How to Give Make-Up Spelling Tests Without Interrupting Class

One student returns after missing Friday’s spelling test. The assessment may take only ten minutes, but someone still has to find a quiet time, read every word and sentence aloud, wait for the student to write, grade the paper, and enter the score.

Those ten minutes often come from the part of the day when the teacher is supposed to be working with a reading group, providing intervention, or helping the rest of the class.

A digital, audio-supported spelling test turns make-up testing into an independent routine. The returning student completes the same assignment, with the same words and directions, while the teacher continues teaching.

Why make-up spelling tests create so much disruption

Traditional spelling tests depend on a live reader. That makes the teacher part of the test-delivery system rather than only the instructor and evaluator.

The disruption is especially noticeable when:

• Several students are absent on different days.
• The class uses multiple differentiated word lists.
• Small-group literacy instruction has a tight schedule.
• A student needs a slower pace or repeated words.
• Friday absences regularly push assessments into the following week.

The problem is not the student or the absence. It is a procedure that requires a teacher to recreate the original testing conditions one student at a time.

A simpler make-up-test procedure

The best procedure is predictable enough that students know what to do when they return.

1. Keep the original test assignment available

Do not recreate the word list or make a separate paper version. Keep the student’s original digital assignment open until the make-up test is complete.

If you schedule assignments with an end date, leave enough flexibility for your school’s absence policy. You can also adjust the assignment when an unexpected absence occurs.

2. Choose a consistent make-up location and time

Decide where students can complete missed assessments with minimal distraction. Possibilities include:

• An independent-work station.
• A classroom computer or tablet during morning work.
• A quiet spot during the literacy block.
• A supervised study period or resource room.

The important point is that the student can hear the audio and work without the teacher reading the test live.

3. Let the test provide the word and sentence audio

In Spelling Test Buddy, the student hears each word and an example sentence. Depending on the settings, the student can repeat the audio before submitting an answer.

Because the delivery is already built into the assignment:

• The teacher does not need to stop a small group.
• The student is not rushed by the pace of another group.
• Differentiated lists do not require separate live test sessions.
• The test can be completed on the student’s first appropriate day back.

See How to Give and Automatically Grade an Online Spelling Test for the complete digital-testing workflow.

4. Use automatic grading

When the student submits the test, the score and word-level results are recorded automatically. The student receives immediate feedback, and the teacher can review exactly which words were missed.

There is no additional paper to grade or score to calculate. If the result needs to be transferred to another system, use the PDF and CSV reporting options.

5. Review only when the result calls for it

Independent administration does not mean ignoring the result. Review the attempt when:

• The score is unexpectedly low.
• The student repeatedly misses the same pattern.
• There may have been an audio, device, or environmental problem.
• The student needs explicit reteaching or an accommodation.

This changes the teacher’s role from reading every word to responding where instructional judgment is actually needed.

A student-facing routine

Post a short routine near the make-up station or in your learning-management system:

1. Sign in with your Student Code.
2. Open the missed spelling-test assignment.
3. Put on your headphones.
4. Listen to each word and sentence.
5. Complete and submit the test.
6. Tell the teacher if you had a technical problem.

Students who already use Spelling Test Buddy for weekly practice will recognize the interface, so the make-up procedure requires little additional training.

What about accommodations?

Follow the student’s IEP, 504 plan, and school assessment policies. A digital test can support flexible pacing and repeated audio, but it does not replace required accommodations or teacher judgment.

Possible adjustments include:

• Allowing repeated playback.
• Providing a quieter location.
• Dividing a longer list into shorter sessions.
• Giving additional time.
• Having an adult assist with navigation without supplying answers.
• Using a teacher-administered alternative when that is the appropriate accommodation.

What if the student missed the practice too?

Do not automatically send a student directly into the final test if they missed the instruction and practice that preceded it.

Instead:

1. Assign Teach Me, a practice test, or selected games using the same word list.
2. Let the student complete the essential practice independently.
3. Give the final test after the required preparation is complete.

Because the practice and test use the same saved list, this does not require the teacher to rebuild the week’s materials.

Use the same approach for more than absences

An independent digital test can also help with:

• Students who need to test at a different time.
• Small groups working from different lists.
• New students completing a placement or baseline test.
• Intervention students taking short, targeted assessments.
• Students finishing an interrupted test under school policy.

The common principle is simple: the teacher selects and teaches the content, while the platform handles repetitive test delivery and scoring.

Add make-up testing to a larger time-saving workflow

Make-up tests are only one part of the weekly workload. For a complete system covering list creation, practice, testing, grading, reporting, differentiation, and reuse, read How to Save Time Teaching Spelling.