Test Information Guide
Overview and Test Objectives
Field 71: Digital Literacy and Computer Science
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) and online proctored test; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 open-response items |
|---|---|
| Time | 4 hours (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) are designed to measure a candidate's knowledge of the subject matter contained in the test objectives for each field. The MTEL are aligned with the Massachusetts educator licensure regulations and, as applicable, with the standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.
The test objectives specify the content to be covered on the test and are organized by major content subareas. The chart below shows the approximate percentage of the total test score derived from each of the subareas.
The test assesses a candidate's proficiency and depth of understanding of the subject at the level required for a baccalaureate major according to Massachusetts standards. Candidates are typically nearing completion of or have completed their undergraduate work when they take the test.
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple-Choice | |||
| 1 | Computing and Society | 01–03 | 22% |
| 2 | Digital Tools and Collaboration | 04–05 | 15% |
| 3 | Computing Systems | 06–07 | 14% |
| 4 | Computational Thinking | 08–11 | 29% |
| 80% | |||
| Open-Response | |||
| 5 | Integration of Knowledge and Understanding | ||
| Digital Tools | 12 | 10% | |
| Computer Science | 13 | 10% | |
| 20% | |||
Subarea 1–Computing and Society
0001—Apply knowledge of safety and security concepts and appropriate digital interactions.
For example:
- Identify health and safety risks related to using computer devices (e.g., repetitive motion injuries, eye strain).
- Demonstrate knowledge of threats to the security of devices and networks (e.g., viruses, intrusions, vandalism, phishing).
- Apply knowledge of practices to prevent and respond appropriately to threats.
- Demonstrate knowledge of issues related to data privacy, personal privacy and safety, and an informed online identity.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the effects of and strategies for preventing and managing cyberbullying, online harassment, and negative peer pressure in digital environments.
0002—Apply knowledge of the responsible, ethical, and legal use of technology resources and digital content.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the responsible use of technology and the ethical and legal implications of malicious hacking and software piracy.
- Demonstrate knowledge of laws (e.g., CIPA, COPPA, FERPA) related to digital tools and resources and their impact on digital privacy, security, intellectual property, network access, and contracts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of safe and appropriate practices for using technology (e.g., avoiding potential risks/dangers associated with forms of online communication, issues associated with cyberbullying).
- Apply knowledge of laws related to intellectual property (e.g., pertaining to copyright, fair use, open-source content, Creative Commons®).
- Apply knowledge of open-source licensing, licensing agreements, and application permissions.
0003—Apply knowledge of the impacts of technology on society.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the digital divide (e.g., geographic, political, socioeconomic), impacts of the digital divide, and ways to create greater equity in access and skills related to technology.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of computing technology on society (e.g., business and commerce, health care, engineering, the arts and sciences).
- Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, functions, and uses of assistive technology designed to meet the needs of diverse learners.
- Analyze the beneficial and harmful effects of computing innovations and major trends in technology (e.g., social networking, global access to information, delivery of news and other public media, intercultural communication).
- Demonstrate knowledge of values, points of view, bias, distortion, and misrepresentation in information sources and strategies for evaluating online content.
Subarea 2–Digital Tools and Collaboration
0004—Apply knowledge of the use of digital tools and resources to create content, communicate, and collaborate.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of tools and resources that facilitate communication and collaboration.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, functions, and uses of a variety of digital devices.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics, functions, and uses of productivity software (e.g., word processing, spreadsheet, database).
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics, functions, and uses of a variety of file types (e.g., image, video, text, PDF, executable).
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics, functions, and uses of tools for creating online content (e.g., digital portfolios, multimedia presentations, blogs, Web pages, simulations, surveys).
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate and responsible practices when participating and collaborating in online communities using digital tools.
0005—Apply knowledge of digital tools and techniques for conducting research.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of advanced search techniques to locate information using a variety of digital sources and data-collection approaches to gather original data (e.g., qualitative interviews, surveys, simulations).
- Demonstrate knowledge of digital tools and techniques for evaluating and prioritizing research questions, organizing and analyzing information (e.g., quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing), and communicating results and conclusions.
- Apply knowledge of concepts related to reliability, relevancy, authority, accuracy, point of view, and purpose to digital information.
- Apply knowledge of the proper use and citation of text and nontext sources (e.g., images, audio, video).
Subarea 3–Computing Systems
0006—Apply knowledge of characteristics, functions, and uses of computing devices and components.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the functions, characteristics, and uses of operating system software and utility programs to manage and allocate shared resources (e.g., memory, resource allocation, defragmentation).
- Demonstrate understanding of the characteristics and functions of the main hardware of a basic computing device.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for identifying and solving routine hardware and software problems that occur in everyday life (e.g., basic troubleshooting, updating software, virus scanning).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, functions, and uses of a variety of computing devices used to accomplish real-world tasks (e.g., probe, sensor, Global Positioning System [GPS], robots).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the historical rate of change in computing devices (e.g., with regard to power/energy, computation capacity, speed, size, ease of use) and the implications of this change for the future of society.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how specialized computing devices can be used for problem solving, decision making, and promoting creativity in all subject areas.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how humans and machines interact to solve problems.
0007—Apply knowledge of characteristics, functions, and uses of networks and services.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of concepts and terminology related to networks, including the Internet, and issues that affect network functionality (e.g., latency, bandwidth, firewalls, server capability).
- Demonstrate knowledge of common network vulnerabilities (e.g., cyberattacks, identity theft, privacy) and strategies for responding to these threats.
- Demonstrate understanding of characteristics and functions of physical (wired), local and wide area, wireless, and mobile networks.
- Demonstrate knowledge of network topologies and protocols for data transmission and how digital information is transferred across a network.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and functions of networks and network components (e.g., devices, routers, switches, cables, wires, transponders).
- Demonstrate knowledge of services related to computing devices (e.g., cloud data storage, subscription services, location services, data mining) and of concepts related to quality of service (e.g., security, availability, performance) for service providers.
Subarea 4–Computational Thinking
0008—Apply concepts related to abstraction and algorithms.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of abstraction and the creation of new representations through generalization and decomposition in problem-solving contexts (e.g., algorithmic abstraction, data abstraction).
- Demonstrate knowledge of concepts related to iterative and recursive algorithms (e.g., sequence, selection, iteration, modularization, reusability).
- Apply knowledge of how to represent algorithms in a variety of ways (e.g., flowcharts, pseudocode), realizing that there are some problems that cannot be computationally solved.
- Analyze algorithms represented in a variety of formats to predict outcomes and to identify and correct errors.
- Select an appropriate algorithm to perform a given task.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods to determine how well an algorithm performs a given task.
0009—Apply concepts related to data representation, modeling, and simulation.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of how numbers, text, and data can be represented in a variety of ways (e.g., binary, hexadecimal, ASCII).
- Demonstrate knowledge of concepts related to file types (e.g., .txt, .jpg, .wav) and of file storage and sharing (e.g., compression, cloud storage, synchronization).
- Apply knowledge of databases (e.g., relational, multidimensional) to organize, search, analyze, and display data.
- Apply knowledge of data technologies (e.g., probes, geographic mapping, artificial intelligence, data mining) and how they are used to collect, organize, analyze, and report findings.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the creation and use of models and simulations in real-world and problem-solving contexts.
0010—Apply concepts related to computer programming.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of variables and data types (e.g., integer, real, string) for representing information.
- Apply knowledge of expressions (e.g., arithmetic, Boolean, string), operators (e.g., assignment, concatenation, comparison), and operator precedence.
- Apply knowledge of conditional structures (e.g., if-then, if-then-else) to control the flow of a program.
- Apply knowledge of looping structures (e.g., for, while, recursion).
- Apply knowledge of functions (e.g., parameters, values).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of data structures (e.g., records, lists, multidimensional data structures).
0011—Apply concepts related to program development and testing.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of programming concepts (e.g., event-driven functions, modularization, global and local variables, high- versus low-level programming languages, apps for devices).
- Demonstrate knowledge of concepts related to object-oriented programming (e.g., classes, objects, encapsulation, inheritance).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the iterative design process and of trade-offs among multiple approaches to solving a given problem (e.g., space/time performance, maintainability, correctness, elegance).
- Apply knowledge of code reuse, libraries and application programming interfaces (APIs), version control systems, and integrated development environments (IDEs).
- Demonstrate knowledge of issues related to program correctness, efficiency, portability, and scalability.
- Demonstrate knowledge of testing and debugging methods.
- Demonstrate knowledge of program documentation.
Subarea 5–Integration of Knowledge and Understanding
0012—Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to the use of digital tools to create an artifact.
For example:
- Write a brief plan describing the steps needed for creating a digital artifact to meet a given set of project requirements.
- Describe the computational tools and skills needed to implement the steps for creating the artifact.
- Describe issues related to the safe and ethical use of technology in the creation of this digital artifact.
0013—Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to computer science.
For example:
- Given a computational problem, apply knowledge of computational thinking and the program development process to create a plan for solving the problem.
- Develop an algorithm for a program in pseudocode that involves data types and data structures, conditional and looping structures, functions, and/or libraries, as appropriate.
- Describe how the program should be documented and identify a method for testing and debugging the program.