One of my colleagues, Michelle Foerder (2nd Grade), spotted this post : Why some kids can’t spell and why spelling tests won’t help. This does a great job in highlighting some reasons why rote memorization of spelling lists probably is not the best instructional strategy:)
I love this quote from the author… “The only people who benefit from spelling tests are those who do well on them – and the benefit is to their self-esteem rather than their spelling ability. They were already good spellers.”