Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale, Doc. 1 (below) is a must read. You can skip the technical details of the research project and go to the end of the document to read the researchers' conclusions from their study.
- File
  
  Doc. 1: The design of Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale File
  
  Dictated spelling assessments vs. word/spelling recognition assessments.
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  Doc. 2: Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale File
  
  Download the complete test booklet (16 pages)
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  Doc. 3: Subtests from the Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale File
  
  Download the 8 subtests of Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale
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  Doc. 4: Administering and Scoring the M-M Spell Scale File
  
  General directions and explanations
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  Doc. 5: Morrison-McCall B-scores File
  
  Understanding and using Morrison-McCall B-scores
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  Doc. 6: Morrison-McCall Record File
  
  An Excel file for recording student scores.
  All formulas have been removed from the file. You can easily add formulas as needed to calculate totals, averages, and various group scores.

Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale

Topic outline

A Johnny Can Spell Assessment Tool

The Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale is a standardized dictated spelling test. It contains eight subtests, so it can be administered multiple times throughout the school year without affecting its validity. The words in each subtest are ordered by increasing difficulty level.

The test was developed to be used with spelling curriculum that used the spelling list of high frequency words researched by Leonard Ayres and the Russell Foundation. Test norms were established in 1923 based on research with hundreds of students in US public schools.

Since JCSpell incorporates the ranked word list from Ayres (along with Dolch and Fry and Marzano vocabularies), and since looking at norms from 1923 will not lower our expectations, Alice Nine recommends using this test as a progress monitoring tool.

It can be used strictly as a summative tool. However, if one analyzes student misspellings on the test, it can also be used as a formative assessment tool. The Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale (testing booklet) is included when you purchase the Johnny Can Spell Teacher's Guide.

The design of spelling assessments.

Most standardized spelling assessments use "spelling recognition" in testing questions to assess spelling skills, e.g., objective questions in the editing section of writing tests. Whereas, the Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale is a dictated spelling assessment.

Read more about the difference between results from dictated spelling test and spelling recognition tests in the article linked below -- a 1929 study concerning the validity and comparability of test results from dictated spelling tests and self-administered spelling recognition tests.

If you are monitoring student progress using the Morrison-McCall Spelling Scale, Doc. 1 (below) is a must read. You can skip the technical details of the research project and go to the end of the document to read the researchers' conclusions from their study.