Season 6 | Episode 21 | Assessing Spelling with Dr Tessa Daffern

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Tessa Daffern, Founding Co-director of Literacy Education Solutions and Adjunct Associate Professor at La Trobe University, to explore the science of spelling instruction and assessment. Tessa shares her journey in education, unpacks her innovative instructional framework that helps students analyse words through multiple linguistic lenses, and discusses how teachers can effectively assess and teach spelling using evidence-based approaches. We also examine emerging trends from updated CoSTEY and CoST data, practical implications for classroom practice, and where educators can access high-quality resources to strengthen spelling outcomes for students.Recent PublicationsDaffern, T. (2025). Spelling Assessment and Instruction: An ‘ART PhOrM’. In M. Quinn & B. Healy (Eds), Teaching writers – from apprentice to expert (Chapter 4). PETAASnow, P., Serry, T., Buckingham, J., Lorraine, H., Dinham, S., Charles, E., Weadman, T., Swain, N., Hiland, S., &Daffern, T. (2025). National and international monitoring of student literacy and numeracy attainment: The case for rigorous macro and micro analysis. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 0, 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.70049