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SUMMARY. Few tests of spelling attainment have been validated against the criterion of spelling accuracy in everyday writing, which, it is contended, is the prime objective of teaching spelling. An investigation is described comparing the spelling performance of 506 children (median age 11 : 6) in their written work and on dictated-word (recall) and multiple-choice (recognition) types of test. The dictated word test had a slightly higher concurrent validity, but other factors which should be taken into account in devising spelling tests are pointed out. INTRODUCTION.A survey of the literature on spelling attainment tests shows that their validity has been more often assumed than demonstrated. The most common type, the dictated-word test, has usually been validated against a similar kind of measure,

Relationships between general intellectual ability, conceptual development and attainment in arithmetical computation, and arithmetical problem solving and spelling were investigated in a 2-yr. longitudinal study involving 151 New Zealand children aged 6-9 yr. Conceptual development, measured by a 72-item objective test, was more highly correlated with Primary Mental Abilities Test mental age (r = .523) than with chronological age (r = .116). Regression analysis showed that the inclusion of concept-development scores with mental age accounted for a significantly larger proportion of attainment score variance in most cases. It is suggested that children's school performance is associated with aspects of conceptual development not adequately assessed by conventional intelligence tests.

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