Arkansas Foundations of Reading Test (FORT)

Which of the following is NOT typical of the emergent stage of writing development?

1. Writers begin to form letters correctly

2. Authors spell most words correctly

3. Writers initially use all capital letters

4. Authors begin to use understanding of letter-sound relationships to write words

The correct answer is: Authors spell most words correctly

The emergent stage of writing development is characterized by several key features, and spelling accuracy is not typically one of them. At this stage, young writers are exploring the act of writing and may not have a solid grasp of spelling conventions. During the emergent stage, writers often demonstrate an understanding of letters and sounds and may start forming letters, though they might not always do so accurately. They might also prominently use all capital letters as they are still mastering how to differentiate between letter cases. Writers in this stage will attempt to use their understanding of letter-sound relationships to begin creating words, often resulting in inventive or phonetic spelling rather than conventional spelling. Thus, the choice indicating that authors spell most words correctly does not align with what is typical for the emergent stage, as the focus is more on experimentation and early writing skills rather than accuracy in spelling.