RVE- practice test

Directions: Read the passage below and then respond to all three tasks in the space provided. Information About the Student Julia, a fourth-grade student, has proficient decoding skills but below-average oral reading fluency skills. Her scores on a recent reading unit test indicate that she struggles with summarizing or identifying main ideas and supporting details of most stories. Julia scored below average on an activity that asked students to match synonyms and antonyms with appropriate vocabulary words. The classroom teacher's anecdotal records indicate that Julia is reluctant to participate in classroom discussions. During silent independent reading, Julia appears distracted and often asks classmates for help. Tasks 1) Based on the information provided above, identify and describe two reading difficulties that Julia is experiencing. Support each identified difficulty by including specific details about Julia's observed behavior. 2) Describe two instructional strategies, one for each reading difficulty identified in Task 1, that Julia's teacher could use to help Julia improve her reading abilities. Be sure to explain how each strategy would benefit Julia by including specific references to Julia's reading behaviors. 3) Describe two different assessment strategies that Julia's teacher could use to monitor Julia's improvement in reading during the school year. Be sure to include in your response the specific types of information to be collected from the identified assessments and how they will influence Julia's future instruction.

All responses/answers will be different.

Directions: Read the passage below and then respond to all three tasks in the space provided. Scenario Mr. Collins has a heterogeneously grouped second-grade class of 28 students. He has observed that 7 of his second-grade students are reading below grade level; 10 others can answer literal questions but cannot make inferences and 11 are proficient readers. Mr. Collins has a 90-minute language arts block daily and incorporates reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing into the language arts blocks. He uses grouping to address his students' specific needs. The next day he will be teaching a lesson on birds. Tasks 1) List specific instructional or learning activities that demonstrate effective classroom management strategies during the next day's 90-minute language arts block. Focusing on the topic of birds, your activities must address the reading needs of the following two groups: Group A: 10 second graders who can answer literal questions but cannot make inferences Group B: 11 second graders who are proficient readers 2) Describe the specific instructional materials or types of instructional materials that would be appropriate to use with Group A and Group B, respectively. 3) Explain how the learning activities and the instructional materials you have identified would meet the needs of the students in Groups A and B, respectively, as they learn about birds.

All responses/answers will be different.

Read the passage below and then respond to both tasks in the space provided. Scenario To give his students a model of quality writing, Mr. Garfield provides them with the following excerpt from an informational text about volcanoes. A new volcano had just been born half a mile from a town on the tiny island called Heimaey (pronounced HAY-may) off the coast of Iceland. A few hours earlier, when Magnus went to bed, he had no idea that a gigantic plume of magma had risen from 8 miles beneath the earth to a spot just outside his town. Now the earth had split open in a mile-long gash, and a curtain of red-hot lava spurted 500 feet into the air. Magnus, who was mayor of the town, acted quickly. By eight o'clock in the morning, boats had taken about 5,000 people from Heimaey to safety on the mainland. All the chickens went by boat, too. Sheep got special treatment—they were flown out. About 300 people stayed behind, hoping they could do something to save their town. Hot ash that looked like fine black gravel fell in a dark blizzard that buried some of their homes. Lava flowed toward town, making a tinkling sound. Slowly, it covered and burned building after building in its path. Worst of all, lava crept toward the island's harbor. If it flowed much farther, it could close the mouth of the harbor, and hundreds of fishermen would have nowhere to bring their catch. Tasks 1) Identify the topics of two minilessons that Mr. Garfield can use to facilitate students' understanding of good informational writing. For each topic, choose one example from the excerpt that would be good for students to mimic. 2) Briefly describe a minilesson on one of the topics identified in Task 1. Be sure to include what the teacher and students will do during the minilesson. Explain how the instruction will foster students' growth in the area of writing.

All responses/answers will be different.

Fill in each blank with a word from the list that best serves as an example of the syllabication rule. A. tackle B. music C. idle 1) When a syllable ends in a vowel, the vowel is long, as in. 2) When a syllable ends in a consonant, the vowel is short, as in. 3) When a consonant lies between two vowels, divide the word after the first vowel, as in.

Correct Answer: 1) C, 2) A, 3) B The correct sequence is (C), (A), (B). C) When a syllable ends in a vowel, the vowel is long, as in idle. A) When a syllable ends in a consonant, the vowel is short, as in tackle. B) When a consonant lies between two vowels, divide the word after the first vowel, as in music.

Indicate whether the following descriptions are true or false regarding explicit teaching. Explicit teaching begins with little teacher input and moves towards extensive teacher support for student learning. True False 1 select 2 select Students have multiple opportunities to practice a skill on their own and to receive teacher feedback as needed. True False 3 select 4 select Teacher modeling of the skill or strategy is one of the steps in explicit teaching. True False 5 select 6 select The first step in explicit teaching is to set a purpose for what the students are about to learn. True False 7 select 8 select Student inquiry, independent exploration, and hypothesis creation are important parts of explicit teaching. True False 9 select 10 select

Correct Answer: 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 Options 2, 3, and 4 are true. Explicit instruction (also known as "direct instruction") is a sequence of supports: first setting a purpose for learning, then telling students what to do, then showing them how to do it, and finally guiding their hands-on application of the new learning. Options 1 is false because explicit teaching begins with a large amount of teacher input and moves towards less teacher input and greater student responsibility. Option 5 is false because explicit teaching involves direct teaching of a skill or strategy, not independent exploration or student inquiry.

Indicate whether or not the practices listed below are appropriate for children who are learning English as a second language. ELLs should be placed together in a separate learning group until all of them have become proficient in English. Appropriate Not Appropriate 1 select 2 select ELLs should be taught strategies for learning new vocabulary so they can acquire new vocabulary on their own. Appropriate Not Appropriate 3 select 4 select ELLs should be included with their English-speaking peers in choral and repeated-reading activities. Appropriate Not Appropriate 5 select 6 select ELLs should be encouraged to move quickly through the "silent period" because English language is not being acquired during this time. Appropriate Not Appropriate 7 select 8 select

Correct Answer: 2, 3, 5, 8 Option 1 is inappropriate. ELL students do not benefit academically or socially from being separated from their native English-speaking peers until they become proficient in English. Option 2 is appropriate. Research shows that teachers cannot possibly teach all the vocabulary ELLs need to know to comprehend everything they read and hear. Therefore, it is imperative that teachers explicitly teach students strategies they can use to independently unlock the meanings of unknown words and expand their vocabularies without relying on the teacher. Option 3 is appropriate. Choral reading and repeated reading enable ELLs to practice skill application in a low-risk environment and improve fluency with the support of teacher and peer modeling. Option 4 is appropriate. The "silent period" is an important part of the language acquisition process and language is being acquired during this time. It is a myth that beginners must begin producing (i.e., speaking/writing) language right away.

During daily sustained silent reading (SSR) activities, a student reads texts that cover a variety of literary genres. Following each daily reading, the student records a response to the text in a journal. The statements in the first column in the table below are responses the student wrote. Nathan, the main character in this story, was funny like that silly cat in a story my teacher read in kindergarten. Text-to-Self Text-to-Text Text-to-World 1 select 2 select 3 select When the tadpole changed into a frog in the story, it reminded me of what we learned in our science book about metamorphosis. Text-to-Self Text-to-Text Text-to-World 4 select 5 select 6 select I understood how Angela felt in the story when her family gave her a surprise birthday party. Once my mom told me my family was going on a vacation I had been asking for and I was so excited. Text-to-Self Text-to-Text Text-to-World 7 select 8 select 9 select

Correct Answer: 2, 5, 7 Text connections occur when the reader makes a personal connection from the text with something in their own life, another text, or something occurring in the world. In the first student journal entry, Nathan is making a connection between two texts. In the second student journal entry, the student is connecting a fictional story to a science text. In the third student journal entry, the student is connecting her own experience to an occurrence in a text to better understand how the character felt.

A second-grade teacher administers an informal reading inventory (IRI) to students in September. The teacher discovers that three students are reading grade-level texts with accuracy, but their oral reading fluency is below grade level. The best instructional intervention for the students is to group the students together and assign A. reader's theater activities B. main idea and supporting detail activities C. blending and segmenting activities D. semantic mapping activities

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct because readers' theater allows students to practice their fluency skills through oral reading. Hasbrouck, J. (2006).

After administering a phonemic awareness test, which of the following is the most appropriate next step a teacher would take with students who scored low on the assessment? A. Teaching blending and segmenting sounds B. Developing phonics and decoding strategies C. Building word recognition skills D. Developing fluency and stamina

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct because teaching blending and segmenting sounds would be the correct next step to help a student who has scored low in phonemic awareness.

Mr. Stewart, a third-grade teacher, plans to assess a student's comprehension of a fictional story. He chooses an informal tool that has the following benefits. In addition to gathering data about what the student has understood, the assessment shows what the reader has added or inferred from the story. The assessment gives information about how the reader constructs the story and organizes a response. Information about the quality of a student's language and the thought processes in constructing a response can be collected. Question: Which of the following is most likely the assessment measure Mr. Stewart selects? A. Retelling B. Running record C. Open-ended prompts D. Anecdotal records

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. A retelling is the process of summarizing or describing a story and is used to assess comprehension. To administer a retelling, a student is asked to read a story and then recall it, at least initially, without prompting. A student may be asked to elaborate if he or she does not completely address elements of the story, but the open-ended nature of a retelling allows a teacher to measure comprehension in a way that has the benefits delineated in the list in this scenario.

Ms. Osborn teaches a variety of reading strategies to help her students become strategic readers. The strategies include predicting, previewing, monitoring comprehension while reading, generating questions, and summarizing. Which of the following most likely explains Ms. Osborn's purpose in teaching the strategies? A. Research has shown that reading comprehension improves when teachers provide explicit instruction. B. The school district mandates that students receive instruction in reading-comprehension strategies. C. Research has shown that only these strategies are effective. D. The school literacy coach has given workshops in the use of the strategies.

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. According to research cited in Reutzel and Cooter's Strategies for Reading Assessment and Instruction: Helping Every Child Succeed, evidence supports that providing explicit instruction in comprehension strategies improves student literacy development.

During a reading lesson, a teacher shows students five cards. Each card contains the picture of an object and the name of the object. The five objects are an igloo, an umbrella, an egg, an octopus, and an apple. The students look at each object and say the word for the object. Which of the following vowel sounds is the focus of the lesson? A. Beginning short vowel sounds B. Middle short vowel sounds C. Beginning long vowel sounds D. Middle long vowel sounds

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. All of the five objects have a short vowel sound at the beginning ("igloo," "umbrella," "egg," "octopus," and "apple").

Which of the following is an example of internal conflict? A. "All the way home, Emilio felt angry with himself. Why couldn't he have spoken up at the meeting? Why was he always so shy?" B. "Juanita and Marco disagreed about where they should take the money they had found." C. "In the high winds, the crew was barely able to keep the sails from dipping sideways. Each time the wind accelerated, the crew almost lost the boat." D. "Celine struggled to walk through the cold, blowing wind."

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. An internal conflict is a struggle which takes place in the protagonist's mind and through which the character reaches a new understanding or dynamic change.

A teacher wants to describe to the class a rule associated with adding a silent "e" to the end of a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word. The best approach is to tell the students that when a silent "e" appears at the end of a CVC word, it cannot be heard but it will A. make the other vowel have a long sound B. make the other vowel and consonants have a blended sound C. make the other vowel have a short sound D. change the other vowel into a long "e" sound

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Because when "e" is added to a word with a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) combination, the initial vowel has a long sound. For example, "can" is a CVC word with a short a sound. When "e" is added to the end, the word becomes "cane" and the "a" has a long sound.

Which of the following strategies is most likely to increase students' motivation for silent sustained reading? A. Several times a week the teacher selects different books from the classroom library and reads short passages to the students B. The teacher selects a favorite book from the classroom library and reads the entire story to the class. C. The students are allowed to choose any book from the classroom library and then read it aloud to the class. D. On a monthly basis, students are assigned to read any book they choose and then write a short summary.

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. By introducing several books throughout the week to the class, the teacher encourages students' interest in selecting books for independent reading. Since the teacher is reading just a short part of the book, the students will want to read the book to find out the rest of the story.

Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates behavior of an emergent reader? A. A student opens a familiar book and recalls enough of the language and plot to pretend to read it without actually identifying any of the words. B. A student has a set of 26 cards with letters of the alphabet on them and stacks them to make a high structure. C. A student takes turns with a partner to read a chapter in a nonfiction book and then records new information. D. A student reads independently from a self-selected fiction book for fifteen minutes.

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Emergent is the first stage of early literacy development and is followed by the early, early fluent, and fluent stages. Emergent readers understand that written language conveys messages. Children may pretend to read by turning the pages of a book and invent a story by using pictures and their memory of the story.

A teacher wants to expose students to a wide range of genres. One week the teacher has students select a book in which a moral is taught and animals speak. The genre of literature students are being asked to check out can best be described as a A. fable B. myth C. folktale D. legend

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Fables present a useful truth or lesson. Often, the characters are animals that speak as if they were human.

To encourage students to write more descriptive essays, a fourth-grade teacher asks the students to write an essay about a memorable moment. Which of the following strategies can the teacher incorporate to support the students in that area? A. Asking the students to make a list of sensory images B. Encouraging the students to use a thesaurus to find synonyms for some of their word choices C. Explaining how the students can incorporate transition words D. Suggesting that the students combine sentences

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Making a list of sensory images describing the event would help the students to add details about the topic.

A first-grade teacher opens a book to a page in the middle and asks a student, "Where should I begin reading?" The teacher is most likely attempting to evaluate the student's A. concepts about print B. understanding of syntax C. knowledge of phonology D. ability to draw inferences from text

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Marie Clay developed the Concepts About Print Test (CAPT) in 1979. The concepts include a basic understanding of directionality (i.e., readers and writers move from left to right across a page and from top to bottom). The conventions of written language control how readers direct their attention and what they attend to. Assessing concepts of print helps teachers understand specifically what children know about print so they can establish priorities in the early stages of guided reading.

First-grade students Porter and Henry are working together in a learning center where they are listening to a series of words recorded by the teacher. Each student taps out the speech sounds they hear in the words and then checks with the other student to see if he agrees. The primary benefit of the activity for the students is that it A. reinforces phonemic awareness B. provides practice in working cooperatively C. helps develop auditory discrimination D. helps develop rhyming skills

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Phonemic awareness refers to a student's basic knowledge that spoken language is composed of a series of individual speech sounds known as phonemes. Having a strong sense of phonemic awareness is a good predictor of whether a student will experience success in learning to read.

Later I found my old camera with one picture left I took a picture of my dog and I sent in to my uncle he loves dogs. Question: A student wrote the sentence above in a journal. Which of the following teacher actions will most likely help the student improve his or her writing? A. Having the student read aloud the journal entry and add appropriate punctuation where needed B. Providing a list of rules for capitalization that the student can use for reference C. Suggesting that the student add adjectives to his or her writing to make it more descriptive D. Circling misspelled words and having the student use a dictionary to find the correct spellings

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Reading aloud would help the student identify the separate sentences contained in this run-on sentence.

Which of the following is a research-based method for improving a student's reading fluency? A. Providing students many opportunities to reread the same passage B. Teaching students to recognize story structure C. Encouraging students to use context clues to determine word meaning D. Providing direct instruction on self-questioning

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Research indicates that repeated readings improves fluency. The repetition helps students improve recognition and recall of sight words.

A first-grade teacher plans to instruct students in the decoding strategy of dividing phonetically regular words into onsets and rimes. Which of the following words is best for the teacher to use to most effectively model the skill? A. Stop B. Catch C. Break D. Want

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. Teaching beginning readers about onsets and rimes helps them recognize common phonetically regular chunks within words. This knowledge can help readers decode new words with similar spelling patterns. "Stop" contains the major phonogram "-op," knowledge of which assists students in decoding unknown words with the same phoneme-grapheme pattern.

After reading a story, a fourth-grade teacher asks the students to compare two characters. Which of the following graphic organizers is best for students to use for the activity? A. Venn diagram B. Cluster diagram C. Sequence chart D. Flowchart

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. The Venn diagram is a graphic organizer comprised of overlapping circles that show those features that are either common or unique to two or more elements in a text. Typically, Venn diagrams are used as visual representations to enhance a student's ability to understand and organize information presented in written material.

Of the following, the most appropriate way to assess whether students have generalized the skills acquired in a unit on recognizing and correcting punctuation errors is to have the students A. proofread a short passage and correct any punctuation errors it contains B. write a sentence that illustrates the correct usage of each punctuation mark studied C. match given punctuation rules with the correct punctuation marks D. write the rules for correct punctuation in their own words

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. The most appropriate way to assess whether or not students have generalized punctuation skills is to have them correct punctuation errors in a short passage.

A student and a teacher are reading aloud in unison. The teacher, sitting slightly behind the student, leads the oral reading. The teacher speaks into the student's ear and moves a finger under the words as they are read. The fluency-building strategy is known as which of the following methods? A. Neurological impress B. Reading while listening C. Paired reading D. Repeated reading

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. The scenario describes the neurological impress method that is intended to be a multisensory approach to building a student's reading-fluency skills. The method provides a model (the teacher reading) of accurate and fluent reading.

Teacher: What is the first sound in van? Student: The first sound in van is /v/. The teacher is assessing the student's ability to do which of the following phonemic awareness tasks? A. Phoneme isolation B. Phoneme categorization C. Phoneme blending D. Phoneme segmentation

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. The student is isolating the initial sound /v/ from the rest of the word. Phoneme isolation requires the recognition of individual sounds within a word, which is what the student is doing in identifying the first sound in "van."

During a reading of an informational text about the American Revolution, a teacher demonstrates the think-aloud strategy for students to employ while reading. I wonder what caused the start of the American Revolution. I read that King George decided to close the port after the Patriots dumped out the tea. He told them that nothing could go in or out of the port until the tea was paid for. This may have upset some of the colonists. The text also says that some people thought it was time for colonies as a group to protest British taxes. This makes me think they are coming together as a group. Which of the following best describes the strategy the teacher is using? A. Making inferences B. Making connections C. Visualizing D. Predicting

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. The teacher uses information and details from the text, ("I read that King George decided to close the port after the Patriots dumped out the tea. He told them that nothing could go in or out of the port until the tea was paid for.") to support conclusions or inferences ("This may have upset some of the colonists; This makes me think they are coming together as a group.")

After studying a classic novel, which of the following instructional activities should a middle school reading teacher include in a lesson to best promote student higher-order thinking? A. Creating a backstory for a secondary character in the novel that explains his or her behavior in the book B. Reading other texts by the same author and then identifying character similarities across texts C. Answering comprehension questions that require textual evidence to support the answers D. Viewing an excerpt of a video version of the novel to observe the character interaction and setting

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. To promote higher-order thinking is to simply promoting thinking, along with the teaching methodologies that promote such thinking, that takes place at the higher levels of the blooms hierarchy First, one critically analyzes the knowledge, information, or situation. Then, they creatively consider possible next-step options; and then, finally, they construct a new product, decision, direction, or value. In this example students will be creating a new product: a backstory for a secondary character.

A teacher administers several word inventories and one particular student regularly misses the following words. Remark Swerving Chord Squirt Dessert Bigger Question: According to the data, on which of the following does the teacher most likely need to focus? A. R-controlled vowels B. Consonant digraphs C. Double consonants D. Suffixes

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. When a vowel is followed by an r, it makes a special sound. These are called r-controlled vowels, or r-colored vowels. This is a trait common in all of the words; therefore (A) is the correct answer.

Which of the following is the best reason for using flexible grouping in the reading classroom? A. Flexible grouping allows teachers to tailor instruction to address students' changing needs. B. Flexible grouping ensures opportunities for students to have discussions around a common text with their peers. C. Flexible grouping allows students to get comfortable working with the same group of peers throughout the school year. D. Flexible grouping provides time for students to progress through a set of materials.

Correct Answer: A Option (A) is correct. When teachers use flexible grouping they are considering the always-changing strengths and weaknesses of students and they can group the students temporarily to best meet instructional needs. The other options do not address the main purpose of using flexible grouping.

A reading specialist conducts a workshop for teachers on use of the directed reading-thinking activity (DRTA) method of instruction. In the model, teachers ask students to first make predictions based on the title and cover of a book. At various points in the story, students stop reading and check the accuracy of their predictions. Predictions are then changed or clarified, and new predictions may be made based on new information the students learned while reading. The DRTA method of instruction is most likely to promote which of the following? A. Applying metacognitive skills to increase comprehension B. Using text structures to summarize C. Reinforcing use of word-recognition skills in context D. Increasing motivation to read independently

Correct Answer: A The best answer is (A). Good readers continually make, revise, or confirm predictions as they read. In this way, they are forming connections between prior knowledge and new information in the text. In making predictions, proficient readers are aware of their own thought processes. The reader is developing meta-cognition — the ability to think about his or her own thinking.

Which of the following strategies is most helpful in enabling students to identify the structure and purpose of a nonfiction text they are about to read? A. Creating a KWL chart B. Previewing titles, headings, captions, maps, charts, and graphs C. Creating a concept web to help build background knowledge D. Formulating questions about the text

Correct Answer: B (B) is the best answer. Previewing headings, captions, maps, charts, and graphs would help students to determine the type of information that is contained in and understand the structure of the text.

For which of the following situations would the administration of a miscue analysis be most appropriate? A. A classroom teacher receives a new student and wishes to perform an assessment to yield data about the child's reading level. B. A classroom teacher seeks confirmation of their suspicion that visual processing is responsible for impeding a child's reading growth. C. A classroom teacher begins planning a word study program and seeks data about a student's grade level vocabulary knowledge. D. A classroom teacher suspects that a child may be struggling to comprehend their chosen independent reading book.

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct because the classroom has already identified a hypothesis about a student's reading difficulty and a miscue analysis is the most appropriate tool to yield specific information about miscues made while reading text. Thus the classroom teacher's suspicions will either be confirmed or denied.

Before a fourth-grade class reads an article on honeybees, Ms. Stewart displays a word cloud created from vocabulary in the article. She asks the class the following questions. "What do you think are the important words from the article?" "How do these words go together?" "What words do you already know?" Question: As the students answer, Ms. Stewart has them refer back to the characteristics of the word cloud to support their answers. The best reason for using the strategy is to help students learn to A. define unknown words using resources such as a glossary B. build academic vocabulary by making connections between key words C. apply the meaning of new words by using them in complete sentences D. identify synonyms for key words that most students already know

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct because the teacher pulled the vocabulary words from the article and created a word cloud. In this case, the non-fiction text most likely contains tier three content specific words that the children have limited working knowledge. The teacher is using an inquiry approach to help teach the tier three words prior to reading the article. Dalton, B. and Grisham, D.L. (2011). 10 ways to use technology to build vocabulary.

A teacher reads a series of graded passages to a student to assess the skill of creating meaning from written language when decoding is not a factor. Which of the following identifies the highest level at which the student can comprehend 75 percent of the material? A. Expressive language level B. Listening capacity C. Linguistic processing capacity D. Instructional level

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct because when a teacher reads a series of graded texts to a student, the teacher is assessing the student's ability to comprehend written language when the student doesn't have to attend to decoding issues which are present when the text is read by the student.

Phonemic awareness is important for later student reading development. Which of the following teacher prompts is best for building students' phonemic awareness? A. "Listen. I will clap the parts to your name. Jus... tin. How many?" (Students then count.) B. "Listen. Hat. Say it with a /b/ at the beginning." (Students then say "bat.") C. "Listen. If you are having fun, draw a ....." (Students then draw a rhyming word, such as sun). D. "Listen. Car. What is the last part?" (Students then answer "/ar/.")

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. (B) is an example of phonemic awareness (a specific type of phonological awareness). Students must manipulate individual phonemes in order to be successful with the task.

A teacher is searching for an assessment tool that will provide specific information to guide instruction in order to improve each students' writing abilities. Which of the following is most likely to assist the teacher in this goal? A. A holistic scoring rubric B. An analytic scoring rubric C. A standardized test D. An attitude survey

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. An analytic scoring rubric articulates levels of performance so the teacher can assess student performance and suggest specific educational solutions. Students receive specific feedback on their performance with respect to each of the individual scoring criteria, which does not occur with a holistic rubric.

A fourth-grade class read Marvin and the Mean Words, by Suzy Kline. In the story, Marvin, a boy who likes to tease others in his class, thinks he overhears his teacher saying that she hates him. Though it turns out to be a big misunderstanding, Marvin is flooded with feelings of rage and insecurity. After reading the story, a student wrote the following in a response journal.Marvin is getting better at respecting other people because he learned that mean words can hurt.The student's writing best exemplifies which of the following categories of response? A. Character identification B. Character assessment C. Visualizing setting D. Making predictions

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Character assessment is judging a character's action within the framework of their moral standard and value system.

A third-grade teacher gives the following checklist to students. Is my opening strong? Do I support my ideas with details? Are there any places where I can expand my ideas with examples? Do I group all similar details together? Is my writing organized into paragraphs? Question: At which stage in the writing process would the checklist be most helpful to students? A. Editing B. Revising C. Prewriting D. Drafting

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. During the revision stage in the writing process, students improve the content of their writing. The checklist focuses students by asking them to clarify and refine their ideas by adding, deleting, substituting, and rearranging material.

Which of the following is most likely to promote an adolescent's motivation to read through curriculum design? A. Aligning content and skills to state standards B. Offering students a choice of supplemental reading materials C. Offering cross-age and peer-tutoring programs D. Monitoring student growth through frequent formative assessments

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Empowering students to make decisions about topics and selections of materials fosters greater student ownership and responsibility for engagement, which positively impacts motivation.

Which of the following is the most important instructional consideration when assisting English-language learners to gain proficiency in written and oral communication skills? A. Having students pronounce words correctly B. Increasing students' word knowledge C. Having students master grammatical structures D. Encouraging students to apply metacognitive skills

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. For ELLs, word knowledge is the most important consideration and should be the primary focus of instruction. If a student is unsure of the meaning of words, there is a limited chance of understanding what is being communicated or of communicating with someone else.

Which of the following teacher interventions is most effective when readers lack the knowledge to read a text on an unfamiliar topic? A. Teaching new vocabulary as a pre-reading step B. Providing relevant background information C. Questioning students to determine prior knowledge D. Reading the text aloud before asking students to read silently

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Giving students background information on an unfamiliar topic provides a conceptual framework from which students can access the content.

A teacher is trying to choose a rubric for an assignment. She wants a quick snapshot of achievement and only needs a single dimension to define quality. The rubric she chooses allows for quick scoring but does not provide much detail. Question: Which of the following types of rubric has she most likely chosen? A. Analytic B. Holistic C. General D. Task-specific

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Holistic rubrics provide a single score based on an overall impression of a student's performance on a task. This is the single best answer because it is quick and only is concerned with one dimension.

The best way to develop students' metacognitive skills is for teachers to do which of the following? A. Give students a few global prereading questions to guide their reading. B. Advocate and model the use of self-questioning strategies during reading. C. Have students memorize the new vocabulary words needed to comprehend the reading selection. D. Provide opportunities for students to write comprehension questions for one another.

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. In order to create strategic readers, it is important to show students how to use the strategy and be explicit about why the strategy is helpful to them. Metacognitive strategies are used to ensure that a goal has been reached (e.g., quizzing oneself to evaluate one's understanding of a text).

In a fifth-grade reading class, the teacher asks students to write a list of words associated with the American Revolution. Next the teacher draws three columns on the board and labels them "British," "American," and "Both." Students are asked to come to the board and write their words in the most appropriate column. The class discusses why each word belongs in the particular column. This vocabulary-development activity is known as which of the following? A. Semantic feature analysis B. List-group-label C. Using context clues D. OPIN

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. List-group-label is a vocabulary-building activity that encourages students to activate prior knowledge, share what they know about content-specific concepts, and make connections between them.

A teacher is planning instruction for two students. One student makes oral reading errors due to over-reliance on contextual strategies. The other student makes errors based on inadequate graphophonic analysis. Based on the information given, which of the following statements is most likely true? A. The two students require very different types of intervention to address each student's individual weakness B. Both students require explicit decoding instruction and frequent opportunities for practice C. Despite the errors, the student who makes oral reading errors due to over-reliance on contextual strategies will still be able to accurately comprehend the text. D. The student who relies on contextual strategies will not have as many decoding errors as the student with inadequate graphophonic skills.

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. One implication of the current understanding of the reading process is that the qualitative analysis of reading errors is largely irrelevant to instructional planning. Decoding errors of whatever type are best addressed at the level of decoding instruction. Both students require decoding instruction and practice, sufficient to enable effortless reading at the appropriate level of text difficulty.

Which of the following is the first step a parent can take to promote phonological development in a child? A. Teach all the letters of the alphabet B. Play rhyming games with one-syllable words C. Play a game taking turns blending simple words D. Provide computer software games on letter-sound identification

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Phonological awareness is a broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language - parts such as words, syllables, and onsets and rimes. Children who have phonological awareness are able to identify and make oral rhymes, can clap out the number of syllables in a word, and can recognize words with the same initial sounds like "money" and "mother."

During a writing conference, a sixth-grade teacher notices that a student needs help with organization of ideas. Which of the following questions is most likely to promote growth in this area? A. Does the conclusion summarize all your ideas? B. Do the examples support the ideas in each paragraph? C. Where can more details be added? D. Does the topic sentence grab the attention of the reader?

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Prompting thought about ideas supported by examples or details is likely to help the student improve organization of ideas.

When teaching students how to use structural analysis to learn new words, which of the following words would best lend itself to this skill? A. Help B. Abnormal C. Maintain D. Detail

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Structural analysis is the use of prefixes, suffixes, and root words to understand the meaning of an unknown word. The word "abnormal," being the only word that has a prefix and a root word, would be the best word to use when teaching structural analysis.

Sarah, a second-grade student, recognizes all letters of the alphabet and the corresponding sounds for each. When writing, Sarah consistently encodes initial and final consonant sounds but does not include vowel sounds. Sarah's writing is most likely at which of the following stages of development? A. Scribbling B. Phonetic C. Prephonetic D. Drafting

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Students at the phonetic stage begin to write words with beginning and ending sounds. They may write some high-frequency words correctly, but if vowels are inserted in words, writers at the phonetic stage do not typically write the correct vowel.

Which of the following is a critical thinking skill essential for students to develop when learning web research skills? A. Citing sources accurately and appropriately B. Cross-checking facts to ensure reliability of information C. Learning how to navigate to find relevant content D. Attributing the words and ideas of others on reports and projects

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. Students need to learn to think critically by cross-checking facts even from reliable sources. Reading and evaluating the credibility of sources develops critical thinking skills to determine if there is inaccuracy or bias in the way the information is presented.

A first-grade class sorts word cards into categories provided by the teacher. The chart below shows the results of the sort. CV CVC CVCE CVVC to bat make sail so sat like bait be got kite mail Question: Which of the following skills does the chart best reinforce? A. Spelling of rhyming words B. Knowledge of vowel patterns C. Understanding of beginning consonant sounds D. Knowledge of consonant digraphs

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. The categories are common vowel patterns, and sorting words into the categories reinforces students' familiarity with the patterns in both their reading and their writing.

Which list of words is most appropriate in assessing student knowledge of the /t/ sound for the suffix "-ed"? A. Wanted, sorted, branded B. Ticked, ditched, nipped C. Fringed, dodged, hummed D. Attached, angled, invented

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. The correct pronunciation of "-ed" in these words is /t/. The other answers contain /d/ and /ed/ sounds.

My vacation was exciteing. We did many interesting things. We went to the beach. We played in the sand. We were so hot that we went in the wuter. We played games in the water. We had an awesome time. Question: A third-grade student wrote the story above about her summer vacation. To further develop the student's writing, the focus of instruction during a writing conference should be on A. word choice B. sentence variety C. spelling rules D. focus

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. The student begins most sentences with "we," and the sentences are all the same type and length. To make the writing more interesting and cohesive, the student would benefit most from instruction in writing different types of sentences and sentences of different lengths.

How many phonemes does the word "shade" have? A. 4 B. 3 C. 5 D. 2

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. The word shade has three phonemes: /sh/-/a/-/d/. Phonemes roughly correspond to the letters, but the connection is not one-to-one. It can be confusing because early readers will want to segment the word into four parts /s/-/h/-/a/-/d/.

A fifth-grade teacher asks students to complete the following writing assignment. Which of the following modifications to the assignment will most appropriately accommodate an English-language learner writing at the intermediate level of English-language proficiency? A. Identifying the author's purpose for the student B. Providing the student with relevant sentence stems C. Requiring the student to list only one piece of evidence D. Translating the article into the student's first language

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. This modification maintains the integrity of the assignment while also providing useful support for the ELL student. Providing sentence stems removes the obstacle of generating a complete paragraph in English while also allowing the student to demonstrate mastery of the assignment.

Students in a sixth-grade class are preparing to give an oral report on a famous author they have researched. Which of the following strategies would be most effective for students to do before speaking to an audience? A. Providing a copy of the report to all students in the class B. Writing key words on note cards to refer to during the presentation C. Memorizing the report before the presentation D. Creating a media-based presentation from which to read the report

Correct Answer: B Option (B) is correct. When students have completed their research projects and are asked to develop an oral report, they should consider how to present information that will be both interesting and well organized. Students should write the key words or phrases from the information they want to present on note cards to help them recall the material.

Mr. Peters, a sixth-grade teacher, notices that his students are having trouble writing an effective persuasive essay. Which of the following mini-lessons would best help his students improve their persuasive writing? A. Using sensory details to improve description B. Developing an effective conclusion C. Using facts and examples to support reasons D. Organizing details by their similarities and differences

Correct Answer: C (C) is the best answer. Persuasive writing helps students formulate specific reasons for their opinions, and provides an opportunity to research facts related to their opinions. Facts and examples are used to elaborate on reasons in a persuasive essay to strengthen the argument.

A teacher wants students to actively listen and comprehend a story read aloud. Which of the following instructional strategies will best focus on individual comprehension throughout the story without interrupting the reading? A. Requiring students to complete a study guide by filling in the blanks as they listen B. Allowing students to raise their hands for questions throughout the story C. Encouraging students to apply reading strategies to the listening task D. Asking students to write questions as the story is read to monitor their comprehension

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct because the greatest listening gains are brought about by applying reading text strategies to listening strategies. This connection allows for bottom up and top down strategy application so that students are listening for the details and main ideas.

A teacher has students read a passage and then asks the students to think about the following questions. Why does the writer use these words to describe the situation? What types of adjectives and adverbs does the author use for description? What are the denotations and connotations of the words the author uses? By asking these questions, the teacher is primarily helping students understand which of the following? Question: A. Setting B. Characterization C. Tone D. Theme

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct because the questions will help the students focus on the author's tone.

Use the information below to answer the following question. Sarah looked forward to her family's vacation at the shore. She loved building sand castles and searching for beautiful shells. Even on a day with rain, Sarah had fun staying indoors playing cards and board games with her family. Question: A second-grade student makes several miscues when orally reading the passage above. Which of the following shows an error in decoding a word containing a vowel digraph? A. Pronouncing "cords" for "cards" B. Substituting "chore" for "shore" C. Saying "ran" for "rain" D. Omitting the "l" in "playing"

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. A vowel digraph is a combination of vowels that combine to make a single vowel sound. Vowel combinations such as "oa" in "boat," "ai" in "rain," "ee" in "feet," and "ea" in "sea" are examples of words containing vowel digraphs.

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about the process of language acquisition in young children? A. Young children understand full sentences at a relatively late stage in language development. B. Young children exhibit random, highly variable errors in sentence construction. C. Young children infer the underlying rules of language to which they are exposed. D. Young children require planned early instructional intervention to master the language's grammar.

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. According to psycholinguists and others who specialize in human growth and development, young children infer the underlying rules of language to which they are exposed and begin to acquire the ability to communicate through the testing of what they have learned (hypothesis testing).

Which of the following is/are the most important criterion/criteria when identifying a quality informational text? A. Controlled vocabulary for ease of comprehension B. Illustrative attractiveness and design C. Accurate information and cohesiveness of ideas D. Location aids, such as an index

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Accuracy of the content and cohesiveness of the ideas are the most important criteria when choosing an informational text. The text may have an attractive design and index but students will not benefit from a text presenting inaccurate or biased information.

Over time, a teacher builds a collection of students' personal narratives at various performance levels. During a writing workshop, the teacher shows students a genre-specific assessment rubric and displays an anonymous writing piece on the smartboard. Then, using the rubric, students work in small groups to evaluate the piece and share their assessments with the class. Question: Which of the following is the most likely goal of the instructional activity? A. To provide examples of style elements in effective written expression B. To illustrate for students how to score a writing piece holistically C. To give students a clearer understanding of meeting expected standards D. To provide an opportunity to compare characteristics of various genres

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Allowing students to self- or peer-assess a writing piece gives them an opportunity to learn what writing meets a standard, as defined in a genre-specific rubric, and what writing does not. Students are better able to understand the elements of effective writing after completing these types of activities. This exercise helps student in writing their own pieces as the teacher in the scenario continues with direct instruction on personal narratives during the writing workshop.

A third-grade class is studying polar bears in their social studies class. Their teacher prepares the following writing assignment: How would the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" be different if it took place near the Arctic Circle? Question: The assignment helps to develop which of the following? A. Making connections between previous experiences and reading selections B. Comparing and contrasting settings, characters, and events C. Drawing conclusions about how setting affects a story D. Understanding basic plots of fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. By changing the setting of the story, the students would draw conclusions about how details in the setting would be different.

A teacher asks students to search the Internet to locate information on a self-selected research question. Which of the following strategies is most effective for helping students locate the material needed to answer the questions? A. Finding the authorship and copyright information for various websites B. Comparing and contrasting different search engines C. Identifying key words to use in the search D. Skimming the information on various websites

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Key words in a question can be used as search terms in a search engine. Focusing the search for information in this way gives students direction and a strategy to use in answering specific questions.

Which of the following is the primary purpose of a norm-referenced test? A. Interpreting a student's performance using set criteria B. Measuring how well a student has learned content-specific knowledge and skills C. Indicating where a student performs in comparison to a group of similar students D. Evaluating a student's performance compared to a standard

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Norm-referenced tests allow a student's skills to be compared with the skills of other students in a similar age group. These tests are developed by administering a set of test items to a group of students; the performance of those in the norming group is used as a basis for comparison.

A language arts teacher requires students keep a reading response journal. The primary purpose of a reading response journal is to A. serve as a check that students completed a reading assignment B. keep students engaged in independent work and limit free time C. facilitate student interactions with a text D. keep a record of the books the students have read throughout the year

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Of the options listed, the most important is to capture student-text interactions.

Mr. James, a kindergarten teacher, reads a story aloud to his students. As he reads, he asks the students to identify which sound is the same in the words "pig," "pumpkin," and "pail," three words mentioned throughout the story. Which phonemic-awareness skill is he practicing with the students? A. Phoneme segmentation B. Phoneme blending C. Phoneme identity D. Phoneme categorization

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Phoneme identity refers to the ability to recognize the same sound in different words.

A teacher is concerned that many intermediate-level students use nonstandard English patterns in their speech and writing. A colleague who has kept abreast of recent trends is most likely to advise the teacher to A. provide extensive practice using written exercises that require students to make choices between standard and nonstandard word forms B. insist that the students be more consistent in using standard forms in oral communications at school C. provide experiences from which the students can conclude that different usage styles are appropriate in different situations D. encourage students to be more consistent in using standard forms in oral communications outside of school

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Providing examples of standard English and allowing students to explicitly learn the differences between their home language and academic language without judgment allows students to transition more easily.

Which of the following concepts is best supported by current research on emergent literacy? A. Children begin their literacy learning when they enter school. B. Reading and writing development have distinct beginning and ending points. C. Reading and writing develop in children concurrently and in interrelated ways. D. Children begin their literacy learning after having mastered basic letter-sound skills.

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Reading and writing are complementary processes that can be used to strengthen each other in reciprocal fashion. Practice in writing helps children build their reading skills. This is especially true for younger children who are working to develop phonemic awareness and phonics skills. Phonemic awareness (the understanding that words are developed from sound "chunks") develops as children read and write new words. Similarly, phonics skills or the ability to link sounds together to construct words are reinforced when children read and write the same words.

Research supports that highly skilled readers A. recognize whole words without examining individual letters B. use context to anticipate words C. read almost every word D. go directly from print to meaning without studying each word

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Research shows that skilled readers read almost every word.

The words "accommodate" and "television" each have how many syllables? A. Two B. Three C. Four D. Five

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Syllabication is the forming of syllables or the division of words into syllables. In this case, both words can be divided into four word parts: "ac-com-mo-date" and "te-le-vi-sion."

When the letter combination [or digraph] "a" and "i" appears in a syllable, it usually represents the sound of A. the "i" in kite B. the "a" in car C. the "a" in case D. the "a" in cat

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The "a" in "case" represents the long "a" sound. When the letter combination [or digraph] "ai" appears together in a syllable, it usually represents the long "a" sound.

Which of the following words contains the soft sound of "g"? A. Wiggle B. Thought C. Urgent D. Guilt

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The "g" in "urgent" is pronounced as /j/ which is the soft sound of the letter. The word follows the phonic rule that when "g" is followed by "e", "l," or "y," it usually makes the soft sound of the grapheme.

A fifth-grade teacher asks students to complete the following writing assignment. The assignment can best be used to assess students' mastery of which of the following reading-content standards? A. Verifying facts presented within a text through the use of multiple sources B. Recognizing contradictory statements made by an author within a text C. Making an inference by connecting ideas within a text D. Comparing the viewpoints of different authors among multiple texts

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The assignment does address this content standard. Students are asked to demonstrate mastery of the complex task of connecting different ideas presented in the text in order to make an inference about the author's intended message or purpose.

Bandwagon Testimonial Rewards Glittering generality Question: The above mentioned devices should most likely be taught when studying which of the following genres? A. Narrative B. Biographical C. Persuasive D. Poetry

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The four devices are used to persuade readers. Narrative, biographical, and poetry do not utilize the devices.

Which of the following is a characteristic of the language experience approach (LEA) ? A. Use of a grade-leveled series of texts that are read aloud B. Emphasis on sequenced skills instruction and practice C. Focus on language as the bridge between the oral and written language D. Preteaching by using oral language activities and vocabulary words as a basis for predicting

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The language experience approach focuses on children's ability to produce language as a bridge between spoken and written language.

While observing a student reading, the teacher notices that the student does not match letters with their correct sounds. The student is most likely having problems with A. comprehension B. syntax C. graphophonic cues D. reading fluency

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. The student seems to be having trouble with letter-sound correspondence. ("Graph," which means print, and "phonic," which means sound, refer to letter-sound correspondence.)

To promote family involvement in literacy activities, teachers can encourage parents to A. buy comics and story books B. get their child a library card C. discuss stories and experiences at home D. volunteer in the school's media center

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. This practice is recommended based on research by Jim Trelease and the National Institute of Education's Commission on Reading. Discussing stories and experiences at home promotes family involvement and increases oral language and vocabulary development, both of which are critical to achieving literacy success.

A classroom teacher and a special education teacher meet to plan a new unit of instruction. Which of the following is the best first step in the planning process? A. Creating an assessment to measure the students' mastery of the unit objectives B. Developing a schedule of instructional activities and assessments C. Identifying a set of common goals and objectives for the unit D. Selecting instructional and collaborative learning strategies

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. To start collaborative planning, the classroom teacher and special education teacher should meet to establish the goals and objectives for the unit. Appropriate assessments, activities, and instructional strategies can then be chosen that will best help students to meet the stated goals and objectives.

Which of the following evaluative measures indicates the degree to which a test assesses what it is supposed to assess? A. Reliability B. Stability C. Validity D. Internal consistency

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. Validity is a measure of the degree to which a test measures what it purports to measure; e.g., reading vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency.

A first-grade student shows evidence of phonological awareness but has difficulty segmenting words into phonemes. Which of the questions below is likely to be the most challenging for the student to answer? A. Listen to these word parts: /p/ /i/ /ck/. What is the word? B. Which of these two words rhyme: "fun," "sun," or "tan"? C. Listen to this word: "sad." How many sounds do you hear? D. Which of these two words have the same medial sound: "fit," "bin," "can"?

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is correct. When segmenting words into sounds, the student listens for and identifies phonemes in the word.

Words that cannot be sounded out according to regular pronunciation rules are called irregular words. Which list below contains irregular words? A. Man, came, well, in B. We, him, get, so C. Do, said, was, of D. How, had, make, not

Correct Answer: C Option (C) is the best answer. (C) contains irregular words with letters that do not represent their most common sounds. "Do," "said," "was," and "of" all have irregular pronunciations.

Which of the following statements is true of the main idea of a text? A. The main idea is the subject matter of the text. B. The main idea is provided in the topic sentence. C. The main idea summarizes the central thought of the text. D. The main idea is repeated in the first sentence in each paragraph.

Correct Answer: C The correct answer is (C). The main idea has to capture the entire reading (beginning, middle, and end).

On the reading comprehension subtest of a norm-referenced test, a student correctly answers 73 of 100 questions. The results indicate the student's A. percentile rank B. scaled score C. stanine D. raw score

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. A raw score is the number of correct answers or points earned on a test. The student in this scenario got 73 out of 100 questions correct, his raw score.

A first-grade teacher is concerned about several students whose sight vocabulary is very limited. Which of the following is the most effective strategy for the teacher to use to help the students increase their sight vocabulary? A. Providing explicit instruction using think-alouds, to improve oral reading fluency B. Providing explicit instruction in writing words, to improve memorization C. Providing explicit instruction in letter-sound correlation, to improve phonemic awareness D. Providing explicit instruction in word study of high-frequency words, to improve oral reading.

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Explicit instruction in word study of high-frequency words is the best method for improving oral reading. By instructing the student in learning how to read high-frequency words quickly, the teacher can help the student establish a large repertoire of words that can be read on sight without resorting to phonetic analysis.

student who reads with expression, appropriate phrasing, and good inflection, is described as reading with A. generalization B. inference C. intensity D. prosody

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Prosody is the appropriate use of phrasing and expression to convey meaning.

A teacher is designing an instructional plan for a small group of students who are having difficulty decoding unfamiliar multisyllabic words. The most appropriate approach to address the students' need is to teach them to A. sound out multisyllabic words phoneme by phoneme B. clap out the number of syllables in multisyllabic words C. memorize grade appropriate word lists that contain multisyllabic words D. look for affixes and morphemes in multisyllabic words

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Research suggests that teaching students to recognize affixes and morphemes is an effective way to aid students in decoding multisyllabic words.

Which of the following reading tasks is most likely to be enhanced by scanning an expository text? A. Evaluating the scope and validity of the information B. Getting a general overview of the structure of the piece C. Analyzing the author's perspective on the topic D. Locating a specific piece of information quickly

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Scanning refers to rapidly covering a large amount of text for the purpose of locating a specific fact (e.g., name, date, statistic, etc.) or piece of information.

Justin, a fourth-grade student, takes a norm-referenced reading test and receives a stanine score of 7 on a vocabulary subtest. Which of the following best describes the student's level of performance on the assessment? A. On grade level B. Below average C. Average D. Above average

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Stanine is a measure used to report a student's performance compared to that of other students. Stanine is a statistical term that is a combination of the words standard and nine. A stanine is a point on a nine-point scale with the points 1, 2, and 3 being below average, 4, 5, and 6 being average, and 7, 8, and 9 being above average performance.

A high school literature teacher has students engage in a close reading of a literary passage. The teacher states: "As students read, I walk around the classroom and observe their annotations. I encourage students to mark sections of text that they don't understand and I look for patterns in their responses." Question: Based on the statement, the teacher's next best step is most likely to A. evaluate strengths and weaknesses in students' passage-based vocabulary knowledge B. organize students in mixed-ability pairs to orally reread the piece C. provide students with an alternate version of the piece at a lower readability level D. use the recorded comments as a formative assessment to drive further instruction

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. The best next step the teacher should take is to use the data he/she collects while moving around the classroom as a formative assessment. Based on the fact that some students were confused by the same section of the text, the teacher needs to plan to model reading that section through an instructional technique such as a think aloud for example. The teacher intervention, classroom discussion, and subsequent rereadings for different purposes following the close reading will assist students experiencing difficulty to better comprehend the text.

A middle school teacher wants students to support their ideas with evidence from the text they are reading. Which of the following strategies will best help the teacher achieve this goal? A. Responding to comprehension questions orally B. Recording student questions on sticky notes C. Illustrating memorable scenes on art paper D. Writing a response in a double-entry journal

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. The double-entry journal strategy enables students to record their responses to text as they read. Students write down phrases or sentences from their assigned reading and then write their own reaction to that passage. The purpose of this strategy is to give students the opportunity to express their thoughts and become actively involved with the material they read.

A second-grade teacher uses an assessment tool for coding, scoring, and analyzing a student's oral reading behavior. Which of the following best describes the technique? A. Shared reading B. Reader's conference C. Process interview D. Running record

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. The scenario describes running records. Shared reading, a reader's conference, and a process interview do not yield information about the types of miscues a student makes or the reading strategies a student employs while reading.

A student has completed the following word sort: Flaps Table Cat Fail Mask Aim Slab Mats Question: Which of the following did the student sort incorrectly? A. Flaps B. Aim C. Cat D. Mats

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. This is correct because "mats" should be in the short vowel column as it does not say the name of the letter when uttering it. Since it is in the long vowel column this response would be correct.

Which of the following strategies is appropriate for teaching students to automatically recognize high-frequency words? A. Encouraging students to sound out a word when it is encountered B. Asking students to make a picture dictionary using those words C. Inviting students to create new words by adding or deleting sounds D. Presenting a word visually and asking students to say it

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. This is the very first strategy a teacher utilizes when introducing high-frequency words to students.

A fourth-grade teacher is developing a writing assignment, the goal of which is to help students persuade readers to agree with an opinion. Which of the following writing prompts is most appropriate for the assignment? A. Describe your favorite television show. B. Write a new episode of your favorite television show. C. How are the television shows you watch different than the shows your parents watched when they were your age? D. Should a limit be placed on the amount of time children spend watching television?

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. This prompt requires students to establish a position and provide reasons to support it so that readers can be persuaded to agree.

A primary benefit of giving students diagnostic reading assessments at the beginning of year, middle of year, and at the end of the year is that this process will help the teacher determine which of the following? A. How to differentiate the curriculum for each student B. The reliability level of various types of assessments C. Progress within and across content areas D. Patterns in classroom and individual students' data

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. Timely, reliable assessments indicate which children are falling behind in critical reading skills so teachers can help them make greater progress in learning to read. Reliable and valid assessments also help monitor the effectiveness of instruction for all children; without regularly assessing children's progress in learning to read, we cannot know which children need more help and which are likely to make good progress without extra help. Because scientific studies have repeatedly demonstrated the value of regularly assessing reading progress, a comprehensive assessment plan is a critical element of an effective school-level plan for preventing reading difficulties.

Which of the following statements best describes test reliability in both formal and informal assessments? A. The test measures what it is supposed to measure. B. A student's achievement is consistently measured in comparison to that of others of the same age. C. Test results measure skills closely related to the school-based curriculum. D. A student's performance would be generally consistent if the same test was administered a number of times.

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. To be useful, formal and informal assessments should be reliable; i.e., yielding consistent results. If the same test is given to the same students a number of times, the results would be approximately the same.

While reading an informational passage, a student comes to the word "lead" and engages in the following think aloud. I recognize this word and know that it can be pronounced in different ways depending on how it is used. "Lead" is a chemical that is sometimes used to make things like pipes. "Lead" can also be a verb that means to guide. I need to read to the end of the sentence and think about which pronunciation and definition makes sense in this passage. Question: Which of the following best describes the process the student used to gain understanding of the word? A. Orthographic B. Phonological C. Meaning D. Context

Correct Answer: D Option (D) is correct. When readers decode, they attend to four processes: orthographic, phonological, meaning, and context. The context process involves the reader constructing a continuing understanding of text. The student in this scenario is using context to determine the correct meaning of the word "lead."

Which of the following is an effective instructional strategy for helping kindergarten students develop an understanding of concepts about print? A. Exposing students to a variety of rhyming texts B. Finger tapping to count phonemes in words C. Facilitating guided practice of visualization techniques D. Modeling how to track during shared reading

Correct Answer: D The correct answer is D. Children are more likely to attend to print when engaged in shared reading with an adult who uses print-referencing behavior. The other options are not print awareness instructional strategies.

1. A teacher plans to differentiate reading instruction for students but first needs to gather and analyze assessment data to determine students' needs. Question: For each row, select whether the assessment is effective or ineffective in diagnosing the reading needs of individual students. Assessment Effective Ineffective Standardized, norm-referenced, 1 select 2 select reading assessments Informal reading 3 select 4 select inventories Formative reading 5 select 6 select assessments

orrect Answer: 2, 3, 5 Standardized, norm-referenced, reading assessments are ineffective in regards to diagnosing the reading needs of individual students. The results of standardized tests provide "macro" data that can assess program quality or level of student achievement relative to the composite scores of other students. The data cannot pinpoint the "micro" data of student strengths and weaknesses in the skills and content that teachers need to assess. Even standards-based assessments provide only generic data, not the "nuts and bolts" discreet skills analyses that can effectively inform instruction. Informal Reading Inventories (IRIs) are effective. IRIs are collection of word lists and leveled passages that are used to provide a quick snapshot of students' reading abilities. They are often used to determine where in a commercial reading series students should begin. IRIs utilize leveled sentences and passages to determine a student's reading level, and they focus primarily on literal recall as a means to determine comprehension. Formative assessments are effective in helping to diagnose the individual needs of students. Formative assessments are on-the-spot assessments given while our students are reading or engaging in pre and post reading activities. This type of assessment should be given frequently to provide feedback on our lessons and student progress.