The importance of writing is recognized in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). CCSS places emphasis on both foundational skills (e.g., spelling) and writing applications such as planning, editing, and revising a variety of texts (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Ensuring all students become proficient in writing includes providing effective writing instruction for students with disabilities. The purpose of this paper is to describe the effects of explicit spelling instruction and basal spelling instruction for 41 students with disabilities and who attend school in an urban area. Findings show that students who received the explicit spelling instruction outperformed the students who received basal group teaching on regular, irregular and morphographic word types. Implications are discussed.