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Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions Reading Specialist (151)Expand All Answers | Collapse All Answers This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam. For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam. Domain I—Instruction and Assessment: Components of LiteracyCompetency 001—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of oral language development, relationships between oral language development and the development of reading skills and instructional methods that promote students’ oral language development at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.1. A first-grade teacher is planning lessons for a small group of students who are reading but whose oral-language vocabulary is somewhat limited. Which of the following teacher actions will best help the students independently learn new words?
Competency 002—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of phonological and phonemic awareness, relationships between phonological and phonemic awareness and the development of reading competence and instructional methods that promote students’ phonological and phonemic awareness at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.2. The following is an exchange between a reading specialist and a group of struggling first-grade readers at the end of a lesson.
The reading specialist could best use the activity to informally assess which of the following concepts?
3. Student data from multiple phonological awareness assessments indicate that the majority of students in a kindergarten class can segment sentences into words. Given the information suggested by the data, the most appropriate next step for the reading specialist to recommend is that the teacher provide whole-group instruction that focuses on which of the following?
Competency 003—The reading specialist understands concepts of print and the alphabetic principle and applies knowledge of instructional methods that promote students’ reading acquisition at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.4. Students in a kindergarten classroom successfully read decodable texts containing the words "ask" and "lamp." The teacher wants to follow the appropriate developmental sequence of students’ understanding of the alphabetic principle. When the teacher chooses the next texts for students to read, it would be most appropriate for the texts to
Competency 004—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of word identification skills and strategies and instructional methods that promote students’ reading competence at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.5. Students are learning to use derivational endings to accurately identify words. The strategy will be most effective if the students have previously developed which of the following skills?
6. A reading specialist listens while Becky, a fourth-grade student, reads. Becky pauses at the word "unusual." She then covers the first two letters and says "usual." She removes her fingers from the beginning of the word and says "unusual." Which of the following word identification strategies did Becky utilize?
7. A reading specialist is working with a third-grade student who has difficulty using context clues to decode unfamiliar words while reading text. Which of the following strategies would best help the student develop the skill?
8. Which of the following is most important for a teacher to consider when selecting texts for developing students’ decoding ability during small-group guided-reading instruction?
Competency 005—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of reading fluency and instructional methods that promote students’ reading competence at grades 1 through 12.9. A fifth-grade teacher plans to integrate readers’ theater into reading instruction. A primary reason the practice will improve students’ reading fluency is that it provides students with
10. Which of the following activities will contribute most to improvement in students’ oral reading fluency?
Competency 006—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of reading comprehension and instructional methods that promote students’ reading comprehension at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.11. Ms. Salazar, the reading specialist, is working with a group of fifth-grade students to improve their reading comprehension. She has the students ask themselves the following questions after they read each chapter.
Ms. Salazar is primarily incorporating which of the following?
12. As students read their social studies textbook, a middle school teacher has them record any connections they make to the text in a learning log. After reading, students share their connections in small groups. The teacher’s implementation of the activity demonstrates an understanding that which of the following is a primary factor affecting student comprehension?
13. Samuel, a third-grade student, can read grade-level fiction text but struggles to answer questions or provide accurate retellings of the text. To best help Samuel, the teacher should have him
14. While reading a narrative, a third-grade teacher has students record the important elements on a story map. The activity primarily improves students’ comprehension of the text by
Competency 007—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of vocabulary development and instructional methods that promote students’ oral and written vocabulary knowledge at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.15. Before students begin reading a chapter in their science textbook, the teacher distributes a list of ten vocabulary words and asks students to demonstrate their familiarity with each word by defining it in their own words or by labeling it as unknown. Which of the following is the primary purpose of the activity?
16. Mr. Taylor, a high school chemistry teacher, tells the reading specialist that the vocabulary in an upcoming unit may be hard for his students to understand. Which of the following before-reading strategies should the reading specialist suggest to best address Mr. Taylor’s concerns?
17. A middle school teacher wants to increase students’ reading vocabularies. Which of the following will be most effective in achieving the goal?
18. During a model lesson, a reading specialist wants to promote third-grade students’ vocabulary development during a read-aloud. To best address the goal, the reading specialist should ask students to
Competency 008—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of written language and instructional to reinforce reading and writing at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.19. The reading specialist receives a request to work with a fifth-grade student who often struggles with writing tasks. To best help the student, the reading specialist should plan to
20. Which of the following actions is an essential component of the writing workshop method of instruction?
Domain II—Instruction and Assessment: Resources and ProceduresCompetency 009—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of assessment instruments and procedures used to monitor and evaluate student progress in reading and to guide instructional decision making at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.21. A reading specialist administers an informal reading inventory (IRI) to a second-grade student. The student reads the second-grade text with 96 percent accuracy in word recognition and 70 percent accuracy in comprehension. According to the results, it would be most appropriate for the student to receive guided reading instruction with texts
22. A beginning fourth-grade teacher consults the campus reading specialist about using leveled texts for small-group instruction. To determine the most appropriate level of text for each student, the reading specialist suggests that the teacher first administer
23. When administering an informal reading inventory, a reading specialist attempts to minimize factors that may negatively affect the students’ performance. To best accomplish this, the reading specialist should
Competency 010—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of methods and resources for providing effective literacy instruction that addresses the varied learning needs of all students at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.24. A preschool teacher wants to incorporate listening, speaking, reading, and writing into lessons and asks the reading specialist to recommend ways to accomplish this goal. Which of the following activities best incorporates these skills?
25. Which of the following is the most efficient way for a teacher to verify that a particular novel is at the appropriate level for whole-class instruction?
26. A third-grade teacher plans to use a nonfiction book about volcanoes during instruction for a science unit. The teacher hands out the book in class and starts reading it with the children, but they are struggling to comprehend the text. The teacher collects the books and decides to consult the reading specialist to plan the lessons. Which of the following is the best activity for the teacher to perform before handing out the books again?
27. A middle school teacher requires students to identify the author and purpose of every online source before deciding to use the source to support their research. The primary reason for the practice is to determine the
28. A reading specialist is facilitating a professional development session for a cohort of teachers on the benefits of flexible grouping. The primary benefit of flexible grouping is that it will enable the teacher to
Domain III—Meeting the Needs of Individual StudentsCompetency 011—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of effective literacy instruction for English-language learners at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.29. It is most important for a teacher to modify which of the following strategies when he or she is designing before-reading activities for English learners (ELs)?
30. A fourth-grade teacher is administering an informal reading inventory to an English learner (EL) whose first language is Spanish. The student pronounces "ship" as "cheep," "taking" as "tacking," and "shoes" as "choose." The teacher should conclude that the student’s miscues are primarily due to
31. A third-grade teacher approaches the reading specialist with concerns about a student who arrived from Korea in September. It is now January, and the student is still not speaking in the classroom and is not reading at grade level. Which of the following is the best course of action for the reading specialist?
Competency 012—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of effective literacy instruction for students with reading difficulties, dyslexia and reading disabilities at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.32. Which of the following best describes the purpose of providing a student with dyslexia a colored overlay for all reading texts?
33. A reading specialist reviews results from midyear reading assessments and discovers that reading comprehension scores for students with learning disabilities have not improved and that many of the scores have declined. Using the data, the best instructional plan should include which of the following?
Domain IV—Professional Knowledge and LeadershipCompetency 013—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of the theoretical foundations of literacy and of research-based reading/literacy curriculum.34. Knowledge of the transactional theory of learning would best help a reading specialist understand the importance of which of the following instructional practices?
35. Behaviorist learning theories best support teaching young children to read through the use of
36. As part of a unit on seasons, a kindergarten teacher uses The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats for a shared-reading activity. Before reading the book, the teacher asks the students to look at the cover and describe what they see. As the students give their responses, the teacher asks them to talk about their experiences with snow and to give examples of what people do when it snows. Through the activity, the teacher primarily demonstrates understanding of which of the following?
Competency 014—The reading specialist understands and applies procedures for collaborating and communicating with educational stakeholders and for designing, implementing, evaluating and participating in professional development.37. During classroom observations, a reading specialist sees prekindergarten teachers using poems to teach rhyming skills. To most effectively help the teachers extend the use of poetry for instruction into other areas of phonological awareness, the reading specialist should
38. Mr. Harris, an elementary reading specialist, has reviewed the campus student data from a recent statewide reading assessment. To begin planning a campus-wide reading-improvement plan, he prepares a computerized presentation to report the findings to the staff. Which of the following would be the most useful type of graph to include in the computer presentation?
39. When designing professional development programs for classroom teachers, a beginning reading specialist should first consult
40. When designing effective professional development for teachers, the administration should primarily focus on
Multiple-Competencies Passages
Use the information below to answer the questions that follow. A second-grade student read the following text as part of an informal reading inventory.
Below is the teacher’s transcription of the student’s reading.
Competency 001—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of oral language development, relationships between oral language development and the development of reading skills and instructional methods that promote students’ oral language development at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.41. During the assessment, the student primarily demonstrates difficulty pronouncing words containing
Competency 004—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of word identification skills and strategies and instructional methods that promote students’ reading competence at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.42. Which of the following activities would best develop the student’s word-identification skills?
Competency 009—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of assessment instruments and procedures used to monitor and evaluate student progress in reading and to guide instructional decision making at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.43. Which of the following would be considered a miscue that significantly changes the meaning of the text?
Use the information below to answer the questions that follow. During an intervention, Ms. Tanya, a reading specialist, has students move counters into boxes as she says a single-syllable word. For example, when Ms. Tanya says "jump," a student fills in the boxes as shown below.
Shaded-in circles, which are the counters, are drawn above each of the first four boxes, with an arrow under each circle pointing into the box below. Competency 002—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of phonological and phonemic awareness, relationships between phonological and phonemic awareness and the development of reading competence and instructional methods that promote students’ phonological and phonemic awareness at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.44. The primary purpose of the technique is to develop students’ understanding of
Competency 003—The reading specialist understands concepts of print and the alphabetic principle and applies knowledge of instructional methods that promote students’ reading acquisition at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.45. Which of the following changes to the activity will most effectively incorporate the alphabetic principle?
Use the information below to answer the questions that follow. A reading specialist has students with dyslexia use the following systematic list of strategies to help them learn to spell words.
Competency 012—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of effective literacy instruction for students with reading difficulties, dyslexia and reading disabilities at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.46. The primary reason the strategy is appropriate for students with dyslexia is that it
47. Which of the following common areas of difficulty for students with dyslexia is best addressed by step 4?
Use the information below to answer the questions that follow. A teacher takes a running record in May on Jeremiah, a second-grade student, using a self-selected book. Jeremiah read 66 words correct per minute (W C P M) with 95 percent accuracy and correctly answered 2 out of 4 comprehension questions about the text. The following is a list of words miscalled by Jeremiah during the running record.
Competency 004—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of word identification skills and strategies and instructional methods that promote students’ reading competence at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.48. According to the list of mispronounced words, Jeremiah will benefit most from instruction in which of the following word-identification strategies?
Competency 005—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of reading fluency and instructional methods that promote students’ reading competence at grades 1 through 12.49. The fluency data show that it is most beneficial for Jeremiah to select books that
Competency 006—The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of reading comprehension and instructional methods that promote students’ reading comprehension at the levels of early childhood through grade 12.50. According to the assessment data, Jeremiah’s teacher can infer that his comprehension of the text is primarily affected by his
Return to Navigation What is recommended order for teaching letter formation?Start with letters that contain only vertical and horizontal lines (L, I, E, F, H, T). Slowly introduce letters with curves (C, O, Q). Finally end with letters with diagonal lines (A, N, M, etc). Children learn best through play based learning, so make sure to have fun while teaching!
In which grade should students begin using transitional words in their writing?In 3rd grade, students work to build off the transition words they learned in 2nd grade by incorporating transitional phrases like "with this in mind" and "even though." They also explore some additional transition word groups.
Which of the following is a necessary prerequisite to being able to read words?Phonological awareness is essential for reading because written words correspond to spoken words. Readers must have awareness of the speech sounds that letters and letter combinations represent in order to move from a printed word to a spoken word (reading), or a spoken word to a written word (spelling) (Moats, 2010).
What are the benefits of having students write in response to text select all that apply?What are the benefits of having students write in response to text? Select all that apply. It prompts students to reflect on what they have learned; It enables students to connect ideas; It allows students to paraphrase ideas in their own words.
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