A good spelling curriculum isn't going to be random words.

@fredsbend I'm sure there is some thought put into them, but when I say random I mean they are not being selected for how common they are. Unlike with sight words the point is not to allow kids to recognize the word on sight without needing to sound it out since the words are obscure enough that it's unlikely the need to recognize them will come up too often.

@JoeW quite possible. I've seen studies that back up sight words and so I don't need answers to address that. I'm just wondering what the studies say for the spelling lists that consist of non-sight words.

While this may be an interesting question is there a notable claim besides you wondering?

@JoeW the fact that most schools do it is the notability. Forum rules say it's fine to ask for proof of anything others take for granted and schools take for granted the tests help.

You appear to be asking about the benefits of it and there does not seem to be any claims about that besides your question. Also the rules about needing a notable claim have nothing to do with asking for proof about something.

Edited to simplify. I agree with the OP that it is clear that many schools are commonly doing this for pedagogical reasons, and it is fair to ask if their reasoning is evidence-based or if it is a wide-spread myth.

@Oddthinking That wiki link just says what a spelling test is and doesn't seem to give any reasons for a school wanting to do them.

@JoeW: Why do we require notability links? (1) To ensure we aren't wasting our time on speculations and bar bets: Check. Schools (or school boards) clearly believe this is useful. (2) To ensure we aren't tackling a strawman (e.g. if teachers were doing this to keep kids amused, rather than to teach): I think we are safe there. (3) To allow us to find the appropriate definitions: and agree on what we are talking about: I think the Wikipedia link helps with that.

@Oddthinking If we ask this about spelling tests can we also ask this about every other sort of test a school gives? My problem with this is it appears to be a personal question and not something being claimed on a larger scale. Are there any claims that they are or are not useful besides the question from the op?

@JoeW: Err... Yes. Good. (Note: This question is not about "Is testing students on the knowledge they have acquired a good way to assess their grade?" or "Is testing students on the knowledge they have acquired a good way to give a teacher feedback on the success of their lessons?" It is "Is presenting a list of words and having the students rote learn them a good method for improving student outcomes?")

I don't want to pre-empt the answers, and I genuinely remain open-minded to the evidence, but I believe this is an area which is controversial - along conservative/progressive lines. So it isn't just the OP asking the question.

But even if it were, ... we have a meta-question on this somewhere...

Here it is: skeptics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1406/…

Tagging again, just in case. @JoeW.

I think it is an interesting question but I still think that it needs some source of a claim and the fact that schools use the test isn't enough of a claim. It seems like some things that happen at school happen because that is what is expected over time.

@JoeW But that makes the question interesting: If spelling tests are still done because people expect them to work, but there is no evidence that they do (or even evidence that they don't), we should want to know that. If teachers actually know they don't work, but keep doing it because they are pressured to, because parents and school boards are under the misapprehension they are the best way to learn, we should want to know that.

I still disagree, just because it is interesting doesn't make it notable

I'm also a bit iffy about the "clearly" part---it feels like a possible non-sequitur. It's not clear to me spelling tests are aimed at improving reading and writing. It could just be e.g. part of US culture and tradition.

The paper linked on the Wikipedia page lists multiple reasons for spelling tests unrelated to improving reading and writing, including nostalgia, government requirements (in order to benchmark schools), and ease of marking (clear right vs. wrong answers).