Abstract:
Ample research suggests that spelling accuracy, measured using a binary correct-incorrect or on a continuum of correctness, is a primary way to predict future reading and spelling ability. Recent theory has proposed an additional predictor of literacy development: spelling fluency, or the speed of accurate spelling. In the current study, we investigated whether spelling fluency was a significant predictor of current and future reading and spelling ability, beyond what was accounted for by known predictors and various measures of spelling accuracy. Participants were 124 students in Grade 1 and 82 students followed longitudinally from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that although spelling fluency was not a significant predictor of current or future reading or spelling ability, some measures of spelling accuracy were, particularly when letter-pattern knowledge was the basis of measurement. Implications for teaching and evaluating literacy skills and considerations for future research are discussed herein.
