You don't want to discourage writing. But you can modify this approach by allowing students to use erasable ink. Hand back papers with spelling mistakes and ask for corrections. Encourage students to proofread aloud, always with pencil or pen in hand, and to proofread backwards. Complete with lists of the 5,000 most frequently used words organized by spelling generalizations and level, diagnostic spelling scales, an alphabetical listing of the 10,000 most frequently used words, and over 1000 activities and games that make spelling lessons fun.
Placement tests allow students to begin where they are and progress at their own pace.