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Kickstart Assessment File

GIVE YOUR PUPILS THE KICKSTART ADVANTAGE
KICKSTART ASSESSMENT FILE

Pupils take the Kickstart Skills Assessment to determine strengths and weaknesses in phonics, vocabulary, reading, spelling and handwriting.

The Kickstart Assessment can be used to periodically monitor a pupil’s progress with objective measurement of achievement.

The Kickstart Skills Assessment provides many advantages.

Our approach to teaching and assessment focuses on the underlying causes of difficulty, not just the course work that a pupil is working on at the time.

Kickstart materials support ‘Mastery Learning’ - an important teaching method to ensure that pupils retain information long after it is learned.

THE KICKSTART ASSESSMENT FILE
Assessment Procedures

  1. Make sure that the assessment takes place in a quiet location with no distractions.
  2. Do not sit too close to the pupil so that movements when writing are not cramped.
  3. Do not indicate to the pupil, orally or otherwise, whether the response was correct or incorrect.  Ensure that the pupil cannot see the notes taken by the person doing the testing.  Knowing that responses are incorrect will result in falling confidence.  At the end of the sheet make a positive response like ‘Well done, now try the next one.’
  4. When using multi-sheet assessment procedures – i.e. phonic skills, common words, spelling and reading, stop testing once 10 errors have been made.  This will provide sufficient data for a programme.
  5. When the pupil has made ten incorrect responses make a neutral comment like ‘Well done, there’s no need to go any further.’
  6. Some pupils have a short concentration span.  If the pupil exhibits a lack of concentration, or fatigue, stop the testing at the end of the particular assessment and complete the assessment later.  If the assessment has to be completed, provide a five-minute break between each assessment task and make a note of the pupil’s difficulty.  Return to the assessment.
  7. Record all responses, either by marking a tick for a correct response, or by recording the nature of an incorrect response so that specific errors (e.g. b-d confusion) are recorded.
  8. When using the phonic skills sheets, ask the pupil to say each sound.  Note the nature of each error, including the pupil saying the name of the letter instead of the sound.
  9. When conducting tests related to reading common words, encourage the pupil to ‘have a go’ even if they cannot read the word.  The nature of errors can yield helpful information.
  10. When conducting spelling tests, the pupil may be reluctant to try to spell a word that is too difficult.  Encourage the pupil by saying something like ‘Have a go, you may get it right.’
  11. As the end of the assessment make a positive comment like ‘Well done, you did really well.'

PHONIC SKILLS ASSESSMENT

Ten pages provide a test for the acquisition of phonic skills.  The tests are presented in a hierarchical order and it is recommended that the tests are used in the order presented until the pupil starts to make errors.
 
When using the first sheet of the phonic skills test, say ‘I am going to point to some letters.  When I point to one tell me the sound it makes.’  If the pupil gives the letter name say ‘Yes, that is what it is called but what sound does it make?’  When working on subsequent sheets say ‘I am going to point to some words, when I point to a word I want you to read it.  If it is hard to read have a go.’  Stop testing when the pupil starts to experience difficulty.  Make a note if the pupil has to blend a word rather than reading it without hesitation.

The record sheets provide a space for the teacher / parent to record the pupil’s responses where errors are made.  It is often helpful to record incorrect responses so that specific errors can be identified e.g. ‘b’ – ‘d’ or ‘e’ – ‘i’ confusion.

Once the pupil reaches a level where errors are made, a teaching programme can be arranged.  At the rear of the Assessment File there is a list of resources for work in specific areas.

When consolidating a particular phonic skill it is often helpful to start with a specific letter pattern then generalise it to other patterns, e.g.

bake
cake
fake
lake
make
made
male
tale
making
taking

The teacher / patent can then move on to further examples of ‘silent e’ using vowels ‘i’, ‘o’, ‘u’.
 
COMMON WORDS - READING

Four pages provide a test for the reading of words identified as commonly used in children’s literature and reading schemes but without proper nouns.  The words are not arranged in a hierarchical order but are arranged to match the resources addressing these words and in an order that allows the construction of phrases and sentences at an early stage.  It is suggested that the pupil is tested from the beginning of the test until 10 errors are made.  The 10 words can then be used as the basis of a teaching programme.  Where possible the target words should be embedded in a meaningful sentence or phrase where the other words can be read by the pupil.  A target word can also be used to teach a particular letter pattern by generalising it to a group of words, e.g. 

look
hook
shook
book
took

The record sheet allows the teacher to record the pupil’s response when an error is made.  This can be useful in identifying specific errors, e.g. ‘b’ – ‘d’ confusion.  It is often advisable to retest some words recently mastered in order to check that learning has been permanent.

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NORMATIVE SPELLING TESTS
The Graded Spelling Test

The Graded Spelling Test is a quick test for determining a normative score.  The Spelling Ages are given as years and tenths of a year.

When administering the test it is advisable to say the word, then a sentence embedding the word, then the word again, e.g.

“Spell ‘lost’.”

“I lost my pen and had to get a new on.”

“Spell ‘lost’.”

The test should be discontinued when the pupil has made a total of 10 errors.  The score is obtained by counting all correct spellings to this point.

The record sheet provides the opportunity to record the pupil’s responses when an error is made.  The nature of incorrect responses can be helpful in diagnosing specific errors, e.g. ‘frend’ for ‘friend’ – indicates the need to teach the vowel digraph ‘ie’.

When using spelling tests say ‘I am going to say some words.  When I say a word I want you to write it down.  If it is hard to write down listen to the sounds in the word and have a go.  For each word, say the word then put it into the context of a sentence, then say the word again, e.g.

“Write the word ‘over’.”

“The boy jumped over the wall.”

“Write the word ‘over’.”

Stop testing when 10 errors are made.  This will provide the start of a spelling programme.

When correcting spellings consider;
  • Using two highlighters of different colours.  Use red for correcting spellings and a different colour to highlight words that were previously misspelt.  This turns correction of spellings into a positive experience.
  • Do not correct all spellings.  Only those that the pupil should spell correctly or words that you feel should be part of a spelling programme.
  • Assess the pupil’s spelling.  Poor handwriting is often a mask for poor spelling skills.
  • Consider special arrangements for pupils with special needs.
  • Provide work on a sheet of paper if the pupil has difficulty in following work on the chalkboard.
  • Provide a sloping surface instead of a flat surface.
  • Investigate the possibility of using a word processor.
  • Ensure adequate lighting and space.
 
LETTER STRING SPELLING TEST

The Letter String Spelling Test is used to diagnose specific spelling errors so that a programme can be devised.

When administering the test it is advisable to say the word, then a sentence embedding the word, then the word again, e.g.: 

“Spell ‘cold’.”

‘It was very cold when it snowed.”

‘Spell ‘cold’.”

It is often helpful to administer the complete test so that all errors can be identified.  A programme can then be devised, teaching one string at a time.  It is advisable to return to previously taught strings to check for permanent learning.  Some pupils may become tired before the end of the test.  With these pupils it may be advisable to administer the test in two halves with a significant interval between.
 
COMMON WORDS SPELLING

The words used for this test differs from the list for reading although many words will occur in both lists.  The words in the list for reading were identified from children’s literature.  The words for spelling were identified after analysing 6000 words of Second Class free written work.  Numbers, days of the week and months were added after removing all other proper nouns.

It is suggested that the pupil is tested until 10 errors are made.  The ten words can then form the basis of a spelling programme.  Each spelling can be used to generate a list of words with the same pattern so that the individual spelling can be generalised to other words.  It is not necessary for all the words in the list to rhyme as long as there is a common letter string, e.g.:

Target word ‘come’

come
some
dome
home
 
HANDWRITING 

The development of a fluent, legible handwriting style becomes increasingly important as the pupil progresses through the school and is an essential part of secondary education.  

The handwriting section of the Kickstart Assessment File helps to identify specific difficulties with handwriting and suggestions for overcoming them.  It is generally accepted that handwriting faults should be corrected as soon as they become apparent as it can be very difficult to eradicate unwanted habits at a later stage.

It is also generally accepted that the development of a joined script often eradicates difficulties, particularly those concerned with letter reversal and spacing.

SOME STRATEGIES TO HELP POOR WRITERS

A quick and legible handwriting style rarely comes naturally.  Handwriting habits are established at an early age:  these habits are often impossible to change and difficult to modify.  However, modifications can often be made and quite minor adjustments can sometimes bring about desired results even if the style is not exactly textbook.

The teacher or pupil may become frustrated with written tasks because of one or more of the following: 
  1. Legibility.
  2. Lack of speed.
  3. Limited quantity.

Where this is the case it may be worth examining the points below and the ‘Guide to Assessing Handwriting Problems’ to see if any modifications are appropriate.  
  1. Ensure that models around the classroom, including work on the board, demonstrate a good handwriting model.
  2. Avoid making judgements – e.g. lazy, careless, not trying.
  3. Discuss the problem with the pupil, try to be constructive and look for opportunities to praise.
  4. Avoid making comparisons with peers or siblings.
  5. Consider asking the pupil to write on alternate lines.  This will make the page less cluttered, will improve legibility and will help with marking.
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