Clarifying Expectations: No Prompting During OG Spelling Tests During OG (Orton-Gillingham) spelling assessments, teachers should not prompt students in any way. These tests measure a student's independent mastery of phonics skills, sound-symbol relationships, and spelling patterns. When teachers prompt, intentionally or unintentionally, it invalidates the data and gives an inaccurate picture of what students actually know and can apply on their own. Why Prompting Cannot Occur ● Compromises Assessment Accuracy: Prompts artificially raise student performance and prevent us from identifying true areas of need. ● Prevents Targeted Instruction: If a student "passes" due to prompting, we miss opportunities to reteach essential phonics skills. ● Breaks OG Fidelity: OG assessments are scripted for consistency. Any added support changes the assessment conditions. ● Impacts Progress Monitoring: Data becomes unreliable, making it harder to measure growth over time. What Prompting Looks Like Teachers often don't realize they are prompting because it can happen subtly. Coaching clarity helps eliminate confusion. Examples of Prompting (Not Allowed) Verbal Prompts ● “Remember what we practiced yesterday.” ● “Think about the rule for that sound.” ● “Listen... the word has a blend at the beginning.” Office of Elementary English Language Arts ● You know this one—you’ve done it before!” ● Stretching or over-articulating the dictated word (e.g., “ssssnack”). Non-Verbal Prompts ● Pointing to mouth movements or using hand motions. ● Nodding “yes” or “no” when students hesitate. ● Tapping the table or giving a signal when students need to write a certain sound. ● Hovering near specific students and watching their paper for correction opportunities. Procedural Prompts ● Reminding students to “check their work” right after the word is dictated. ● Repeating the word multiple times when not required by the script. ● Re-teaching a rule during the test. What is Allowed Teachers can: ● Follow the exact OG script for dictation ● Use the standardized pace and procedures ● Repeat the word only as written in the dictation script ● Maintain neutral tone and body language Office of Elementary English Language Arts Key Reminder OG spelling tests are mastery checks, not instructional moments. Students demonstrate what they truly know when they complete the assessment independently and without cues.