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The Use of Precision Teaching in a Spelling Curriculum
 

Michelle I. Harrington, Angela Galvin, Edward Langford, Matthew L. Israel Ph.D.

Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
240 Turnpike St.
Canton, MA 02021
(781) 828-2202

Based on a poster presented at Association for Behavior Analysis Conference, May 2005, Chicago, IL

1)      Introduction

This study examines the use of a computer-based Precision Teaching spelling curriculum and its effects on students demonstrating significant delays in this academic area.  The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) employs the tenets of Precision Teaching, which include fluency and “over-learning.”  An important aspect of precision teaching is the automaticity that results.  At JRC the majority of the curriculum makes use of the basic principles of Precision Teaching (Potts, Eshleman & Cooper, 1993) to include the important component of fluency (Binder, 1987).  Students must work quickly with accuracy, combining speed with retention of learned information.  This study illustrates how the use of these principles affects grade level improvement.

2)      Method

This study was comprised of 35 participants, all of whom were enrolled at JRC.  There were 26 males and 9 females with an average age of 17.6 years, an average Full Scale IQ of 78 and an average Spelling Grade Equivalence (GE) of 5.6 prior to completing lessons in the Spelling program.  These statistics place the participants far below their same-aged peers, whose average grade equivalence would be 11.2.   Psychiatric diagnoses of participants included learning disorders, disruptive behavior disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, organic brain syndrome and mental retardation.  All participants lived in JRC’s group homes and attended school at JRC’s main school building. 

The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (www.judgerc.org) operates day and residential programs for children and adults with behavior problems, including conduct disorders, emotional problems, brain injury, psychosis, autism, and developmental disabilities.  The fundamental approach taken at JRC is the use of behavioral psychology and its various technological applications, including behavioral education, programmed instruction, precision teaching, behavior modification, behavior therapy, behavioral counseling, self-management of behavior, and chart-sharing.

Participants were given pre- and post-tests using the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement in Spelling.  Pre-test scores were obtained prior to the participants using the program and post-test scores were obtained after six months of consistently using the program.  All reported spelling scores are expressed as Grade Equivalence (GE) values. 

During precision teaching timings, participants completed assigned spelling lessons from JRC’s Spelling Curriculum.  Lessons in this curriculum are organized into twelve levels, each based on a specific grade equivalence range, with each level broken down into small chapters. Participants were required to complete each lesson at a rate of 20 correct responses per minute (“aim”), using the hear-type learning channel.  The participants read a sentence containing a blank space where the word belongs and also received an auditory prompt of the word.  The participant then had to type the selected word correctly in order to move on to the next question.  If the word was typed incorrectly, the participant received a visual prompt of the word spelled correctly and was provided with another opportunity to spell the word accurately. 

When the participant typed the word correctly, a green check appeared on the screen.  When the participant typed the word incorrectly, a red “x” appeared on the screen.  Additional supports for promoting fluency included having the border of the screen turn green if the participant was working at a level equivalent to or higher than their aim or red if the participant was working at a rate below their aim. 

Participants were assigned computerized lessons from the levels that coincided with their pre-test grade equivalence scores.  The mastery criterion of 20 correct words per minute for “passing” each lesson was assessed using the Standard Celeration Chart (Lindsley, 1992, p. 51).   Upon meeting criterion, participants were immediately rewarded.  All timings were overseen by the classroom teacher and educational staff.  Participants were automatically moved to the following lesson as they met or exceeded their aim. 

3)      Results

Improvements in Spelling Grade Equivalence as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson-III Test of Achievement in Spelling were noted across all participants in the study.  Improvements in grade equivalence spanned a range of 0.1 to 6.6. The participants’ Spelling Grade Equivalence prior to using the program spanned from 1.3 to 10.9, which was significantly delayed relative to age expectations.   After six months of using the precision teaching program consistently, the Spelling Grade Equivalence of all 35 participants rose, spanning 1.8 to 7.4 years.

4)      Discussion

Increasing the fluency and accuracy of student responses through precision teaching methodology can provide significant benefit in academic performance.  As illustrated in this study, participants’ Spelling Grade Equivalence increased an average of 3 months for each month in which they consistently utilized a precision teaching program.  This improvement demonstrates the potential effectiveness of a computer-based Precision Teaching curriculum.  Also notable is the generalization from the hear-type learning channel during timings to the hear-write learning channel during post-testing.  It would be beneficial for further studies in this area to examine the use of review chapters and the effects of varying visual prompts.