Practice Test: Reading Specialist (62)

Answer Key, Sample Responses, Evaluation Chart, and Score Calculation Tool

Answer Key

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Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response (show answershide answers)	Related Objectives and Rationale (show objectives & rationaleshide objectives & rationales)
1	Answer to question 1	B	Objective 001 Answer B is correct because according to convergent research, pointing out distinctive features of letters and starting with high contrast comparisons will best promote children's recognition and identification of individual letters. These features include slants, curves, crosses, and open or closed lines. To draw attention to the distinctive features, it is critical that they are presented so that they can be compared (e.g., how does f differ from p). Furthermore, similar letters that may be visually confused (e.g., m and n) should not be introduced simultaneously. Answers A and D are incorrect because they do not align with evidence on how children best learn to recognize and name letters. Answer C is incorrect because generally letter sounds and the way those sounds are articulated are not introduced simultaneously with letter recognition and naming.
2	Answer to question 2	A	Objective 001 Answer A is correct because the activity described contributes to children's writing development by helping them to learn the function of writing or drawing. Through this conceptual knowledge, prekindergarten children learn that print is meaningful and that it can communicate stories, ideas, and information. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they are not developmentally appropriate activities for prekindergarten children, nor do they focus on children's understanding that print conveys meaning.
3	Answer to question 3	A	Objective 001 Answer A is correct because the journal entry provides evidence that the child demonstrates awareness of letter-sound correspondence in print. The child is able to explain what the entry says, and each word is represented by letter-sound correspondences that make sense based on the most salient sounds in the word. The spacing between words clearly indicates the word boundaries. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they are not supported by evidence in the journal entry. Answer B is incorrect because the child is clearly aware of the relationship between oral language and print as the child tells the teacher word for word what the sentence says. Answer C is incorrect because the key sentence features of punctuation and consistency with capitalization are not evident in the language sample. Answer D is incorrect because the child demonstrates awareness of the alphabetic principle that words are made up of sounds that can be represented in print.
4	Answer to question 4	C	Objective 001 Answer C is correct because having the children communicate their ideas on paper, with pictures and/or print, develops children's understanding that a purpose for writing is to communicate and share ideas. Answers A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not support the reading specialist's suggestion that "children who are only beginning to develop letter knowledge should be encouraged but not required to include print in their journals." Answer A is incorrect because the focus of the journal writing is not to teach basic print concepts. Answer B is incorrect because improving fine-motor skills for printing letters does not build children's understanding that writing is a way to share their ideas. Answer D is incorrect because increasing children's stamina for sitting is not relevant to the scenario or the specialist's goal.
5	Answer to question 5	D	Objective 001 Answer D is correct because it describes a Language Experience Approach (LEA) to understanding the function of print. The central principle of LEA is to use the child's own vocabulary, language, and experiences to create texts, making reading more meaningful to the child. The reading specialist transcribes what the child says about their drawing and reads it back to the child. Because the reading specialist incorporates the child's own experiences and own language, the child will typically find it easier to read than texts composed by others. Creating a piece of writing cooperatively models the function of print and can be used to reinforce concepts of print. Answers A and C are incorrect because neither activity explicitly links print to meaning or demonstrates the function of print. Answer B is incorrect because this approach does not connect the child's oral language use to the function of print since the specialist, rather than the child, is providing the oral language.
6	Answer to question 6	C	Objective 001 Answer C is correct because the activity directly contributes to promoting word awareness, which is the target skill. For children to practice the developmentally appropriate skill of matching speech to print, they need to know the refrain by heart. Next, the teacher must demonstrate matching each spoken word to its representation in the text that occurs when the teacher points to each word as it is chanted. Answers A and D are incorrect because they do not directly address the speech-to-print match that promotes word awareness and are not developmentally appropriate for students who need to develop word awareness. Answer B is incorrect because it focuses on high-frequency word recognition with words that are not decodable for children at this developmental phase of reading.
7	Answer to question 7	B	Objective 001 Answer B is correct because tracking print from left-to-right is among the earliest concepts of print children need to learn. The strategy described provides children with a visual cue about the left-to-right directionality of how print is read. Answer A is incorrect because pointing out the punctuation at the end of the sentence is drawing attention to the proper inflection needed when reading aloud and for comprehending the meaning intended by the author that are secondary skills to introduce when teaching beginning reading. Answer C is incorrect because it involves teaching dialogue that is a convention of print that comes later in reading development. Answer D is incorrect because when children are learning to read, it is unlikely that they will encounter paragraphs in the early texts they will be reading aloud.
8	Answer to question 8	D	Objective 001 Answer D is correct because the sequencing of illustrations from story events described reinforces a key print concept—illustrations in a book correspond to the story conveyed in print. The children would not be able to do the activity had they not heard the story, so the relationship between the words and the pictures is relevant. Answer A is incorrect because this activity would not support the concept that illustrations connect to the printed story. Answers B and C are incorrect because illustrations are not related or tied to the directionality of print or its location on a page.
9	Answer to question 9	D	Objective 002 Answer D is correct because presenting parents/guardians with the unfamiliar task of blending isolated phonemes to make words allows them to experience the complex process beginning readers use when decoding words phoneme by phoneme. Answer A is incorrect because this approach focuses on the broader phonological awareness skill of rhyming. Answer B is incorrect because this activity places the focus on graphemes, rather than phonemes. Answer C is incorrect because the mechanics of how sound is articulated for speech production would not help parents understand the importance of phonemic awareness.
10	Answer to question 10	B	Objective 002 Answer B is correct because alliteration comes after rhyming on the continuum of increasing complexity of phonological awareness skills. It is followed by segmenting sentences and syllables, blending and segmenting compound words and onset and rime, and finally, blending and segmenting phonemes. Answer A is incorrect because metacognitive awareness is the understanding of one's own thinking. Answer C is incorrect because morphemic awareness is the understanding of the smallest units of meaning in the English language, such as base words, roots, and affixes. Answer D is incorrect because the activity promotes understanding of alliteration, not syllables.
11	Answer to question 11	A	Objective 002 Answer A is correct because the progress-monitoring data indicates the students can orally segment three-phoneme words. Since decoding depends on a student's ability to perceive individual phonemes in words and to segment and blend back phonemes, the activity described in answer choice A would be most appropriate for helping students progress to decoding CCVC words. Elkonin boxes develop phoneme awareness skills by providing visual and tactile-kinesthetic cues to scaffold students as they segment a word into individual phonemes. The student listens to a word and moves a token into a box as they say each phoneme in sequence. Letters can also be substituted for the tokens to make the connection to spelling. Answers B and C are incorrect because generating rhyming words and identifying onset and rime support students' phonological awareness, not phonemic awareness. Answer D is incorrect because the students in the scenario are decoding CVC words accurately, so matching pictures would not build on their current decoding skills.
12	Answer to question 12	C	Objective 003 Answer C is the correct response because a key characteristic of a full-alphabetic reader is skill in applying letter-sound knowledge to decode unknown words by blending letter-sounds into a recognizable pronunciation of a word. Typically, readers in the full-alphabetic phase of word learning development can decode closed syllable words. A is incorrect because it describes behaviors from the pre-alphabetic stage of development before children use their letter-sound knowledge to read words. Answer B is incorrect because it describes word spelling behaviors that are typical in the partial alphabetic phase of word learning development when children use only some of the letters to represent a word. Answer D is incorrect because it describes reading behaviors typical of the consolidated phase of word learning development when readers demonstrate automaticity as the brain recognizes combinations of several letters.
13	Answer to question 13	B	Objective 003 Answer B is correct because the first-grade students described in the scenario are confusing consonant sounds that share similar articulatory features (e.g., fuh and vuh are both produced by obstructing the airstream with the top teeth on the bottom lip. The only distinguishing characteristic is vuh is voiced and fuh is unvoiced). All four of the consonant confusions presented share the same articulatory positions with the voicing being the only distinguishing feature. Therefore, a multisensory approach as described in Answer B that encourages articulatory feedback with multisensory prompting regarding what students see and feel as well as what they hear is warranted. Answer A is incorrect because the students' confusion originates in their challenges in identifying letter-sound correspondence caused by the similarity of how and where the voiced and unvoiced sounds are produced in the mouth rather than a visual confusion with similarly shaped letters. Answers C and D are incorrect because the students described in the scenario are demonstrating confusion with voiced and unvoiced consonant pairs, not with phonemic awareness.
14	Answer to question 14	C	Objective 003 Answer C is correct because research supports the efficacy of training readers to improve reading comprehension and spelling by using a morphemic approach that analyzes the meaningful parts of a word (roots, prefixes, and suffixes) to pronounce and derive the meaning of an unknown word. Using a morphemic analysis approach in the context of science not only aids in pronouncing the word but provides scaffolding to the meaning. Answers A and D are incorrect because they do not provide reliable or efficient means for reading unknown multisyllabic words. Answer B is incorrect because it ignores the morphemic structure of most of the Tier Three words in a science curriculum.
15	Answer to question 15	D	Objective 003 Answer D is correct because the student can represent all the phonemes in a word with a corresponding grapheme. However, the student is not aware of all the spelling conventions typically learned in a later phase of development. These spelling conventions include the consonant+le syllable (turtle), consonant doubling (bragging, rabbit, better), and spelling generalizations for letters with a hard and soft pronunciation (letter c is not typically used before the vowel e in a one syllable word c e p t slash k e p t ). Answer A is incorrect because students in the pre-alphabetic stage of development do not typically represent phonemes with letters in their writing. In the pre-alphabetic phase of the development of word reading, students lack knowledge of the alphabetic principle that words are made up of sounds that can be represented by letters. Answer B is incorrect because students in the partial alphabetic stage of word reading development do not represent all the phonemes in words when they write—they typically produce a partial spelling of the most salient sounds in a word (e.g., initial and final phonemes). Answer C is incorrect because students in the consolidated stage of orthographic development would use more of the spelling conventions previously mentioned. In the consolidated phase of word reading development, students possess knowledge of larger letter-sound units such as syllables and morphemes to read and spell words.
16	Answer to question 16	D	Objective 003 Answer D is correct because there is evidence in the student's spelling that they do not currently double the consonant in a word with two closed syllables and one medial consonant sound (e.g., R A B I T, B E T E R, R I B I N, B R A G I N G ). Since the student demonstrates competence in spelling single closed syllable words, it would be reasonable to explain consonant doubling for words with two closed syllables and one medial consonant sound. Answer A is incorrect because given the writing sample in the scenario, there is no evidence that the spelling concept of inflectional endings needs to be immediately taught. Answers B and C are incorrect because spelling schwas and spelling diphthongs are skills that are much farther along the continuum of spelling development than the student's current areas of need.
17	Answer to question 17	C	Objective 003 Answer C is correct because the student demonstrates a one-to-one correspondence in representing phonemes in words with letters in the writing sample. However, the student does not match the phonemes to graphemes seen in spelling (e.g., R A S E/R A C E, G R A T E/G R E A T, B E C U S/B E C U A U S E, T U R T L/T U R T L E ). This question asks what kind of instruction reinforces both phonics skills and the orthographic mapping process to support the student's spelling development. According to phase theory (Ehri, 2014), students need practice to segment words into grapho-phonemic and grapho-syllabic units to facilitate orthographic mapping. The process of orthographic mapping will bond the spellings, pronunciations, and meanings of specific words in memory. Teaching the student explicitly and systematically to recognize and pronounce syllable patterns (e.g., open, closed, silent-e, vowel digraph teams, r-controlled, diphthong vowel teams, consonant plus L E ) for the phonetically regular words will allow students to segment pronunciations into phonemes and match them to graphemes seen in spellings. With practice, students will recall these syllable patterns to produce the correct spellings of words. Recognizing syllable types helps students learn to spell words correctly and gain knowledge of spelling generalizations. Learning the rules for syllable division promotes the fluent and accurate reading and spelling of multisyllabic words. Once students apply syllable division strategies, they can more accurately pronounce and spell each syllable according to its syllable pattern (e.g., C plus L E spelling in a word like turtle). Answer A is incorrect because the student is already representing each speech sound with a letter. Answers B and D are incorrect because they address the derivational stage of spelling development that occurs several stages after where the student currently functions according to evidence in the writing sample.
18	Answer to question 18	C	Objective 004 Answer C is correct because decodable texts have a highly controlled vocabulary, and most of the words in a text align with phonics patterns a reader has learned to decode. When decodable texts, as described in Answer C, are available to students in their classrooms, the students can quickly see the connection between learning letter-sounds and segmenting words and blending sounds to read a text independently. Readers who are successful reading decodable texts develop confidence and an interest in reading. This practice builds accuracy and automaticity—critical components of fluent reading. Decodable texts function as a scaffold to support readers as they sound out and practice words containing learned phonics patterns, a process that research shows is essential to increasing the number of words recognized automatically by sight (Ehri, 2014). As students build their knowledge and automaticity in use of phonics skills, they are more likely to apply these decoding strategies in new ways when reading unfamiliar words (i.e., self-teaching hypothesis [Share, 1999]). Answers A and B are incorrect because these types of texts do not align with the research that addresses how to improve automatic word recognition. Answer D is incorrect because it does not address improving the recognition of unfamiliar words.
19	Answer to question 19	B	Objective 004 Answer B is correct because this approach addresses both the students' vowel confusion and their tendencies to resort to guessing rather than decoding when encountering an unfamiliar word. Explicitly teaching students sound-by-sound blending builds their understanding of the process of decoding words. Additionally, this approach also addresses students' vowel confusions with monitoring and corrective feedback as they engage in repeated whisper readings. Answer A is incorrect because tracing or air writing whole words will not promote the students' ability to decode the individual phonemes within words. Answer C is incorrect because connected text provides students with a better opportunity to practice their decoding skills using learned phonics patterns while making meaning and developing oral reading fluency. Answer D is incorrect because the scenario does not state that students are having difficulty with either articulation or pronunciation, and this approach would not support the students' accurate decoding.
20	Answer to question 20	C	Objective 004 Answer C is correct because convergent research indicates that most modeling expressive reading for a selected part of text and then having students echo read the same selection immediately after is an evidence-based component of improving prosody. Moreover, improving prosody impacts comprehension. In echo reading, the teacher reads a portion of text while the student or students follow along in the text. After the teacher finishes reading the text, the students echo it by reading the same section of text. This type of reading prosody activity builds oral fluency and provides practice with word recognition for academic vocabulary. Answers A and D are incorrect because effective fluency instruction requires teacher modeling and immediate teacher feedback. Answer B is incorrect because for choral reading to be an effective strategy, teachers must first model reading the passage aloud to students.
21	Answer to question 21	B	Objective 004 Answer B is correct because providing students with prompts to encourage them to reread and confirm if their pronunciation is accurate is most likely to promote students' self-correction. This type of approach, as described in Answer B, gives readers a chance to work out the word on their own. It focuses students' attention on accurately reading short segments of text because students tend to pay more attention to meaning and make fewer errors when they spend time carefully reading a segment of text. When they request help, students can be provided with prompts to use effective word reading strategies. Gradually, with this type of approach, readers will incorporate strategies and become meaning-based readers. Answers A and D are incorrect because the coach is providing the strategy, so the reader does not have the opportunity to initiate the self-correction. Answer C is incorrect because delayed feedback does not promote self-correction to make meaning in real time when the reader is engaged with the text independently.
22	Answer to question 22	B	Objective 004 Answer B is correct because in repeated-reading activities, such as the one described in the scenario, the teacher is providing a model of prosody when the passage is read aloud, and the student follows along in the text. Next, the teacher provides feedback on expression, a component of prosody, when the student reads, which further demonstrates the importance of prosody to the student. Answer A is incorrect because this repeated-reading fluency activity, as described, is not an independent activity for the student. The teacher listens to the student read and gives accuracy feedback to the student. Answer C is incorrect because the student's attention is focused on more than rate. Answer D is incorrect because the scenario states that decodable passages are used for the repeated reading rather than a wide selection of grade-level passages.
23	Answer to question 23	D	Objective 004 Answer D is correct because evidence-based practice suggests that providing students with corrective feedback is an essential component to the repeated reading of text to increase students' oral reading fluency. The primary reason for this is that accuracy and prosody are components of fluency that also impact rate. Feedback on accuracy and prosody increases the success of repeated-reading practice. Answer A is incorrect because pairing a student with a peer who is confident in their oral reading provides this student with a model of more fluent reading but would not directly impact the student's ability and would not be an example of evidence-based practice. Answer B is incorrect because accuracy should be prioritized over reading rate. Answer C is incorrect because students should be involved in setting fluency goals.
24	Answer to question 24	B	Objective 004 Answer B is correct because according to the data in the chart, marking phrase boundaries in a text to chunk words into meaningful phrases is likely to benefit all the students because they all received low prosody ratings of 2 or less. Students A, B, and C have WCPM scores that place them above the 50th percentile, so their difficulties most likely have to do with prosody and not accuracy or rate. A primary component of prosody is appropriate phrasing that allows students to gain meaning from what they read. Marking phrase boundaries that makes the text sound more like talking is an evidence-based strategy to address this aspect of prosody. Following evidence-based practice, the reading specialist would most likely use text appropriate to students' phonics knowledge for students performing well below the 50th percentile for WCPM. Answers A and C are incorrect because the data provided in the chart does not specify whether students' low WCPM scores were the result of a lack of accuracy when decoding. Answer D is incorrect because the majority of the students are near, at, or above the 50th percentile benchmark expectation for WCPM.
25	Answer to question 25	D	Objective 004 Answer D is correct because most student errors were in the pronunciation of vowel teams that included vowel digraphs (release E A in release is in boldface ) and vowel diphthongs (rowdy, grouchy O W in rowdy and O U in grouchy are in boldface ). Sorting words into syllable types (vowel digraphs and vowel diphthongs) along with practice reading the sorted words multiple times would improve automatic word recognition for these syllable types. Answers A and B are incorrect because these strategies do not address the errors students made. Answer C is incorrect because it does not address the pronunciation errors that demonstrate incomplete orthographic knowledge that is necessary for automatic word recognition; students need practice accurately decoding words to achieve automaticity.
26	Answer to question 26	D	Objective 015 Answer D is correct because text reading prosody refers to the extent to which readers use appropriate intonation, phrasing, and pausing that makes reading sound more like speech. Research consistently demonstrates a reciprocal relationship between prosody and reading comprehension. This answer accurately completes the question's stem to reflect this relationship. A key component in the prosody rating descriptions has to do with phrasing, stress, and intonation that help preserve the author's intent. Meaning is conveyed through syntax, phrasing, and where the stress and intonation should occur. Prosody also enables the segmentation of text that aids the memory process needed for reading comprehension. Thus, prosody is essential for reading comprehension, and comprehending the text likewise facilitates phrasing, intonation, and stress. When students reread text in response to grappling with interpreting the meaning, they become more accurate with the prosody elements. Likewise, when they use prosody correctly, they are more likely to gain understanding of the subtle meanings within the text. The syntactic and semantic knowledge needed for text comprehension also facilitates assignment of word stress, prediction of sentence structure, and therefore prosodic reading of text: hence, a reciprocal relationship. Answer A is incorrect because it does not address the reciprocal relationship between prosody and comprehension. Answer B is incorrect because the chart provides no information on students' background knowledge. Answer C is incorrect because while some of the students demonstrate appropriate rates or read very quickly, the prosody ratings indicate that it is unlikely they are reading with strong comprehension.
27	Answer to question 27	D	Objective 005 Answer D is correct because the reading specialist has fifth-grade students read and analyze several content-area complex texts at varying reading levels. This directly addresses the guiding principle #4 of the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy that states "Students should be exposed to complex and challenging texts at their grade level and above, with extra support and scaffolding as needed, reflecting high expectations for all students." Understanding a complex text depends on students first gaining a general understanding of a text. In the scenario, the teacher provides scaffolded support as students complete an outline to identify main ideas and key details. Answers A, B, and C are incorrect because they are not the guiding principles that align with the scenario as described.
28	Answer to question 28	A	Objective 005 Answer A is correct because the dimensions of text complexity in the passage that are most likely to present the greatest challenge are the qualitative dimensions of syntactic structures and figurative language. The passage contains complex sentences with clauses (e.g., You are forever after your own ends, many say, and without qualms when it comes to hiding sharp tricks inside soft veils of words). It also contains figurative language that cannot be interpreted literally (e.g., inside soft veils of words) and depends on an understanding of metaphors, similes, and idiomatic expressions. Answer B is incorrect because the length and morphological complexity of the words in the passage would not be challenging to high school students. Answer C is incorrect because there are common cohesive elements present in the passage (e.g., conjunctions and, but, so, when). Answer D is incorrect because it can be assumed the passage is related to the thematic content.
29	Answer to question 29	B	Objective 005 Answer B is correct because a poem might seem appropriate in word, phrase, or sentence length, while at the same time the idea or theme is developmentally inappropriate. As with other genres, quantitative measures do not take into consideration the qualitative dimension of an expressed idea or theme. A text could meet the grade-level criteria of readability, but the topic could be too sophisticated for students at a particular grade level. The content and the reader should be factored in when considering the complexity level of poetry as with any other genre. Answers A and C are incorrect because the question started with "As a general rule..." and these answer choices did not necessarily apply to poems in general. Answer D is incorrect because poems with familiar or unfamiliar rhyme schemes and metrical forms may also have varying levels of complexity.
30	Answer to question 30	C	Objective 005 Answer C is correct because readability levels are important when choosing texts for students to read independently. Appropriate readability levels provided in Answer C suggest students will be able to read the words and handle the sentence length and sentence complexity. Texts on grade-appropriate topics suggest students will have the background knowledge needed to understand the text. Compelling prose addresses piquing and holding students' interest, which is important for motivating independent reading. These three factors combine to make the type of texts given in Answer C accessible and of interest to students. Answers A, B, and D are incorrect because the texts are either too easy or too hard. Answer A is incorrect because it offers limited opportunities to read text since magazines consist primarily of photographs. Answer B is incorrect because it offers picture books, which as described, may not have readability levels appropriate for independent reading. Answer D is incorrect because grade-level short stories are not necessarily at students' independent reading levels, the plot predictability of these stories suggests they might be of low interest to students, and students who are receiving support may find grade-level materials inaccessible.
31	Answer to question 31	B	Objective 005 Answer B is correct because the most appropriate text would include words that the student can decode or recognize along with a limited number of conceptually key academic words that are repeated. Decodable text contains phonics patterns and concepts students have learned and are able to decode. Text that includes repetition of key academic words provides students with multiple opportunities to apply strategies to pronounce the words and add them to their sight word vocabularies. This type of text is known to improve oral reading fluency for disciplinary passages. If words are decodable, students can read text that is more syntactically complex with scaffolded support through a close reading approach. Answers C and D are incorrect because they don't directly address the need for the student to have texts to read on their own to extend both knowledge and exposure to more complex text. Answer A is incorrect because it is essential that students are exposed to Tier Two and Three vocabulary as part of content-area instruction.
32	Answer to question 32	B	Objective 005 Answer B is correct because the scenario describes scaffolded opportunities for students to grapple productively with complex texts. Participating in a close reading of key scenes of the play and collaborative discussions promote students' social-emotional learning by giving them a chance to examine aspects of the author's craft and engage in literary analysis that is likely enhanced even further by viewing the film. Opportunities to struggle productively with challenging texts serve to generate content for writing facilitated by or as a product of social-emotional learning that occurs during the close reading and discussions about the text. Answer A is incorrect because the activity described in the scenario does not support students' ability to write for a specific audience. Answer C is incorrect because the scenario describes students reading one specific play by Shakespeare. Answer D is incorrect because it is unlikely students would write texts for which they could use Shakespeare's plays as a model.
33	Answer to question 33	A	Objective 006 Answer A is correct because the student did provide a sense of closure appropriate to the narrated experience. The student was tasked with writing a narrative about observing someone who handled a challenging situation. The student conveys a narrative with a convoluted structure but provides closure at the end: "Shurya finishes. e v r y o n e clapped. I think they wouldn't have dared to shout out e x e p t my aunt did first. Then they do it. I was proud of Shurya. And also my aunt!!" Answer B is incorrect because the student did not demonstrate evidence of linking ideas within or across categories by using words, phrases, or clauses. The student relayed their experiences from a recent science presentation they attended and stayed on this topic without relating it to other topics or ideas. Answer C is incorrect because the student did not demonstrate evidence of drawing on characteristics, elements, or features of a traditional literary genre. Answer D is incorrect because the student conveyed events using general and simple language and used very little descriptive and figurative language.
34	Answer to question 34	D	Objective 006 Answer D is correct because providing signal words and paragraph structure where it is needed would be the most effective way to address the student's needs. The student would benefit from an organizational strategy such as sequencing events with the use of signal words and employing paragraphs to indicate flashbacks or parts of the story that are out of sequence to make the narrative more coherent. Answer A is incorrect because it is more effective and efficient to address the text structure and provide coherence rather than focusing on other revisions and edits. Answer B is incorrect because spell check and grammatical function can be thwarted with the existing structural problems. Answer C is incorrect because it is not an opinion piece and improving sentence structure would more logically follow employing an organizational strategy.
35	Answer to question 35	C	Objective 006 Answer C is correct because it identifies the need for using proper punctuation and capitalization conventions to denote speaking within quotation marks. There are several places where the student did not meet the standard for this convention: "Mr. James said what a great project"; "She shouted we want to hear the speech. Let Shurya finish!"; "And then a bunch of parents shout let her finish!" In all these examples, the student did not include quotation marks or capitalize the first word of what was said. Answer A is incorrect because Tier Three vocabulary words, or those words generally found in content area texts, are unlikely to be used in a narrative writing piece. Answer B is incorrect because the writing sample does not require parallel structure to be coherent. Answer D is incorrect because this writing convention about using words for numbers versus using numerals is of minor importance and should not be the focus of instruction.
36	Answer to question 36	D	Objective 006 Answer D is correct because the student was not consistent in how verb tenses were used. Most of the narrative was in past tense, but the student shifted to present tense inappropriately at least eight times (e.g., "She won, note verb tense an a w o r d for her science project. She is, note verb tense ready to give her speech. She p r a c t i s e d, note verb tense and it was five minutes. Which she plans, note verb tense all along."). The student would benefit from explicit instruction and practice in recognizing and correcting shifts in verb tense. Answer A is incorrect because the writing sample shows evidence of correct pronoun antecedent agreement. Answer B is incorrect because there is no evidence in the writing sample provided that the student is using the passive voice. Answer C is incorrect because as evidenced in the writing sample, the student requires instruction in foundational writing skills before taking on more complex concepts such as using various types of adjectival, participial, and prepositional phrases to convey meanings.
37	Answer to question 37	B	Objective 006 Answer B is correct because exposition is a key literary device to introduce background information to a reader. The exposition chapter or subheading in the essay will provide important information about the background of the historical figure to provide the reader with an understanding of how the person's early life motivated their decisions or influenced how they became famous. Answers A, C, and D are incorrect because they are writing modes better suited to other parts of the essay (i.e., other subtitled sections).
38	Answer to question 38	C	Objective 006 Answer C is correct because Program C has the most options likely to promote skills students need to improve their reading and writing. The ability to disable the speed scoring factor encourages students to instead focus on accuracy. The letters in sans serif fonts (e.g., Comic Sans) may appear less crowded, which some students with dyslexia or dysgraphia prefer. The speech options promote independence in using letter-sound relationships to decode and encode. Graphics and illustrations may distract from learning the skills needed to overcome reading and writing challenges. Answer A is incorrect because graphics are unnecessary and may be distracting to students, and it does not have the option of letter sounds as a support. Answer B is incorrect because it has unnecessary graphics and the option to disable accuracy would not support students' development of keyboarding skills. Answer D is incorrect primarily because it lacks the support of having the target word visible to students while they are typing.
39	Answer to question 39	B	Objective 007 Answer B is correct because the intent of a close reading routine is to reread the text carefully and purposefully. As students engage in close reading, they focus on what the author says, what the words mean, and what the structure of the text tells them. Students often resist rereading texts, so by setting a purpose for the rereading (e.g., to look for evidence to support a claim, consider the author's word choice) students are more likely to engage and stay focused when rereading. Close reading engages readers at deeper meaning levels with complex text. Answers A and C are incorrect because they are not strategies for close reading and they do not have a primary focus on facilitating the rereading of the text to gain a deeper understanding. Answer D is incorrect because it describes an activity in which students' background knowledge is used to support their understanding of a text.
40	Answer to question 40	C	Objective 007 Answer C is correct because a story grammar approach to literary analysis provides students with a framework in which to analyze the interactions of the characters within the context of the story setting and events. It is a systematic and cumulative approach that aligns with research in how children's narrative language skills develop. Story grammar analysis focuses on the macrostructure of stories as having certain components or elements (e.g., character/setting, initiating event, internal response, plan, attempts to carry out the plan, consequence, story resolution). As children progress through the stages of narrative development, their retellings of stories contain more of the story components. This approach also teaches microstructure, the language that produces cohesion between the elements and conveys story relationships and characters' motivations. The approach is explicit in identifying the story elements and teaching the language to convey those elements and the relationships between the elements. Answers A and B are incorrect because student-led reciprocal-teaching model and Question-Answer Relationships approaches would be better suited for addressing students' overall comprehension of the narrative text rather than its story elements specifically. Answer D is incorrect because assigning students specific roles during reading does not directly support their understanding of story elements.
41	Answer to question 41	D	Objective 007 Answer D is correct because Socratic Seminars are formal discussions that require students to take a critical-analytic stance. During Socratic Seminars, a leader (often a teacher) initiates a group discussion by asking an open-ended question with the goal of deeply understanding a text. Students engage in critical thinking, contemplate the comments of others, and share their own thoughts. Students must reason, explore concepts, and evaluate their own beliefs for inaccuracies. Answers A and C are incorrect because although they are other discussion frameworks that engage students in seeking deeper meaning from a text, they do not require the critical-analytic stance. Answer B is incorrect because reader's theatre does not require discussion of a text.
42	Answer to question 42	A	Objective 007 Answer A is correct because teaching digital literacy begins with teaching students how to locate and evaluate information online. Research demonstrates that students often lack the knowledge to evaluate whether information online is relevant to their topic, comes from a credible source, and is trustworthy. For this reason, teaching students about critical evaluation is the first step toward addressing the findings shared in the scenario. The first step is defining and discussing the accepted dimensions of critical evaluation—relevance, accuracy, bias/perspective, and reliability—which provide a common language for further instruction. Answers B, C, and D are also evidence-based practices, but they are incorrect as a first step that addresses the problem described in the scenario.
43	Answer to question 43	B	Objective 007 Answer B is correct because content is a polysemous word, and its pronunciation is determined by its meaning in context. In the context of the lesson presented in the scenario, the word content functions as an adjective and means satisfied or pleased. Students would need to know about the two ways to pronounce content and which pronunciation is for the adjective and which is for the noun. Answer A is incorrect because a single exposure to a word is unlikely to lead to deep understanding. Answer C is incorrect because categorizing which tier of vocabulary the word belongs to would not promote students' understanding of its meaning. Answer D is incorrect because multiple exposures to a word as well as opportunities to use it in a variety of settings, not idiom or mnemonic devices, lead to understanding of a word's meaning.
44	Answer to question 44	A	Objective 007 Answer A is correct because students need to share accountability to use new words in their own writing and speaking assignments. Research consistently shows that effective vocabulary instruction must not only introduce students to key vocabulary words, but it must also provide repeated exposures and opportunities for students to use words. Students need to see new words as many times as possible, in as many different contexts as possible, to ensure words permanently enter their lexicons. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they offer students only isolated interactions with the newly introduced words and do not provide opportunities for students to engage with the words meaningfully while reading, writing, and speaking.
45	Answer to question 45	C	Objective 007 Answer C is correct because the teacher explains that the word content is an academic word from Latin, which raises the students' awareness of cognates. Children can be taught cognates as early as preschool, and as the children progress in grade levels, they can be introduced to more sophisticated cognates and those that have multiple meanings in both languages, such as content. Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation. Many academic words in English with Latin origins are cognates with words from Romance languages. Research shows that students benefit from cognate awareness, but this awareness must be explicitly taught. Cognate awareness benefits students because they can often access unfamiliar academic terms in English by associating them with their cognate equivalent or by using knowledge of one language to unlock word meanings in another language. However, researchers have found that the recognition of cognates is not an automatic process. The English word content has Spanish (contento, contenta), Portuguese (contente), and French (contenu) cognates. Answers A and B are incorrect because neither approach provides scaffolding with which to build on and expand the students' current understanding. Answer D is incorrect because syllable division strategies do not directly support vocabulary acquisition.
46	Answer to question 46	D	Objective 008 Answer D is correct because a mathematical proof is a logical way in which a statement is demonstrated to be true. It is a succinct structured argument that follows a set of logical steps. Answer D contains accurate descriptors of the language used in a mathematical proof. Therefore, it is a statement appropriate in mathematical discussions. Answers A and B are incorrect because these statements describe the traits of literacy as they relate to science. Answer C is incorrect because this statement describes the traits of literacy as they relate to history.
47	Answer to question 47	C	Objective 008 Because historical writings were created by people whose opinions and experiences influenced their point of view, Answer C is correct. The first step in evaluating a primary source document is to establish the writer's credibility and potential biases. Such an evaluation is accomplished by considering which statements in the piece can be considered factual and what relevant facts were omitted. Omitting facts that potentially lead to a different conclusion presents a bias in and of itself. Finally, the author's word choice must be considered since word choice can convey a bias toward the topic or opinion rendered. Answer A is incorrect because it describes analyzing a problem-solution relationship and not the soundness of the writer's reasoning. Answers B and D are incorrect because they do not directly pertain to evaluating the document in terms of its soundness and reasoning and describe evaluating the author instead.
48	Answer to question 48	A	Objective 008 Answer A is correct because the "Wonderings" part of the Reading and Analyzing Nonfiction (RAN) strategy is applied after students have read about the topic and not before. This is because in following the practices of a disciplinary field, researchers typically raise questions during and after they explore a topic, not just before. It is difficult for students to generate questions about a topic they have no background knowledge of. After reading, students are more apt to use disciplinary terms and language in their questioning. Some of these terms surfaced in the questioning column (i.e., "Wonderings") in the RAN chart presented in the scenario (e.g., "Paleolithic Age," "archeologists," "humans"). Answers B and C are incorrect because they do not reflect the methodology or rationale of the RAN strategy. Answer D is incorrect because the focus of composing questions is not on searching for discipline-specific language but on fueling the next step toward further research raised in the questions. The motivation comes from the broadening of students' knowledge base in the other steps of the RAN process.
49	Answer to question 49	C	Objective 008 Answer C is correct because the teacher wants to have students find out more about the field of archeology as it relates to the Paleolithic Age. Following the RAN process, students should add facts to the "What I Think I Know" column because they have advanced their starting point for prior knowledge in the previous lesson with the reading specialist. Then as a class, they can identify evidence that led archeologists to construct those facts under the "New Knowledge" column. In this way, the teacher is practicing the initial steps in the RAN process after observing the model provided by the reading specialist. Students can also identify subtopics for which there is more information available. These categories help students sift through and organize their research notes to promote their understanding of the field of archeology as it relates to the Paleolithic Age. Students continue to work to revise their notations to reflect their growing knowledge and new evidence to support the previous statement made. The interactions with new knowledge allow students to also confirm information in the "Yes" column related to the statements of prior knowledge. This process conveys the importance of factual accuracy to ensure that student researchers are responsible for confirming their prior knowledge, providing evidence, and citing sources. Answer A is incorrect because professional journal articles would be extremely challenging for middle school students to comprehend. Answer B is incorrect because the "Wonderings" column is intended to set a purpose for reading and does not directly promote students' understanding of the content. Answer D is incorrect because summarizing in individual journals does not promote the robust discussion and deep analysis of the content that leads to student understanding.
50	Answer to question 50	B	Objective 008 Answer B is correct because according to the principles of learning with a RAN strategy, learning does not stop with gathering, recording, and evaluating facts. It is stimulated by taking the next step toward further research that comes from the "Wonderings" about the facts students abstracted together from the text. Having students select their research topics from the "Wonderings" column directly connects to the knowledge generated from analyzing what they read—so-called new prior knowledge—and to their own interests. Answer A is incorrect because having students select their own research topics would not impact the quantity or quality of their instruction. Answers C and D are incorrect because they do not directly connect to the "Wonderings" column or place value on student-led inquiry.
51	Answer to question 51	B	Objective 008 Answer B is correct because the question posed most directly connects to promoting students' understanding of the field of archeology as it relates to the Paleolithic Age and the "Wonderings" column shown in the scenario ("How did archeologists figure out how jobs were assigned in these groups?"). The question pertains directly to thinking like an archeologist by thinking of the kind of data they use to support a conclusion—how to go about finding an answer. Answers A, C, and D are incorrect because they do not specifically pertain to the students' question "How did archeologists figure out how jobs were assigned in these groups?".
52	Answer to question 52	D	Objective 009 Answer D is correct because convergent research shows that most English learners develop code-based skills that are equally as accurate and fluent as those of their monolingual peers. They tend to develop foundational word-reading skills to age- or grade-appropriate levels. However, text-reading fluency may not be a reliable indicator of reading comprehension for English learners. In general, English learners have an instructional profile that requires intensive instruction in meaning-based skills, even when code-based skills are proficient. English learners who score in the average range on measures of oral reading fluency typically still need support for English vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension skills. Therefore, supplementing the students' decoding and text-reading fluency data with data in the domains of language and reading comprehension is relevant and necessary to inform grouping and instruction. Answers A, B, and C are incorrect because they do not reflect the research pertaining to the scenario described in the question stem. The students in the scenario require additional assessment to provide information about their language and reading comprehension. Answers A and B focus on word-reading factors, while Answer C suggests students be grouped by their language proficiency level alone; however, English learners can have uneven development in language domains.
53	Answer to question 53	A	Objective 009 Answer A is correct because convergent research shows that bilingual learners demonstrate an advantage in advanced metalinguistic awareness when compared to their age-level monolingual peers. Metalinguistic awareness is the ability to attend to and reflect on the properties of language and manipulate the structure of language. Metalinguistic awareness has a subset of skills related to formal components of language: phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical awareness. The bilingual or multilingual experience requires speakers of more than one language to attend to the form, in addition to the message, of the two or more languages they speak. This results in increased metalinguistic awareness that can support a variety of language content learning (e.g., using cognates to build academic language). Answer B is incorrect because bilingual learners benefit from visual information when it is included as part of a lesson or content-area instruction. Answers C and D are incorrect because they are not accurate statements about bilingual learners according to research or practice.
54	Answer to question 54	C	Objective 009 Answer C is correct because research shows that when English learners translate English texts into their home language for discussion purposes, English reading comprehension improves. This approach supports students' development of metalinguistic awareness—their understanding of how both languages work, including commonalities and differences. When students work collaboratively translating a text, they recognize the text's microstructure, including vocabulary and figurative language. At the same time, they also make connections to the narrative structure of stories (e.g., central message, plot, character development) and informational text structures (e.g., main ideas). This process builds language proficiency in both English and the home language. Further, it promotes the recognition of cognates, or words that look or sound similar in two languages and have similar meaning. Four types of language transfers are likely to occur when students have this opportunity: (1) transfer of conceptual elements, (2) transfer of metacognitive and metalinguistic strategies, (3) transfer of pragmatics (e.g., turn-taking in conversation), and (4) transfer of specific linguistic elements (e.g., cognates and morphemes). Answers A and D are incorrect because they do not describe an evidenced-based rationale for using structured small-group discussions between peers who speak the same home language. Answer B is incorrect because students who have achieved Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) by definition do not yet consistently use the academic vocabulary that students who have achieved Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in English may use consistently.
55	Answer to question 55	B	Objective 009 Answer B is correct because a person learning a new language already possesses a complete linguistic system. Knowledge is transferred from the first language (L1) to the new language (L2), which may affect such things as word order (e.g., in English, adjectives come before the noun, but in other languages adjectives sometimes come after the noun). An English learner often follows the word order of their first language (e.g., "day sunny" instead of "sunny day") and may make errors in the new language that are related to syntactic rules in their first language. In first-language development, this transfer does not happen because it is not necessary. Syntax development in the first language builds on universal grammar and language input. Answers A, C, and D are incorrect because they are not accurate statements concerning the differences between first- and new-language development.
56	Answer to question 56	A	Objective 009 Answer A is correct because receptive language is the understanding of the words and expressions of others that children begin to develop even before they start talking in any languages. Expressive language is a child's ability to express themselves verbally and includes vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and how they use language to communicate. As both first-and new-language learners improve their language skills, they typically understand more than they can say. For example, children may be able to follow complex verbal directions, while their expressive language skills may include still speaking in one- or two-word utterances or using gestures instead of words. For new-language learners, the period of only receptive language development may be referred to as "the silent period," a time when children might follow directions but use only gestures to communicate. Answers B and D are incorrect because they are not accurate statements about language learners or language-learning processes. Answer C is incorrect because language learners develop vocabulary most proficiently when they have multiple exposures to and opportunities to use newly learned vocabulary in various settings and conversations.
57	Answer to question 57	B	Objective 009 Answer B is correct because an important factor in the success of English learners is understanding their needs in terms of English language development in addition to meeting general curriculum standards. This includes specialized instructional strategies for providing "comprehensible input" (e.g., visual representations) and integrating language development into all curriculum activities. The school staff need knowledge about stages of new-language development so that language behaviors that are typical of students as they reach each language proficiency level are not mistakenly judged to be deficient. At the same time, the staff also need to be aware that research indicates that English learners tend to develop code-based skills with similar accuracy and fluency rates as their monolingual peers, so significant delays should not be expected or ignored. Answers A and C are incorrect because they do not address the importance of specialized instruction. Answer D is incorrect because an advocate works with students who have already been diagnosed with a learning disability and would not have an impact on the number of students who are identified with a learning disability.
58	Answer to question 58	D	Objective 010 Answer D is correct because studies of reading ability in children with speech sound disorders (SSD) suggest at least a subgroup of these children have reading difficulties. This risk increases for children who also have language impairment (LI). Vocabulary knowledge is a mediating factor in predicting how well children with SSD can decode words and comprehend what they read. Children with SSD with and without L I should be assessed periodically to determine how their speech and language skills are impacting reading development. Research suggests that for younger students, building vocabulary may aid in both decoding and reading comprehension skills for children with SSD¹. Answers A, B, and C are incorrect because these diagnoses are not associated with later difficulties in reading development. Answer A is incorrect because differences in facial structure do not impact learning. Answer B is incorrect because a nonverbal learning disability typically causes challenges with motor, visual-spatial, and social skills. Answer C is incorrect because low oral muscular tone causes difficulty with accuracy when producing speech sounds. (Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (Online): Washington Vol.44, Iss. 4 (Oct 2013): 360–373)
59	Answer to question 59	C	Objective 010 Answer C is correct because challenges in nonphonological language skills (e.g., morphology, vocabulary, syntax) would directly impact reading comprehension. In comparison, children identified with dyslexia typically have intact nonphonological language skills. Answers A, B, and D are incorrect because they are not a primary challenge factor that would identify a child as having challenges with nonphonological language skills. Answer A is incorrect because oral reading fluency requires accuracy and automaticity when decoding and results from strong phonological skills. Answer B is incorrect because accurate decoding requires phonemic awareness skills and is therefore a phonological language skill. Answer D is incorrect because phonemic awareness is a skill within the continuum of phonological awareness skills.
60	Answer to question 60	A	Objective 010 Answer A is correct because dyslexia is a neurobiological condition that originates from a deficit in the processing of the phonological components of language and is not related to cognitive abilities. Students with dyslexia often have significant strengths in their oral language, vocabulary, and higher-level thinking skills; therefore, students with dyslexia often comprehend texts at a significantly higher level than those texts they are able to decode. Answer B is incorrect because deficits in long- and short-term memory interfere with the decoding process and do not result in strong comprehension skills. Answer C is incorrect because although the brain may process vocabulary and its orthographic representation simultaneously, this neurological process does not explain why a child with dyslexia presents with discrepancies between reading comprehension and word-reading ability. Answer D is incorrect because the visual processing system processes information through the eyes and is not related to the mental imagery created by readers.
61	Answer to question 61	B	Objective 010 Answer B is correct because the student who was recently diagnosed with dyslexia exhibits strong oral language skills and vocabulary and is highly engaged during classroom discussions. This suggests that modifications as described in Answer B would be the most appropriate as they provide an alternate route to access course content with sources that are more likely to be at the student's higher listening comprehension level. Students with dyslexia typically comprehend text at a much higher listening level than their reading level. Video and audio resources provided above the student's reading level will allow the student to use a relative strength to pursue knowledge and prevent secondary effects of dyslexia (i.e., reduced reading experience that impedes the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge). Answers A, C, and D are incorrect because they do not provide access to information at a more challenging level. Answer A is incorrect because texts that are fully decodable would not be engaging or provide information at the level the student is able to comprehend. Answer C is incorrect because providing extra work to students is not an example of modifying or adapting the curriculum materials to meet the needs of an individual student. Answer D is incorrect because providing a peer to assist the student with assignments is highly unrealistic and unlikely to build on the student's strong oral language skills and vocabulary.
62	Answer to question 62	A	Objective 010 Answer A is correct because a diagnosis of double deficit dyslexia would mean a student has deficits in both phonological processing and naming speed. While phonological processing deficits would interfere with decoding words, naming speed difficulty would affect gains in sight word reading (automaticity) and text-reading fluency. While naming speed is not related to accuracy-based measures, it has a strong relationship with timed measures of word reading. Answer A is correct because recalling multiplication facts with automaticity is also dependent on naming speed. Answer B is incorrect because difficulty following multistep directions suggests an auditory processing disorder or challenges with executive function skills. Answer C is incorrect because speech articulation difficulties are unrelated to a diagnosis of dyslexia. Answer D is incorrect because attention challenges, while sometimes occurring comorbidly with a diagnosis of dyslexia, are not a primary indicator of dyslexia.
63	Answer to question 63	D	Objective 010 Answer D is correct because " dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge" (definition of dyslexia adopted by the International Dyslexia Association [IDA], 2003). The second-grade student described in Answer D has several of these characteristics: limited reading development despite effective classroom instruction and age-appropriate cognitive skills. Answers A and C are incorrect because the student descriptions do not align with characteristics of dyslexia. Answer B is incorrect because a typically developing second-grade student would still have incomplete orthographic knowledge that could result in the phonetic spelling of high-frequency words or grade-level vocabulary with spelling patterns that are irregular and/or regular patterns they have not yet learned.
64	Answer to question 64	D	Objective 011 Answer D is correct because the assessment described in the scenario is a fluency screener, which is a brief assessment that determines the students' oral reading fluency rate in terms of a words-correct-per-minute score and an accuracy percentage that can be compared to the 50th percentile score—an established benchmark for proficiency. Screening instruments, or screeners, are used to identify whether students are at risk in a particular literacy domain or whether they have hit an established benchmark for proficiency. Answer A is incorrect because a diagnostic assessment is an assessment of multiple components of reading used to address an individual student's areas of strengths and needs. Answer B is incorrect because a dynamic assessment predicts a student's potential for change and allows for a teaching trial during an assessment period. Answer C is incorrect because norm-referenced tests are used to compare with a normative group (e.g., SAT and A C T ).
65	Answer to question 65	A	Objective 011 Answer A is correct because in order to improve students' outcomes, it is essential to adjust instruction based on data. Interim assessments are administered periodically to assess students' progress toward meeting end-of-the-year goals and to determine whether students are on track to reach benchmarks. Since these assessments are given at timely intervals throughout the school year, they can be used to plan or adjust instruction. Answer B is incorrect because summative assessments indicate the progress students have made in a given area and are not the most appropriate choice for informing differentiated instruction. Answers C and D are incorrect because both norm-referenced and standardized tests compare students to one another and would not be suitable for informing differentiated instruction.
66	Answer to question 66	C	Objective 011 Answer C is correct because progress-monitoring (PM) assessments allow for testing over time with multiple data points with the same type of measure for the purpose of gauging growth on a learning trajectory. PM assessments improve student outcomes by providing data that reveal each student's response to instruction. Teachers who progress monitor are likely to have better student outcomes because they can identify how well a student is doing and adjust aspects of instruction accordingly. Teachers who use progress-monitoring measures for their students are focused on what individual students need rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction. Answer A is incorrect because the ability to administer an assessment to a whole class in a single sitting makes the assessment easy to implement but would not explain why progress-monitoring assessments benefit student learning. Answer B is incorrect because, although regular progress monitoring is critical for informing instruction, this aspect alone would not directly impact student learning outcomes. Answer D is incorrect because establishing baseline data is only the first step in using data effectively to inform instruction.
67	Answer to question 67	A	Objective 011 Answer A is correct because in the scenario, the reading specialist wants an assessment to evaluate student learning in meeting standards/benchmarks, which best aligns with a summative assessment. A summative assessment summarizes students' progress at the end of a unit, semester, or some other time and is administered after learning has taken place. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they are not outcome assessments used as a measure of progress toward meeting a standard. Answer B is incorrect because a norm-referenced test compares students' performance to that of their peers. Answer C is incorrect because a progress-monitoring assessment is a brief measure, given at regular intervals, of a particular skill that is the target of instruction or intervention. Answer D is incorrect because criterion-referenced assessments measure students' understanding of a set of arbitrary predetermined criteria, benchmarks, or standards.
68	Answer to question 68	D	Objective 011 Answer D is correct because the question asks for an assessment that will yield information about the student's potential for responding to instruction. A dynamic assessment is one that predicts a student's potential for change. It involves several steps: (1) gathering baseline data, (2) teaching and recording the amount of scaffolding the student needed, and (3) retesting the student and charting improvement. This process is time consuming but can help the specialist find a technique that works for improving comprehension. Dynamic assessment provides information about the student's potential for responding to intervention. Answer A is incorrect because norm-referenced assessments compare individual test scores to those of one's peers. Answer B is incorrect because summative assessments are designed to measure learning outcomes after instruction. Answer C is incorrect because criterion-referenced assessments measure students' understanding of a set of arbitrary predetermined criteria, benchmarks, or standards.
69	Answer to question 69	A	Objective 011 Answer A is correct because teachers want to calculate the mode to support their analysis of questions missed by the greatest number of students. The mode is the value with the most frequent occurrence. Questions that are missed by many students could reflect either misunderstandings that occurred during instruction or instruction that did not go far enough to teach the content. Answer B is incorrect because standard deviation refers to how test data is distributed in relation to the mean. Answer C is incorrect because sample size refers to the number of participants in a research study. Answer D is incorrect because deriving the mean would tell the teachers the average score of all the students tested.
70	Answer to question 70	C	Objective 012 Answer C is correct because when naming speed is slow (2nd percentile), the build-up of visual-orthographic word representations (words recognized with automaticity) may be impaired because of limited formation of associations between visual and phonological representations that typically occurs during decoding. During the decoding process, phonological word representations must be segmented so that the individual graphemes can be associated with their corresponding phonemes. The speed impairment in getting from visual representations (graphemes) to phonological representation (phonemes) also occurs in a rapid naming task. Performance on a rapid naming test can predict that a student will need more learning trials to compensate for the speed impairment. Therefore, for this student, increasing the number of exposures to new words and syllable types will be critical to building orthographic knowledge. For a student without these difficulties, it might take only a few times decoding a new word before it becomes a sight word. But for this student, it might take 30 or more times decoding a word before it becomes a sight word. Difficulty with phonological memory subtests (8th percentile) is also predictive of reading difficulties. Answer A is incorrect because convergent research confirms that proficient readers decode all words and word parts (with increasing automaticity) and do not rely on whole-word recognition. Answer B is incorrect because it is not an evidence-based approach. Further, the assessment data provided do not suggest the student has challenges with vocabulary learning. Answer D is incorrect because picture books would not support the student's acquisition of reading skills.
71	Answer to question 71	D	Objective 012 The MTSS Implementation Drivers are "the organizational systems that leaders create in order for interventions to take place." The key components provide a multi-tiered system of support and include the use of evidence-based practices across all tiers, the monitoring of implementation fidelity, the use of robust data and assessment systems, and the use of standards-driven curriculum and instructional models. When a feedback loop is in place, there are tools to circle back with educators to learn more about how well they are doing with evidence-based practice. It is intertwined with database decision making. The feedback loop provides evidence about the effectiveness of instructional practices with students. The data-based decision making, Answer D, is essential to knowing how all the MTSS Implementation Driver components are working. Data-based decision making is important when thinking about intervention and in measuring the success of the curriculum. Answers A, B, and C are incorrect because without teachers engaging in data-based decisions, as part of the feedback loop, it would be hard to evaluate the other components.
72	Answer to question 72	B	Objective 012 Answer B is correct because the scenario suggests students are having difficulty with narrative texts that have unfamiliar themes and settings. Texts with unfamiliar themes and settings would likely have vocabulary and language descriptions that are also unfamiliar to the students, so building students' language comprehension around the context of the narrative would aid comprehension. Answer A is incorrect because the assessment described in the scenario suggests students could answer questions about familiar themes, so it is not an issue with question levels. Answers C and D are incorrect because the scenario does not suggest students have difficulty interpreting anaphoric references or determining overarching mood.
73	Answer to question 73	C	Objective 012 Answer C is correct because according to the data, the best scaffold for core instruction would be using a variety of grade-level texts to build knowledge of relevant vocabulary and narrative text structure so that the students can analyze texts with less familiar narrative themes and settings. Knowledge of narrative text structure (i.e., story grammar) facilitates text comprehension by providing students with a process to analyze characters and their reactions to story events and follow causal chains that lead to a story resolution. Story grammar knowledge helps students make predictions and understand character motivations. Additionally, as students build grade-level vocabulary, they will become more independent in reading texts with less familiar themes and settings. Answer B is incorrect because in the scenario described, core instruction should be supplemented by, but not replaced with, Tier 2 intervention. Answers A and D are incorrect because they are targeted strategies, and the specific needs of students in regard to comprehension are established by the assessment data in the scenario.
74	Answer to question 74	B	Objective 012 Answer B is correct because it addresses a key component of the MTSS to plan professional development aligned with student data. Using grade-level team meetings and professional learning communities allows for a consistent way to implement comprehension strategies and monitor students' responses to the implementation of new strategies. Answer A is incorrect because students who have met grade-level expectations do not typically require instruction from the reading specialist. Answer C is incorrect because a norm-referenced assessment is an inappropriate step for students who have not yet received any targeted intervention. Answer D is incorrect because Tier 3 interventions are implemented after students have received Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions.
75	Answer to question 75	D	Objective 012 Answer D is correct because it uses syllable types or phonics patterns to organize this information. As an example, the student data clearly demonstrate the student can read most closed syllables with or without digraphs but does not read words with vowel teams. Research confirms that students make the most progress when they are instructed based on their current orthographic knowledge and what they still need to learn. Research also supports a developmental scope and sequence for phonics instruction based on syllable types. Answer A is incorrect because most student errors were on vowel pronunciation, so identifying consonant errors the student makes in the initial position of words would not provide information for instruction. Answer B is incorrect because in a nonsense word assessment, there is no context. Answer C is incorrect because it would not yield relevant information to facilitate instructional planning for this student.
76	Answer to question 76	A	Objective 012 Answer A is correct because based on the assessment evidence provided, the student would benefit most from being grouped with other students who need explicit instruction in single-syllable words with silent e because the student had errors on all the silent e words. Typically, in a phonics scope and sequence, silent e is the first syllable pattern instructed after closed syllables. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because the assessment data do not provide evidence to support these targets. Answer B is incorrect because the evidence provided does not suggest the student cannot read multisyllabic words with consonant digraphs. Answer C is incorrect because before the student can read multisyllabic words with long-vowel syllables, they would need to learn to read single syllables with long vowels. Answer D is incorrect because the student can already read single-syllable words with short vowels.
77	Answer to question 77	C	Objective 015 Answer C is correct because the errors the student made on the words sost, thrihst , sote, clar, and jern had in common the transposition of sounds from one part of the word to another ( stoss /sost, thirst/ thrihst , [stŏt]/sote, carl/clar, and juhren /jern). Transposing phonemes or switching their position when pronouncing a word is an example of how phonemic awareness can impact decoding. One aspect of phonemic awareness is the perception of individual phonemes in words in sequence or the order that they occur in the word. In the example provided, the student blends the phonemes out of sequence during the process of decoding. Graphemes become concrete representations of the sounds once students have letter-sound correspondences. Guiding students to decode one-syllable words sequentially and sound-by-sound can improve phonemic awareness. Phonemic awareness is needed to decode words, and the process of decoding words reinforces phonemic awareness. The benefit of incorporating graphemes when building phonemic awareness (e.g., in a spelling activity) has been substantiated both for beginning readers and students of any age who have weaknesses in phonemic awareness skills. Answers A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not express a reciprocal relationship that explains the errors in phoneme sequencing that occurred when the student read the stated words.
78	Answer to question 78	A	Objective 013 Answer A is correct because it describes materials that do not align with the science of teaching reading. Option 1 includes predictable texts that promote guessing words from context and would go against scientific evidence regarding how reading develops in the brain and the need for beginning readers to learn to systematically decode words. Convergent research since the National Reading Panel Report (2000) has shown strong advantages of systematic and cumulative synthetic approaches to phonics instruction that (1) emphasizes hearing and identifying phonemes in all positions of one-syllable words, (2) teaches the letter-sound correspondences, (3) has students synthesize words by blending the sounds of each of the graphemes, and (4) includes recursive practice in decodable text and spelling. Answers B, C, and D would align with a synthetic phonics approach, so they are incorrect choices because the committee should be looking for these phonics components in new materials to teach beginning readers.
79	Answer to question 79	B	Objective 013 Answer B is correct because reading is accomplished with letter-by-letter processing of every word, and fluent readers process every letter. This helps readers distinguish the difference between words (e.g., barn from bran). Skillful readers process all the details of printed words and connect them to the individual phonemes that make up a spoken word. Answers A and C are incorrect because eye movement studies have confirmed that skillful readers do not skip words or use context to recognize words. Answer D is incorrect because it does not align with scientific evidence.
80	Answer to question 80	D	Objective 013 Answer D is correct because according to the Simple View of Reading—a widely accepted theoretical framework validated by a body of research studies—reading has two basic components: word recognition (decoding) and language comprehension. The Simple View is written as a multiplication equation (Decoding times Language Comprehension = Reading Comprehension [ D times L C equals R C ]) because anything multiplied by 0 results in zero. To have reading comprehension, one must be able to read the words and comprehend the language that is read. If either skill is absent, there is no reading comprehension. Therefore, intervention for struggling readers is most effective when it addresses students' specific weaknesses that may be either in decoding, language comprehension, or both. Answers A and B are incorrect because students require instruction and monitoring for both code-based and meaning-based skills throughout their school years. Answer C is incorrect because it does not take into account both the code-based and meaning-based needs of individual students or plan for these needs based on data.
81	Answer to question 81	C	Objective 013 Answer C is correct because the research review identified seven instructional practices associated with improved reading comprehension in middle school. These seven factors could be described as multiple factors. Answer A is incorrect because the 12 studies did not prove cooperative learning increases reading comprehension—it was associated with positive reading comprehension outcomes. Answer B is incorrect because the identified programs and practices were limited to middle school, so there is no evidence in the review to support generalizing the findings to high school. Answer D is incorrect because it states a conclusion that cannot be drawn from the research review, which does not mention any replication studies or reviews.
82	Answer to question 82	B	Objective 013 Answer B is correct because researchers must retain a majority of participants in a study in order to maintain a rigorous research design. Rigorous research design criteria should include a low attrition rate for participants—meaning that a high number of participants who start a study, finish the study. Answer A is incorrect because significant differences between student groups would not be considered a valid criterion when constructing a rigorous research design. Answer C is incorrect because assigning participants to groups based on an arbitrary factor such as the first letter of their last name describes randomization in research design. Answer D is incorrect because confounding factors are those that affect the dependent variable in a research design.
83	Answer to question 83	A	Objective 013 Answer A is correct because it suggests the reading specialist would examine the feasibility of each requirement to implement the practice with fidelity. If the reading specialist wants to consider implementing a new practice from the research review, it would be important to determine if the intensity, duration, personnel, and professional development requirements are feasible for the school or district where the implementation will occur. Answer B is incorrect because causal relationships in real-world settings are complex, and statistical interactions of variables are assumed to be pervasive. Causal relationships typically emerge from controlled experiments. Answers C and D are incorrect because these statements do not pertain to the practical aspects of implementing a new practice.
84	Answer to question 84	D	Objective 014 Answer D Line 4 is correct because both words branch and wrench end with the unvoiced consonant digraph C H . A consonant digraph is a grapheme where two letters spell one sound. Answers A, B, and C are incorrect because the example does not match the phonology term. A minimal pair is when two words differ by only one sound that changes both the pronunciation and the meaning (e.g., the letter P in peach is underlined and the letter T in teach is underlined ). W R I T E and R I T E have different spellings for the same sound er . The digraph th may be either voiced or unvoiced. It is unvoiced in the words The letter T H are underlined in the words thin and think and voiced in the words this and that. For the syllable onsets to be correct, the underlined portion would be as follows: The letter T is underlined in teeth and G R is underlined in green . The onset is the consonant sound(s) of a single-syllable word before the vowel. The rime is the part of a word including the vowel and the letters that follow it—typically a final consonant sound or sounds. Not all words have onsets.
85	Answer to question 85	B	Objective 014 Answer B is correct because a phoneme is the smallest unit of sound that distinguishes one word from another. For example, the words bat and pat differ by one phoneme in the initial position, while C E L L and S E L L , although they are spelled differently, consist of the same three phonemes. Answer A is incorrect because although phonemes may be shared across languages, this does not define the role of a phoneme within a language. Answer C is incorrect because it describes the manner of producing a consonant sound. Answer D is incorrect because it describes the evolution of spoken language.
86	Answer to question 86	B	Objective 014 Answer B is correct because a relative pronoun is a word that refers to a noun and embeds or conjoins a clause to the rest of a sentence via subordination. Common relative pronouns include who, whoever, whom, whose, what, whatever, which, whichever, that. Relative pronouns are important for the construction of relative clauses because they link relative clauses to the rest of the sentence (e.g., This is the boy whose* dog is lost* whose is in boldface to signify it as a relative pronoun. ). Sentences with relative pronouns are more complex than simple sentences with only a verb and a noun or pronoun as a subject, and competence in using relative pronouns comes late in a child's development of syntax and grammar. It is a structure that is part of and essential to narrative discourse. Reference cohesion is critical to children's narratives, and the success telling and/or retelling a story is considered part of academic language. Answer A is incorrect because this type of simple sentence structure is used by children in the early stages of language development. Answers C and D are incorrect because while they contain more complex language structures than answer A, they are nonetheless syntactical structures that develop early in childhood.
87	Answer to question 87	C	Objective 014 Answer C is correct because during the earliest stage of language development, children are most likely to say single words that label things they want. They refer to people, objects, and events of interest. Some words are approximations of adult words (e.g., "baba" for bottle). At this stage of development, children may use one word for many things (e.g., "kitty" to refer to all animals). The words in this list are all nouns (shoe, mouth, apple, dog), so they fit this expectation. Answers A, B, and D are incorrect because they include words that are only used in multiword utterances or phrases; therefore, they would not be produced in the earliest stage of language development when children's expressive language consists of single words.
88	Answer to question 88	D	Objective 014 Answer D is correct because it involves overgeneralizing the morphological rule for marking past tense. In the earlier stage of language development, the child in the scenario was most likely using an irregular form of a verb imitatively as part of a word or phrase that was heard since common action words are typical of early vocabulary. However, once a child's language progresses in syntax to using a past tense marker, it is typical for children between the ages of 3 and 5 years to overgeneralize the rules for constructing regular past tense verbs (adding -ed) to irregular verbs (e.g., goed, eated, ranned). Answer A is incorrect because the child is exhibiting an error that is common during language development and would not require speech intervention. Answer B is incorrect because overgeneralizing does not indicate that the child is exhibiting early signs of a language disability affecting word retrieval. Answer C is incorrect because overgeneralizing is typical of expected development and would not warrant concern or intervention in irregular verbs.
89	Answer to question 89	C	Objective 014 Answer C is correct because the exchange between the teacher and the student suggests a pragmatic misunderstanding. The student did not seem familiar with the expectations for the prompt "Can you tell me what happens in this story?" At first, the student quite literally answers the question the teacher asks in the prompt, "Yes." The teacher's expectation is for the child to understand what occurs in a retelling discourse—starting at the beginning of the story and telling the events in sequence. So the teacher shifts to another prompt: asking what happens first. The student responds to this prompt by telling an event in the story. The discourse that occurs between the teacher and student does suggest the student is unfamiliar with discourse rules for retelling a story in response to questions that are typical of classroom discourse. Answer A is incorrect because the information in the scenario does not provide enough of an exchange to know if the student is unfamiliar with narrative structure. Answer B is incorrect because the student does not exhibit difficulty processing spoken language because they are able to answer the questions posed. Answer D is incorrect because the student does recall a specific detail from the story when given a different prompt.
90	Answer to question 90	C	Objective 015 Answer C is correct because the student described in the scenario has responded to multisensory structured language instruction and is able to decode words accurately. However, the student performs in the 25th percentile on oral reading fluency measures. This suggests difficulty with automaticity or recognizing enough words by sight to aid in reading words, phrases, and sentences at an adequate rate. A normative assessment of rapid naming speed would provide insight into the processing speed necessary to recognize words. Research evidence suggests that a rapid naming speed subtest of a normative assessment taps into the same processes needed to rapidly recognize words—connecting visual representations to phonological representations. Answers A and B are incorrect because the student demonstrates accurate decoding and phonemic awareness skills. Answer D is incorrect because oral reading prosody is not measured with a normative assessment and is dependent on success with automatic word recognition.
91	Answer to question 91	B	Objective 015 Answer B is correct because the students are set up to independently analyze the text and to synthesize information as they go along prompted by text-dependent questions that require students to reread and use evidence from the text to answer with written responses. This promotes attention to what the text says and likely promotes making inferences to fill in missing information because students are actively engaged in the text. The graphic organizer further supports students to independently reorganize and synthesize information from different parts of the text by creating a visual record of what they read, thought, and paraphrased into their own words. Answer A is incorrect because this approach requires students to work independently prior to receiving properly scaffolded teacher-led instruction regarding how to analyze text and synthesize information as they read. Answer C is incorrect because students require direct instruction to build comprehension of complex academic text reading, which this approach assumes they are already capable of doing independently. Answer D is incorrect because this approach does not support students in independently analyzing and synthesizing the text, which is the teacher's objective.
92	Answer to question 92	B	Objective 015 Answer B is correct because it connects speaking and writing, using rich academic language, to reading comprehension. Academic language functions (e.g., inferring, informing, persuading, analyzing) are examples of specific uses of language to accomplish academic tasks. Knowledge of and facility with academic language functions enable students to understand and communicate content. Recognizing and knowing how to use signal words (causative or adversative) or transition words enable readers to read and understand complex academic texts. The approach described in the scenario integrates language and content instruction, which facilitates reading comprehension. Explicitly teaching new vocabulary and how to use all four language skills—listening and speaking to imitate, speaking about characters using character trait vocabulary, reading to locate evidence, and writing using rich academic language—facilitates reading comprehension. Answer A is incorrect because it describes the Simple View of Reading, and the specialist's approach does not target both decoding and language comprehension in this scenario. Answer C is incorrect because the scenario is primarily addressing students' vocabulary development. Answer D is incorrect because vocabulary knowledge contributes to all language modes.
93	Answer to question 93	A	Objective 015 Answer A is correct because it describes the process of examining the author's craft by reflecting on the nuanced meanings of an author's word choice. This strategy is an integral part of text analysis in a close reading routine and expands vocabulary by introducing students not only to synonyms, but subtle differences in word meanings. Text analysis through close reading can address how nuanced word meanings capture the exact feeling, emotion, or intent an author wants to convey. A closer look at some of the words an author chooses and considering how the word choice paints a picture in the reader's mind will expand students' understanding of the meaning of text vocabulary and lead to a deeper level of meaning in understanding a text. Answers B, C, and D are incorrect because they require the students to identify an element of the text but do not introduce strategies that promote text analysis or serve to develop student vocabulary skills.
94	Answer to question 94	B	Objective 015 Answer B is correct because the description of the vocabulary approach with kindergarten students supports the reciprocal relationship between language, speaking, listening, and reading. This approach incorporates all of the components that support the reciprocal relationship between the four components of language. Teaching character trait words and connectives in the context of a discussion involves speaking and listening. Identifying evidence from the story involves listening and reading during a read-aloud while the discussion component involves listening and speaking. The reciprocal relationship between language, speaking, listening, and reading suggests that these acts all reinforce and promote each other's development. Answer A is incorrect because the lesson did not focus on narrative text structure. Answer C is incorrect because the specialist modeled the use of connectives in discussions and not a strategy to teach a literacy concept. Answer D is incorrect because background knowledge was not a focus of the lesson as described in the scenario.
95	Answer to question 95	A	Objective 016 Answer A is correct because teacher modeling is an essential component of teaching both students and adult learners. Content-area teachers may not be as proficient in providing strategies that specifically promote students' reading and comprehension skills, and the reading specialist can support them best by modeling these strategies for them. Answer B is incorrect because providing performance-based ratings is not an effective means to introduce or explain new reading instruction strategies to content-area teachers. Answer C is incorrect because providing professional journal articles to teachers does not encourage collaboration between content-area teachers and the reading specialist, nor does it provide teachers opportunities to practice a new skill. Answer D is incorrect because discussions on subject-specific reading would not directly support the teachers' use of reading instruction in their classrooms.
96	Answer to question 96	C	Objective 016 Answer C is correct because collaborating with the teacher about how to best provide targeted reading instruction is an example of effective coaching and mentorship. Answer A is incorrect because the student's learning preferences should not be the primary consideration when planning evidence-based instruction. Answer B is incorrect because this approach does not provide direct support or instruction to either the teacher or the student. Answer D is incorrect because diagnostic testing would not be an appropriate first step for a student who is meeting other grade-level benchmarks.
97	Answer to question 97	B	Objective 016 Answer B is correct because modeling key components of research-based instruction supports classroom teachers by providing effective mentorship while helping them stay current on evidence-based practices in reading instruction. Answer A is incorrect because the strategies shared by teachers from other school districts may not be current, evidence-based practices in reading instruction. Answer C is incorrect because supervising teachers, rather than collaborating with or mentoring them, does not support their development and understanding of current, evidence-based approaches to reading instruction. Answer D is incorrect because subscriptions and memberships to national literacy organizations would not directly support teachers' development and understanding of current, evidence-based approaches to reading instruction.
98	Answer to question 98	A	Objective 016 Answer A is correct because teachers may not have the requisite skills to ensure that the evidence-based literacy curriculum materials are being implemented with fidelity. Answer B is incorrect because families and stakeholders interact with curriculum materials indirectly and are not responsible for their implementation. Answer C is incorrect because while some teachers may have experience with similar materials, they may not be sufficiently proficient in their use to train less-experienced teachers to implement the materials effectively and with fidelity. Answer D is incorrect because designing supplemental materials does not support or ensure the successful implementation of the core materials.
99	Answer to question 99	D	Objective 016 Answer D is correct because ensuring that materials are evidence-based and support students' wide reading of both literary and informational texts should be the primary considerations when selecting core instructional materials. Answer A is incorrect because reading instruction philosophies are often subjective, and selection of materials should be guided by empirical evidence instead. Answer B is incorrect because while materials with high-interest topics or appealing illustrations can prove motivating to some students, they may not support evidence-based instruction. Answer C is incorrect because supplementary materials have little value if they do not reflect and support evidence-based instruction.
100	Answer to question 100	B	Objective 016 Answer B is correct because reading interventions should be evidence based, and it is critical that instructional materials selected for reading interventions in an elementary school support evidence-based differentiated instruction. Answer A is incorrect because evidence-based differentiated instruction should be provided by the reading specialist, not technology-based instructional programs. Answer C is incorrect because workbooks and supplemental materials are not an essential component of evidence-based instructional materials. Answer D is incorrect because while texts with high-interest topics may motivate and engage students, they may not be appropriate for supporting evidence-based instruction.
Total Correct:	Total Correct	Review your results against the test objectives.

Open Responses, Sample Responses, and Analyses

Question Number	Your Response Read about how your responses are scored and how to evaluate your practice responses
101	Answer to 101 Open Response Item Assignment #1 For each assignment, you may type your written response on the assigned topic in the box provided. Essay Response Field
First Sample Weak Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	First Sample Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 The student presented with a significant strength in being able to automatically read grade-level high frequency words throughout the passage. Some of the many high frequency words the student was able to read correctly were the following: was, one, the, around, their, not, where, would, there and then. One need the student has is not reading word endings. They did not read the ending parts in the words playground, swings, excited, fairly and contest. A second need is that the student paused often after each letter and before many words. Two examples of these are when he read the words "p-l-a-g-r" for playground and "s-u-d-n-l" for suddenly. The student paused between the words school and where, were and happy, and he and joined, and many more words. The student paused before the letters and between the words instead of reading right through them. The student needs to learn to read these words right away by practicing saying them aloud and often without pausing before them. The student should practice reading the words from a list and then in a story that includes these words. This would be an effective strategy for learning these and other words they do not know. This would be effective because not having to pause while reading words in a text will help improve the student's comprehension skills.
First Weak Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of First Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 This is an example of a weak response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate attempts to fulfill the purpose of the assignment; however, the candidate is only able to partially accomplish this. The candidate identifies a foundational reading skill strength in the area of being able to automatically read grade-level high-frequency words throughout the passage. This is a significant and accurate foundational strength that is supported by evidence in the passage. One need identified is that the student is not reading word endings. This is an accurate need and is also supported by evidence in the passage. A second need is that the student paused often after each letter and between two words several times. The candidate provides evidence of the student's needs; however, the second need of pausing is not a correct foundational reading skill need. The candidate has a nonevidence-based and inappropriate intervention to address the second cited need that would not be effective in addressing the student's actual foundational skill needs. Subject Matter Knowledge: The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the area of foundational reading skills. There is an accurate identification of a strength in knowledge of high-frequency words. This is accurately supported by a number of correct examples. The evidence from the response supports a partial understanding of the student's foundational reading skill needs. One need identified is that the student is not reading word endings. This is an accurate need and is also supported by evidence in the passage. A second need is that the student paused often after each letter and between several words. The candidate provides evidence of the student's needs; however, the second need of pausing is not a correct foundational reading skill need. Pausing to apply decoding skills, such as the use of syllabication to decode a word, is a strength. The candidate addressed an inaccurate need. The candidate has not provided evidence of direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist using an evidence-based intervention to address the correct need. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's actual foundational skill need. Support: The foundational reading skill strength in the area of reading high-frequency words is accurate. The student is able to automatically read grade-level high-frequency words throughout the passage. The candidate provides many high-frequency words the student was able to read correctly "such as the words was, one, the, around, their, not, where, would, there and then." Regarding the student's two foundational reading skill needs, the candidate provides one accurate need and supportive evidence. The description of this need and evidence is as follows: "One need the student has is not reading word endings. They did not read the ending parts in the words playground, swings, excited, fairly and contest." The other need identified and the evidence for it are inaccurate and are as follows: "A second need is that the student paused often after each letter and before many words. Two examples of these are when he read the words 'p-l-a-g-r' for playground and 's-u-d-n-l' for suddenly. The student paused between the words school and where, were and happy, and he and joined, and many more words. The student paused before the letters and between words instead of reading right through them." The pausing is likely related to a weakness in automaticity decoding words with endings in single and multisyllabic words. The student is pausing to attempt to decode the words. The intervention is not accurate or appropriate. The candidate has not provided evidence of direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist. There is not an evidence-based intervention to address the actual need. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's foundational skill need of not reading word endings. Rationale: The candidate presents with appropriate knowledge of the student's foundational reading skill strength. The candidate is able to accurately identify one of two foundational reading skill needs. The candidate has identified and chosen an incorrect second foundational skill need to develop. Additionally, the candidate has not described an appropriate evidence-based intervention such as direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist to address the actual need of not reading word endings, or why this would be effective. This response reflects a limited, partial understanding of the topic of foundational reading skills and yields a weak rationale.
Second Sample Weak Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	Second Sample Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 The student was administered assessments to determine one of their foundational reading skills strengths, and two of their foundational reading skills needs. A significant strength noted was the student's ability to decode single syllable words. Examples of the single syllable words the student was able to read correctly were first, kids, look, line, door, out and won. A foundational skill need the student is presenting with is not reading the endings or suffixes in words. There were many times when the student only read the base word without the suffix. Some of the examples of this are when the student read fair for fairly, walk for walking, and win for winner. The student would benefit from working in a small group with the reading specialist and other students who have the same foundational reading difficulty. The reading teacher would have the students read aloud from their reading texts. Then when the students do not correctly read words containing endings or suffixes, the teacher would have them write the word down and practice reading the word aloud first by itself and then correctly in the text. This would be an effective strategy for learning these and other words containing endings or suffixes. This would be effective because it will help improve the student's comprehension skills.
Second Weak Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of Second Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 This is an example of a weak response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate attempts to fulfill the purpose of the assignment. This has been only partially achieved. The candidate is able to identify a significant foundational reading skill strength in the area of decoding single-syllable words. This is an accurate foundational reading skills strength that is supported by evidence in the passage. One significant foundational skill need the student is presenting with is not reading the endings or suffixes in words. This is an accurate need and is also supported by evidence from the passage. The candidate has not identified a second foundational reading skills need; therefore, the prompt has not been completely answered, which contributes to the partiality of the candidate's response. The candidate has also not provided an evidence-based and appropriate intervention to address the student's identified need in the area of not reading the endings or suffixes in words. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's foundational reading skill area of need. Subject Matter Knowledge: The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the area of foundational reading skills. There is an identification of a strength in the student's ability to decode single-syllable words. This is accurately supported by a number of correct examples. The evidence in the response supports a partial understanding of the student's foundational reading skill needs. One need identified is that the student is not reading the endings or suffixes in words. This is an accurate need and is also supported by evidence from the passage. The candidate has not provided a required identification of the student's second foundational reading skills need. The candidate has provided an incorrect intervention to address the student's need. The candidate has not provided evidence of direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist using an evidence-based intervention to address the correct need. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's identified foundational skill need of not reading the endings or suffixes in words. Support: The foundational reading skill strength in the area of the student's ability to decode single-syllable words is accurate. The candidate provides many examples of the single-syllable words the student was able to correctly read such as "were, first, kids, look, line, door, out and won." The candidate is able to identify one of the student's foundational reading skill needs, which is the student's difficulty reading the endings or suffixes in words. The candidate provides the following information and examples to support this need: "There were many times when the student only read the base word without the suffix. Some of the examples of this are when the student read fair for fairly, walk for walking, and win for winner." The candidate has not identified the student's second foundational reading skill need. The candidate has not provided evidence of direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist. The candidate has provided an incorrect intervention to address the student's need. The candidate has not provided evidence of direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist using an evidence-based intervention to address the student's need. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's identified foundational skill need of not reading the endings or suffixes in words. Rationale: The candidate presents with appropriate knowledge of the student's foundational reading skill strength. The candidate accurately identified one, not two as asked for, foundational reading skill need. The candidate has not described an appropriate intervention that would include direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist to address the need of not reading the endings or suffixes in words. The intervention described would not effectively address the student's need. This response reflects a limited, partial understanding of the topic of foundational reading skills and yields a weak rationale.
First Sample Strong Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	First Sample Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 A second-grade student was given reading assessments to determine strengths and needs in the area of foundational reading skills. The results of the assessments reveal that the student presents with a strength in automatically and consistently decoding words with a final-e, or words that are of the syllable type of C V C E , i.e., the silent e/long vowel word type. Examples of the words the student read correctly were side, line, prize in the passage, and fake in the word-reading assessments. The student evidenced a need in the area of reading words with suffixes. The student often dropped the ending consonants or suffixes off of single-syllable words. This was seen when the student read "swin" for swings, "shou" for shouts and "wash" for washing in the word assessment. Another area of need that the student demonstrated was accurately reading words with inflected endings which are used to show tense, number, or possession. The student read "fair" for fairly, "walk" for walking and "troop" for troops. To address the student's need to attend to suffixes in single syllable words and inflected endings, the reading specialist would provide the student with explicit, individualized instruction. An evidence-based intervention that the reading specialist would utilize would be to provide tiles with a base word written on them to which the student adds tiles with suffixes on them to create a variety of words containing suffixes. The reading specialist would work with the student and have them read and write the words. The reading specialist and student would discuss how the words and possible meanings change with the addition of the suffix. This activity would be effective because it would help the student to attend to the suffixes, increasing decoding accuracy and automaticity resulting in improved reading foundational skills, and as a result, fluency and reading comprehension.
First Strong Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of First Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 This is an example of a strong response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate fully responds to the charge of the prompt by pointing to one significant strength and two significant needs in the area of foundational reading skills. A significant foundational skills strength is in the area of decoding words with a final-e, or words that are of the syllable type of C V C E , i.e., the silent e/long vowel word type. Two foundational skills needs in the areas of leaving off ending consonants or suffixes of single-syllable words and reading words with inflected endings are identified and supported thoroughly with evidence from the prompt. Subject Matter Knowledge: All paragraphs immediately demonstrate the candidate's subject matter knowledge of foundational reading skills. The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the decoding words with a final-e, or words that are of the syllable type of C V C E , i.e., the silent e/long vowel word type words. The second paragraph reveals the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the areas of decoding ending consonants or suffixes in single-syllable words and reading words with inflected endings. The comments are appropriate to a second grader who needs to further develop foundational skills in the areas of decoding ending consonants or suffixes in single-syllable words and reading words with inflected endings. The third paragraph reveals the candidate's understanding of an appropriate evidence-based intervention to directly and effectively address the foundational reading skill weaknesses. Support: Support is ample throughout the response. The candidate provides pertinent evidence from the prompt in their own words and by quoting it directly. The explanations supply the context that is needed to understand how the foundational reading skills and the examples are related. The candidate includes an analysis of the need. Evidence provided for foundational skill strengths include the following: "The results of the assessments reveal that the student presents with a strength in automatically and consistently decoding words with a final-e, or words that are of the syllable type of C V C E , i.e., the silent e/long vowel word type. Examples of the words the student read correctly were side, line, prize in the passage, and fake in the word-reading assessments." Evidence provided for the foundational skill needs include the following: "The student evidenced a need in the area of reading words with suffixes. The student often dropped the ending consonants or suffixes off of single-syllable words. This was seen when the student read 'swin' for swings, 'shou' for shouts and 'wash' for washing in the word assessment. Another area of need that the student demonstrated was accurately reading words with inflected endings which are used to show tense, number, or possession. The student read 'fair' for fairly, 'walk' for walking and 'troop' for troops." The candidate chooses an appropriate evidence-based intervention, and fully discusses how the intervention will be effective in addressing the foundational reading skill needs described. Rationale: This response reflects a comprehensive knowledge of foundational reading skills. It is ably reasoned. It goes beyond a simple discussion of decoding words with a final-e, or words that are of the syllable type of C V C E , i.e., the silent e/long vowel word type, and of foundational reading skill areas of decoding ending consonants or suffixes in single-syllable words and reading words with inflected endings. It includes discussion of an evidence-based method for teaching the student how to attend to and develop automaticity in decoding suffixes: "An evidence-based intervention that the reading specialist would utilize would be to provide tiles with a base word written on them to which the student adds tiles with suffixes on them to create a variety of words containing suffixes. The reading specialist would work with the student and have them read and write the words. The reading specialist and student would discuss how the words and possible meanings change with the addition of the suffix. This activity would be effective because it would help the student to attend to the suffixes, increasing decoding accuracy and automaticity resulting in improved reading foundational skills, and as a result, fluency and reading comprehension."
Second Sample Strong Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	Second Sample Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 The student's performance indicated that they have a foundational reading skills strength in the area of automatically reading grade-level regularly/phonetically and irregularly/non-phonetically spelled, high frequency words. They were able to read the following high frequency words in the passage: first, look, looking, around, their, there, was, with, were and would with automaticity. The student demonstrated a significant need in the foundational reading skills area of decoding words containing the consonant digraph "sh." This was evident when the student attempted to read the words, shout and shouting for which they read "s-h-ou," the word shifted for which they read "s [hif]," and the word washing for which they read "was [hin]." A second area of need was the student's difficulty using context cues to confirm if what they read made sense with the content of the passage. An example of this was when the student reread a section of a sentence, "He walked back to the side of the school…" and did not use the words in this section to correct the decoding errors, "w-walked b-c," they made during their first attempt at reading the sentence. An evidence-based intervention that would address the student's area of need in decoding the consonant digraph "sh" is for the reading specialist to provide the student with explicit, individualized instruction. An activity to address this would be to use Elkonin boxes to visually connect that two letters can make a single sound, in this case the digraph "sh." When using Elkonin boxes, they listen to a word such as wish, and move a token into a box for each sound /w/, /short i/ and /sh/. The student would move tokens into three boxes, one for each of the three sounds. It is important for this second-grade student to be able to see the letters that make up the consonant digraph "sh" and connect the written symbol to the sound /sh/. The specialist would model how to read words containing the digraph "sh." The student would practice reading and spelling words containing the digraph "sh" individually, and then read these words in texts. This activity would be effective because it would help the student to attend to the type and number of sounds in a word resulting in improved reading foundational skills, fluency and reading comprehension.
Second Strong Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of Second Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #1 This is an example of a strong response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate fully responds to the charge of the prompt by pointing to one significant strength and two significant needs in the area of foundational reading skills. A significant foundational skills strength is in the area of automatically reading grade-level high-frequency words. Subject Matter Knowledge: All paragraphs immediately demonstrate the candidate's subject matter knowledge of foundational reading skills. The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge reading grade-level high-frequency words. The second paragraph reveals the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the areas of decoding words containing the consonant digraph "sh," and using context cues to confirm if what is read is accurate or made sense in keeping with the content of the passage. The comments are appropriate to a second grader who needs to further develop foundational skills in the areas of decoding words containing the consonant digraph "sh," and using context cues to confirm if what is read is accurate or made sense in keeping with the content of the passage. The third paragraph reveals the candidate's understanding of an appropriate evidence-based intervention to directly and effectively address the foundational reading skill needs. Support: Support is ample throughout the response. The candidate provides pertinent evidence from the prompt in their own words and by quoting it directly. The explanations supply the context that is needed to understand how the foundational reading skills and the examples are related. The candidate includes an analysis of the need. Evidence provided for foundational skill strengths include the following: "The student's performance indicated that they have a foundational reading skills strength in the area of automatically reading grade-level regularly/phonetically and irregularly/non-phonetically spelled, high frequency words. They were able to read the following high frequency words in the passage: first, look, looking, around, their, there, was, with, were and would with automaticity. The student demonstrated a significant need in the foundational reading skills area of decoding words containing the consonant digraph 'sh.' This was evident when the student attempted to read the words, shout and shouting for which they read ' s h ou ,' the word shifted for which they read ' s hif ' and the word washing for which they read 'was [hin].' A second area of need was the student's difficulty using context cues to confirm if what they read made sense with the content of the passage. An example of this was when the student reread a section of a sentence, 'He walked back to the side of the school...' and did not use the words in this section to correct the decoding errors, ' wa walked b c ,' they made during their first attempt at reading the sentence." The candidate chooses an appropriate evidence-based intervention and fully discusses how the intervention will be effective in addressing the foundational reading skill needs described. Rationale: This response reflects a comprehensive knowledge of foundational reading skills. It is ably reasoned. It goes beyond a simple discussion of decoding words containing the consonant digraph "sh," and using context cues to confirm if what is read is accurate or made sense in keeping with the content of the passage. It includes a discussion of an evidence-based method for teaching the student how to attend to and develop automaticity in decoding words containing the consonant digraph "sh": "This activity would be effective because it would help the student to attend to the type and number of sounds in a word resulting in improved reading foundational skills, fluency and reading comprehension."
102	Answer to 102 Open-Response Item Assignment #2 For each assignment, you may type your written response on the assigned topic in the box provided. Essay Response Field
First Sample Weak Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	First Sample Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 An eleventh-grade student read aloud a passage as part of a reading comprehension assessment conducted by a reading specialist. The results of the assessment showed a comprehension strength in the area of using contextual clues to infer the meaning of an unknown word, "auxiliaries." When the student was asked what the word meant, they initially gave an inaccurate meaning. When reminded by the specialist to look back at the sentence containing the word, the student did and was able to use the other words in the sentence to understand the meaning of the word as used in the sentence. The student's need is their difficulty accurately retelling what the passage was about. The student described what happened in the story in very literal terms. The student did not understand what the author was saying or the meaning of the words the way the author used them to tell the story. The student would benefit from working individually with the reading specialist. The reading specialist would use an evidence-based intervention that would address the student's comprehension need of not understanding what the author was saying or the meaning of the words the way the author used them in the passage. The intervention could be reminding the student to go back to the story to use the other words in the sentences containing the words the student does not understand and/or to learn what the author is saying and to understand the meaning of the words the way the author uses them. This would be effective for improving the student's vocabulary and comprehension skills.
First Weak Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of First Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 This is an example of a weak response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate attempts to fulfill the purpose of the assignment, but this has been only partially achieved. The candidate is able to identify an accurate comprehension strength: with the specialist's reminders and support, the student is able to use context clues to determine the meaning of an unknown word. The candidate identifies a comprehension need that the student is interpreting every statement in the text too literally and that the student has difficulty "understanding what the author was saying or the meaning of the words the way the author used them in the passage." The candidate does not name the comprehension factors with which the student has difficulty, i.e., inferential comprehension/interpreting figurative language. The candidate does not provide evidence from the passage to support the need. The candidate does not provide an evidence-based and appropriate intervention to address the student's identified need. The intervention described would not be effective in addressing the student's comprehension need. Subject Matter Knowledge: The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge in the area of comprehension skills. There is an identification of a comprehension strength in the student's ability to, with the specialist's reminders and support, use context clues to determine the meaning of an unknown word. Other than stating the unknown word, there is little evidence cited from the passage to support this. The comprehension need is described but not named (i.e., inferential comprehension/interpreting figurative language). The candidate does not provide evidence from the passage to support the need. The candidate does not provide an evidence-based and appropriate intervention to address the student's identified need. The intervention requires direct instructional techniques, e.g., pre-teaching of vocabulary, modeling of textual analysis, using contextual cues. The described intervention would not be effective in addressing the student's comprehension need. Support: Other than stating the unknown word, there is little evidence cited from the passage to support the comprehension strength. The comprehension need is described but not named (i.e., inferential comprehension/interpreting figurative language). The candidate does not provide evidence from the passage to support the need. The candidate does not provide an evidence-based and appropriate intervention to address the student's identified need. Rationale: The candidate does not present appropriate knowledge of one of the student's comprehension strengths. The candidate accurately describes, but does not name the comprehension need. The candidate cites little to no evidence from the passage to support the descriptions of the student's comprehension strength and need. The candidate does not describe an appropriate intervention that would include direct and explicit instruction by a reading specialist using evidence-based techniques and methodologies to teach the comprehension skills needed. The intervention described would not effectively address the student's comprehension need. This response reflects a limited, partial understanding of the topic of comprehension skills and yields a weak rationale.
Second Sample Weak Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	Second Sample Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 The results of the assessment showed that the student presented with a comprehension strength in being able to read the passage accurately and fluently. This means the student has the foundational reading skills needed to be able to do this. The results of the student's answers to the reading specialist's comprehension questions revealed that the student has a comprehension need in the area of understanding the figurative language (words and phrases) used in the text. The student interprets the information literally. For example, the student is asked a question about what the student thinks "I have helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams" means. The student answers that the person in the passage is talking about a real baby. He thinks that "I have helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams" means that there is a baby living in the home in the passage. The student responds to the question by saying "I'm not sure. He talks about a baby being there when he cooks his supper, too." The student would benefit from the reading specialist working directly with them to learn the difference between comprehending literal language which describes something directly, and figurative language which describes something not directly but by referring or comparing it to something else. The reading specialist can teach the student the different types of figurative language. The student can then be directed to find and highlight examples of figurative language in texts.
Second Weak Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of Second Weak Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 This is an example of a weak response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate attempts to fulfill the purpose of the assignment, but this has been only partially achieved. The candidate identifies an inaccurate comprehension strength when stating "the student presented with a comprehension strength in being able to read the passage accurately and fluently." This was already stated in the prompt and is a foundational skill, not a comprehension strength. The candidate identifies an accurate comprehension need when stating that the student has a need in the area of understanding the figurative language (words and phrases) used in the text and that the student interprets the information literally. The candidate provides evidence from the passage to support the need. The candidate provides an accurate description of the difference between literal versus figurative language. The candidate describes what the specialist should teach the student regarding literal versus figurative language use by an author. The candidate does not provide a description of explicit and evidence-based interventions to teach the difference between the two and to teach the student the five common types of figurative language to address the student's identified need. In addition, the candidate does not provide a statement regarding the effectiveness of the intervention in addressing the student's comprehension need. Subject Matter Knowledge: The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's lack of subject matter knowledge in the area of comprehension skills. There is no identification of a comprehension strength. The comprehension need described is accurate, and the candidate provides accurate and appropriate evidence from the passage to support the need. The candidate does not provide evidence-based and appropriate interventions to address the student's identified need. The candidate does not provide a statement regarding the effectiveness of the intervention in addressing the student's comprehension need. Support: There is an inaccurate comprehension strength and no evidence is cited. The candidate accurately describes the student's comprehension need and gives sound evidence as follows: "The results of the student's answers to the reading specialist's comprehension questions revealed that the student has a comprehension need in the area of understanding the figurative language (words and phrases) used in the text. The student interprets the information literally. For example, the student is asked a question about what the student thinks 'I have helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams' means. The student answers that the person in the passage is talking about a real baby. He thinks that 'I have helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams' means that there is a baby living in the home in the passage. The student responds to the question by saying, 'I'm not sure. He talks about a baby being there when he cooks his supper, too.'" The candidate does not provide a statement regarding the effectiveness of the intervention in addressing the student's comprehension need. Rationale: The candidate does not present appropriate knowledge of one of the student's comprehension strengths. The candidate accurately describes the student's comprehension need and provides sound evidence to support this need. The candidate provides an accurate description of the difference between literal versus figurative language. The candidate describes what the specialist should teach the student regarding literal versus figurative language use by an author; however, the candidate does not provide a description of explicit and evidence-based interventions to teach the difference between the two and to teach the student the five common types of figurative language to address the student's identified need. The candidate does not provide a statement regarding the effectiveness of the intervention in addressing the student's comprehension need. This response reflects a limited, partial understanding of the topic of comprehension skills and yields a weak rationale.
First Sample Strong Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	First Sample Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 A reading specialist is assessing the reading comprehension of an eleventh-grade student. The student reads aloud a passage, verbally summarizes and responds to the specialist's questions regarding the student's comprehension of what they read. The results of the assessments indicate that the student presents with a comprehension strength in the area of literal comprehension. The student is able to recall and report details taken directly from the passage. The details he describes in his summary include, "He grows beans there, but worms and wood chucks eat them" and "The cold days aren't good for them either." The student demonstrated a need in comprehending the main idea in the passage. He did not understand what the author had learned while working in the garden and observing what was happening with nature. He did not pick up on the idea that by creating the garden it disturbed the plants that were there. The evidence for this main idea was when the author said, "But what right had I to oust johnswort and the rest, and break up their ancient herb gardens?" An appropriate intervention to help the student develop their comprehension of the main ideas in texts would be for the reading specialist to provide direct and explicit instruction regarding using a graphic organizer to find and record the main idea and supporting details. The reading specialist would work with the student and model filling out a graphic organizer by reading one paragraph at a time using a think-aloud method to determine the main idea and supporting details and writing the information on the organizer. They would practice this many times until the student can use this strategy independently. This intervention is effective in improving comprehension because it provides a system for finding, visually organizing and creating a record of the main idea and supporting details.
First Strong Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of First Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 This is an example of a strong response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate fully and thoroughly responds to the charge of the prompt by pointing to one significant strength and one significant need in the area of reading comprehension skills, as well as providing a high-quality, evidence-based intervention that will be effective in addressing the student's comprehension need. Subject Matter Knowledge: All paragraphs immediately demonstrate the candidate's subject matter knowledge of reading comprehension skills. The second paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge identifying that the student presents with a comprehension strength in the area of literal comprehension. There is high-quality evidence to support this strength. The third paragraph reveals the candidate's subject matter knowledge identifying that the student evidences a need in comprehending the main idea in the passage. There is high-quality evidence to support this comprehension need. The fourth and fifth paragraphs reveal the candidate's thorough understanding of an appropriate evidence-based intervention to directly and effectively address the student's reading comprehension skill need and teaches the student a strategy to be applied to current and future reading assignments. Support: Support is ample throughout the response. The candidate provides pertinent evidence from the prompt in their own words and by quoting it directly. The explanations supply the context that is needed to understand how the reading comprehension skills and the examples are related. The candidate provides pertinent evidence of the student's strength in the area of literal comprehension. The evidence to support this strength includes the following: "The student is able to recall and report details taken directly from the passage. The details he describes in his summary include, 'He grows beans there, but worms and wood chucks eat them' and 'The cold days aren't good for them either.'" The candidate provides pertinent evidence of the student's need in the area of comprehending the main idea in the passage. The evidence to support this need includes the following: "He did not understand what the author had learned while working in the garden and observing what was happening with nature. He did not pick up on the idea that by creating the garden it disturbed the plants that were there. The evidence for this main idea was when the author said, 'But what right had I to oust johnswort and the rest, and break up their ancient herb gardens?'" The candidate chooses an appropriate evidence-based intervention and discusses how the intervention will be effective in addressing the comprehension skill needs described. Rationale: This response reflects a comprehensive, thorough knowledge of reading comprehension skills. It is fully and ably reasoned. It includes a thorough discussion of a multistep, evidence-based method for addressing the student's comprehension need, and how the strategy is effective and can be used for current and future reading assignments.
Second Sample Strong Response (show sample responsehide sample response)	Second Sample Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 The results of the assessment revealed a comprehension strength in the area of identifying the main idea of the story at a very literal level. The student's understanding of the passage is that it is about growing beans in the author's garden. The evidence for this can be found in the student's summary when the student says "The author likes beans. He has always liked beans since he was four....He grows the beans there, but worms and woodchucks eat them. The cold days aren't good for them either." The student's comprehension need is that he has difficulty with identifying and interpreting figurative language. Figurative language is a way of expressing ideas that does not use words' literal meanings. Figurative language uses figures of speech, such as similes and metaphors, to suggest pictures/images or to create feelings, etc. An example that the student does not understand figurative language is when the student is unable to understand the sentence, "I have at length helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams." The student interprets this literally and says it might be about a baby. The student was not able to infer that the author was using figurative language to express his love for the land since he was little and creating a mental picture of his planting and taking care of the land. To teach the student about figurative language, the reading specialist will provide direct and explicit instruction about what figurative language is. A list of the different types with an example of each will be given to the student to use regularly. The specialist will model for and then guide the student in identifying and interpreting examples of figurative language in mentor texts and when appropriate literature until the student is independently able to do this. This intervention is effective in improving the student's ability to identify and interpret figurative language leading to improved inferential comprehension skills and can be applied to current and future reading assignments.
Second Strong Response Analysis (show response analysishide response analysis)	Analysis of Second Strong Response to Open-Response Item Assignment #2 This is an example of a strong response because it is characterized by the following: Purpose: The candidate fully and thoroughly responds to the charge of the prompt by pointing to one significant strength and one significant need in the area of reading comprehension skills, as well as providing a high-quality, evidence-based intervention that will be effective in addressing the student's comprehension need. Subject Matter Knowledge: All paragraphs demonstrate the candidate's thorough subject matter knowledge of reading comprehension skills. The first paragraph demonstrates the candidate's subject matter knowledge identifying that the student presents with a comprehension strength in the area of identifying the main idea of the story at a very literal level. There is high-quality evidence to support this strength. The second paragraph reveals the candidate's subject matter knowledge identifying that the student shows evidence of a comprehension need in identifying and interpreting figurative language. There is high-quality evidence to support this comprehension need. The third and fourth paragraphs reveal the candidate's thorough understanding of an appropriate evidence-based intervention to directly and effectively address the student's reading comprehension skill need and teaches the student a strategy to be applied to current and future reading assignments. Support: Support is ample throughout the response. The candidate provides pertinent evidence from the prompt in their own words and by quoting it directly. The explanations supply the context that is needed to understand how the reading comprehension skills and the examples are related. The candidate provides pertinent evidence of the student's strength in the area of identifying the main idea of the story at a very literal level. The evidence to support this strength includes the following: "The student's understanding of the passage is that it is about growing beans in the author's garden. The evidence for this can be found in the student's summary when the student says 'The author likes beans. He has always liked beans since he was four…He grows the beans there, but worms and woodchucks eat them. The cold days aren't good for them either.'" The candidate provides pertinent evidence of the student's need with identifying and interpreting figurative language. The evidence to support this need includes the following: "An example that the student does not understand figurative language is when the student is unable to understand the sentence, 'I have at length helped to clothe that fabulous landscape of my infant dreams.' The student interprets this literally and says it might be about a baby. The student was not able to infer that the author was using figurative language to express his love for the land since he was little and creating a mental picture of his planting and taking care of the land." The candidate chooses an appropriate evidence-based intervention and discusses how the intervention will be effective in addressing the comprehension skill need described. Rationale: This response reflects a comprehensive, thorough knowledge of reading comprehension skills. It is fully and ably reasoned. It includes a thorough discussion of a multistep, evidence-based method for addressing the student's ability to identify and interpret figurative language leading to improved inferential comprehension skills, and can be applied to current and future reading assignments.
Review the Performance Characteristics and Score Scale for Written Performance Assignments.

Multiple Choice Question
Practice Test Evaluation Chart

In the evaluation chart that follows, the multiple-choice questions are arranged in numerical order and by test objective. Check your responses against the correct responses provided to determine how many questions within each objective you answered correctly.

Subarea 1 : Foundational Literacy Development

Objective 0001: Demonstrate knowledge of concepts of print and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards in this area.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
1		B
2		A
3		A
4		C
5		D
6		C
7		B
8		D

Total Correct for Objective 1 out of 8

Objective 0002: Demonstrate knowledge of phonological awareness and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards in this area.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
9		D
10		B
11		A

Total Correct for Objective 2 out of 3

Objective 0003: Demonstrate knowledge of the role of phonics in word recognition and spelling and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards in these

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
12		C
13		B
14		C
15		D
16		D
17		C

Total Correct for Objective 3 out of 6

Objective 0004: Demonstrate knowledge of ways to promote reading fluency at the word, sentence, and passage levels; and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards in this area.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
18		C
19		B
20		C
21		B
22		B
23		D
24		B
25		D

Total Correct for Objective 4 out of 8

Subarea 1 (Objectives 0001–0004) Total Total Correct for Subarea 1 out of 25

Subarea 2 : Literacy Components and Instructional Resources

Objective 0005: Demonstrate knowledge of ways to evaluate and select appropriate curriculum and print/digital texts.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
27		D
28		A
29		B
30		C
31		B
32		B

Total Correct for Objective 5 out of 6

Objective 0006: Demonstrate knowledge of ways to promote writing skills and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards in this area.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
33		A
34		D
35		C
36		D
37		B
38		C

Total Correct for Objective 6 out of 6

Objective 0007: Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based practices for providing explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction in comprehension, vocabulary, speaking and listening, and research skills aligned to grade-specific standards in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy and the Massachusetts Digital Literacy and Computer Science Standards.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
39		B
40		C
41		D
42		A
43		B
44		A
45		C

Total Correct for Objective 7 out of 7

Objective 0008: Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based practices for literacy across content areas (reading and writing processes that are common across disciplines), including disciplinary literacy (literacy to engage in reading and writing processes unique to each academic discipline).

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
46		D
47		C
48		A
49		C
50		B
51		B

Total Correct for Objective 8 out of 6

Subarea 2 (Objectives 0005–0008) Total Total Correct for Subarea 2 out of 25

Subarea 3 : Literacy Assessment and Evaluation

Objective 0009: Demonstrate the ability to identify strengths, challenges, and concurrent factors in literacy among culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
52		D
53		A
54		C
55		B
56		A
57		B

Total Correct for Objective 9 out of 6

Objective 0010: Demonstrate the ability to identify strengths, challenges, and concurrent factors in literacy among students with reading difficulties or disabilities.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
58		D
59		C
60		A
61		B
62		A
63		D

Total Correct for Objective 10 out of 6

Objective 0011: Demonstrate knowledge of the purposes, attributes, strengths, limitations, and administration of various types of assessment.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
64		D
65		A
66		C
67		A
68		D
69		A

Total Correct for Objective 11 out of 6

Objective 0012: Demonstrate the ability to use assessment data to identify students at risk for reading difficulties and to inform appropriate instruction, and apply knowledge of the structure and purposes of flexible multi-tiered systems to support the needs of all students.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
70		C
71		D
72		B
73		C
74		B
75		D
76		A

Total Correct for Objective 12 out of 7

Subarea 3 (Objectives 0009–0012) Total Total Correct for Subarea 3 out of 25

Subarea 4 : Theoretical, Professional, and Language Foundations

Objective 0013: Demonstrate and apply knowledge of evidence-based concepts of language and literacy development, including how the brain learns to read and neurobiological and/or cognitive impacts on reading development.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
78		A
79		B
80		D
81		C
82		B
83		A

Total Correct for Objective 13 out of 6

Objective 0014: Demonstrate knowledge of the components of language and evidence-based practices for explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction aligned to grade-specific standards that develop students' language acquisition.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
84		D
85		B
86		B
87		C
88		D
89		C

Total Correct for Objective 14 out of 6

Objective 0015: Demonstrate knowledge of the reciprocal relationships of language and literacy components that contribute to skilled reading.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
26		D
77		C
90		C
91		B
92		B
93		A
94		B

Total Correct for Objective 15 out of 7

Objective 0016: Demonstrate knowledge of culturally responsive collaborative leadership and adult learning theories and strategies.

Question Number	Your Response	Correct Response
95		A
96		C
97		B
98		A
99		D
100		B

Total Correct for Objective 16 out of 6

Subarea 4 (Objectives 0010–0016) Total Total Correct for Subarea 4 out of 25

Practice Test Score Calculation

The practice test score calculation is provided so that you may better gauge your performance and degree of readiness to take an MTEL test at an operational administration. Although the results of this practice test may be used as one indicator of potential strengths and weaknesses in your knowledge of the content on the official test, it is not possible to predict precisely how you might score on an official MTEL test.

The Sample Responses and Analyses for the open-response items may help you determine whether your responses are more similar to the strong or weak samples. The Scoring Rubric can also assist in estimating a score for your open responses. You may also wish to ask a mentor or teacher to help evaluate your responses to the open-response questions prior to calculating your total estimated score.

How to Calculate Your Practice Test Score

Review the directions in the sample below and then use the blank practice test score calculation worksheet to calculate your estimated score.

Multiple-Choice Section

Enter the total number of multiple-choice questions you answered correctly:

Use Table 1 below to convert that number to the score and write your score in Box A:

194

Open-Response Section

Enter the number of points (1 to 4) for your first open-response question:

Enter the number of points (1 to 4) for your second open-response question:

Add those two numbers (Number of open-response question points):

Use Table 2 below to convert that number to the score and write your score in Box B:

Total Practice Test Score (Estimated MTEL Score)

Add the numbers in Boxes A and B for an estimate of your MTEL score:

A + B =

244

Practice Test Score Calculation Worksheet: Reading Specialist (62)

Table 1:

Number of Multiple-Choice Questions Correct	Estimated MTEL Score
0 to 25	108
26 to 30	117
31 to 35	125
36 to 40	134
41 to 45	142
46 to 50	151
51 to 55	159
56 to 60	168
61 to 65	177
66 to 70	185
71 to 75	194
76 to 80	202
81 to 85	211
86 to 90	219
91 to 95	228
96 to 100	237

Table 2:

Number of Open-Response Question Points	Estimated MTEL Score
2	31
3	36
4	41
5	46
6	50
7	55
8	60

Use the form below to calculate your estimated practice test score.