TExES I Texas Examinations of Educator Standards
Preparation
Manual
151 Reading Specialist
Copyright © 2006 by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). All rights reserved. The Texas Education Agency logo and TEA are registered trademarks of
the Texas Education Agency. Texas Examinations of Educator Standards, TExES, and the TExES logo are trademarks of the Texas Education Agency.
This publication has been produced for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) by ETS. ETS is under contract to the Texas Education Agency to administer
the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) program and the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) program. The TExES program
and the Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) program are administered under the authority of the Texas Education Agency;
regulations and standards governing the program are subject to change at the discretion of the Texas Education Agency. The Texas Education Agency and
ETS do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in the administration of the testing
program or the provision of related services.
PREFACE
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has developed new standards for
Texas educators that delineate what the beginning educator should know and be able to
do. These standards, which are based on the state-required curriculum for students—the
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)—form the basis for new Texas
Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES). This initiative will impact all areas of
Texas education—from the more than 100 approved Texas educator preparation
programs to the more than 7,000 Texas school campuses. This standards-based system
reflects SBEC's commitment to help align Texas education from kindergarten through
college. SBEC's role in this K–16 initiative will ensure that newly certified Texas
teachers have the essential knowledge and skills to teach the TEKS to the state's public
school students.
This manual is designed to help examinees prepare for the new TExES test in this field.
Its purpose is to familiarize examinees with the competencies to be tested, test item
formats, and pertinent study resources. Educator preparation program staff may also find
this information useful as they help examinees prepare for careers as Texas educators.
More information about the new TExES tests and educator standards can be found at
http://www.sbec.state.tx.us.
KEY FEATURES OF THE MANUAL
List of competencies that will be tested
Strategies for answering test questions
Sample test items and answer key
If you have questions after reading this preparation manual, please contact the State
Board for Educator Certification, Office of Accountability at 1-512-238-3200.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION I
T HE
NEW
TE X ES
TESTS FOR TEXAS TEACHERS
1
Development of the New TExES Tests
Taking the TExES Test and Receiving Scores
Educator Standards
SECTION II
U SING
THE TEST FRAMEWORK
5
Organization of the TExES Test Framework
Studying for the TExES Test
Test Framework (Including Proportions of Each Domain)
SECTION III
A PPROACHES TO ANSWERING
MULTIPLE - CHOICE ITEMS
23
Item Formats
—Single Items
—Items With Stimulus Material
SECTION IV
S AMPLE
31
ITEMS
Sample Items
Answer Key
SECTION V
P REPARATION
Journals
Other Sources
RESOURCES
41
SECTION I
THE NEW TEXES TESTS FOR TEXAS TEACHERS
As required by the Texas Education Code §21.048, successful performance on educator certification
examinations is required for the issuance of a Texas educator certificate. Each TExES test is a criterionreferenced examination designed to measure the knowledge and skills delineated in the corresponding
TExES test framework. Each test framework is based on standards that were developed by Texas
educators and other education stakeholders.
Each TExES test is designed to measure the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in
this field in Texas public schools must possess. The tests include both individual, or stand-alone, test
items (questions) and items that are arranged in clustered sets based on real-world situations faced by
educators.
Development of the New TExES Tests
Committees of Texas educators and interested citizens guide the development of the new TExES tests by
participating in each stage of the test development process. These working committees are comprised of
Texas educators from public and charter schools, faculty from educator preparation programs, education
service center staff, representatives from professional educator organizations, content experts, and
members of the business community. The committees are balanced in terms of position, affiliation, years
of experience, ethnicity, gender, and geographical location. The committee membership is rotated during
the development process so that numerous Texas stakeholders may be actively involved. The steps in the
process to develop the TExES tests are described below.
1.
Develop Standards. Committees are convened to recommend what the beginning educator should
know and be able to do. To ensure vertical alignment of standards across the range of instructional
levels, individuals with expertise in early childhood, elementary, middle, or high school education
meet jointly to articulate the critical knowledge and skills for a particular content area. Participants
begin their dialogue using a "clean slate" approach with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
(TEKS) as the focal point. Draft standards are written to incorporate the TEKS and to expand upon
that content to ensure that all beginning educators possess the appropriate level of both knowledge
and skills to instruct students successfully.
2.
Review Standards. Committees review and revise the draft standards. The revised draft standards
are then placed on the SBEC Web site for public review and comment. These comments are used
to prepare a final draft of the standards that will be presented to the SBEC Board for discussion, the
State Board of Education (SBOE) for review and comment, and the SBEC Board for approval.
Standards not based specifically on the TEKS, such as those for librarians and counselors, are
proposed as rule by the SBEC Board; sent to the SBOE for its 90-day review; and, if not rejected by
the SBOE, adopted by the SBEC Board.
3.
Develop Test Frameworks. Committees review and revise draft test frameworks that are based on
the standards. These frameworks outline the specific competencies to be measured on the new
TExES tests. The TExES competencies represent the critical components of the standards that can
be measured with either a paper-and pencil-based or a computer-based examination, as appropriate.
Draft frameworks are not finalized until after the standards are approved and the job
analysis/content validation survey (see #4) is complete.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
1
4.
Conduct Job Analysis/Content Validation Surveys. A representative sample of Texas educators
who practice in or prepare individuals for each of the fields for which an educator certificate has
been proposed are surveyed to determine the relative job importance of each competency outlined
in the test framework for that content area. Frameworks are revised as needed following an
analysis of the survey responses.
5.
Develop and Review New Test Items. The test contractor develops draft items that are designed
to measure the competencies described in the test framework. Committees review the newly
developed test items that have been written to reflect the competencies in the new test frameworks
and may accept, revise, or reject test items. Committee members scrutinize the draft items for
appropriateness of content and difficulty; clarity; match to the competencies; and potential ethnic,
gender, and regional bias.
6.
Conduct Pilot Test of New Test Items. All of the newly developed test items that have been
deemed acceptable by the item review committees are then administered to an appropriate sample
of candidates for certification.
7.
Review Pilot Test Data. Pilot test results are reviewed to ensure that the test items are valid,
reliable, and free from bias.
8.
Administer New TExES Tests. New TExES tests are constructed to reflect the competencies, and
the tests are administered to candidates for certification.
9. Set Passing Standard. A Standard Setting Committee convenes to review performance data from
the initial administration of each new TExES test and to recommend a final passing standard for
that test. SBEC considers this recommendation as it establishes a passing score on the test.
Taking the TExES Test and Receiving Scores
Please refer to the current TExES registration bulletin for information on test dates, sites, fees, registration
procedures, and policies.
You will be mailed a score report approximately four weeks after each test you take. The report will
indicate whether you have passed the test and will include:
•
a total test scaled score. Scaled scores are reported to allow for the comparison of scores on the same
content-area test taken on different test administration dates. The total scaled score is not the
percentage of items answered correctly and is not determined by averaging the number of questions
answered correctly in each domain.
— For all TExES tests, the score scale is 100–300 with a scaled score of 240 as the minimum passing
score. This score represents the minimum level of competency required to be an entry-level
educator in this field in Texas public schools.
•
your performance in the major content domains of the test and in the specific content competencies of
the test.
— This information may be useful in identifying strengths and weaknesses in your content
preparation and can be used for further study or for preparing to retake the test.
•
information to help you understand the score scale and interpret your results.
You will not receive a score report if you are absent or choose to cancel your score.
2
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Additionally, unofficial score report information will be posted on the Internet on the score report mailing
date of each test administration. Information about receiving unofficial scores via the Internet and other
score report topics may be found on the SBEC Web site at www.sbec.state.tx.us.
Educator Standards
Complete, approved educator standards are posted on the SBEC Web site at www.sbec.state.tx.us.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
3
4
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
SECTION II
USING THE TEST FRAMEWORK
The Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) test measures the content knowledge required of
an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools. This manual is designed to guide your
preparation by helping you become familiar with the material to be covered on the test.
When preparing for this test, you should focus on the competencies and descriptive statements,
which delineate the content that is eligible for testing. A portion of the content is represented in the
sample items that are included in this manual. These test questions represent only a sample of
items. Thus, your test preparation should focus on the complete content eligible for testing, as
specified in the competencies and descriptive statements.
Organization of the TExES Test Framework
The test framework is based on the educator standards for this field.
The content covered by this test is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain
covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further
defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:
1. the competency statement, which broadly defines what an entry-level educator in this field in
Texas public schools should know and be able to do, and
2. the descriptive statements, which describe in greater detail the knowledge and skills eligible
for testing.
The educator standards being assessed within each domain are listed for reference at the beginning of the
test framework, which begins on page 8. These are then followed by a complete set of the framework's
competencies and descriptive statements.
An example of a competency and its accompanying descriptive statements is provided on the next page.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
5
Sample Competency and Descriptive Statements
Reading Specialist
Competency:
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.
Descriptive Statements:
The beginning reading specialist:
6
•
Knows basic linguistic patterns and structures of oral language, such as
continuant and stop sounds and coarticulation of sounds.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of stages and milestones in acquiring oral language
and of relationships between oral language development and the development
of reading competence.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' oral
language development.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional progressions, methods, and materials that
build on and support students' oral language skills, reflect students' cultural
and linguistic diversity, and are based on a convergence of research evidence
(e.g., reading aloud, dramatizations, conversations, word play, discussions,
questioning, presentations).
•
Knows how to provide systematic oral language instruction using language
structures and pronunciations commonly associated with standard English.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' oral language
development and when such delays/differences warrant further assessment
and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Studying for the TExES Test
The following steps may be helpful in preparing for the TExES test.
1. Identify the information the test will cover by reading through the test competencies (see the
following pages in this section). Within each domain of this TExES test, each competency will
receive approximately equal coverage.
2. Read each competency with its descriptive statements in order to get a more specific idea of the
knowledge you will be required to demonstrate on the test. You may wish to use this review of the
competencies to set priorities for your study time.
3. Review the "Preparation Resources" section of this manual for possible resources to consult. Also,
compile key materials from your preparation coursework that are aligned with the competencies.
4. Study this manual for approaches to taking the test.
5. When using resources, concentrate on the key ideas and important concepts that are discussed in the
competencies and descriptive statements.
NOTE: This preparation manual is the only TExES test study material endorsed by SBEC for this
field. Other preparation materials may not accurately reflect the content of the test or the policies
and procedures of the TExES Program.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
7
TEST FRAMEWORK FOR FIELD 151:
READING SPECIALIST
Domain I
Instruction and Assessment: Components of Literacy
(approximately 57% of the test)
Standards Assessed:
Reading Specialist Standard I:
Components of Reading: The reading specialist applies knowledge of the interrelated
components of reading across all developmental stages of oral and written language
and has expertise in reading instruction at the levels of early childhood through
grade 12.
Domain II
Instruction and Assessment: Resources and Procedures
(approximately 14% of the test)
Standards Assessed:
Reading Specialist Standard II:
Assessment and Instruction: The reading specialist uses expertise in implementing,
modeling, and providing integrated literacy assessment and instruction by utilizing
appropriate methods and resources to address the varied learning needs of all
students.
Domain III
Meeting the Needs of Individual Students
(approximately 14% of the test)
Standards Assessed:
Reading Specialist Standard III:
Strengths and Needs of Individual Students: The reading specialist recognizes
how the differing strengths and needs of individual students influence their literacy
development, applies knowledge of primary and second language acquisition to
promote literacy, and applies knowledge of reading difficulties, dyslexia, and reading
disabilities to promote literacy.
Domain IV
Professional Knowledge and Leadership
(approximately 14% of the test)
Standards Assessed:
Reading Specialist Standard IV:
Professional Knowledge and Leadership: The reading specialist understands
the theoretical foundations of literacy; plans and implements a developmentally
appropriate, research-based reading/literacy curriculum for all students; collaborates
and communicates with educational stakeholders; and participates and takes a
leadership role in designing, implementing, and evaluating professional development
programs.
8
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
DOMAIN I—INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT: COMPONENTS OF LITERACY
Competency 001 (Oral Language)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Knows basic linguistic patterns and structures of oral language, such as
continuant and stop sounds and coarticulation of sounds.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of stages and milestones in acquiring oral language
and of relationships between oral language development and the development
of reading competence.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' oral
language development.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional progressions, methods, and materials that
build on and support students' oral language skills, reflect students' cultural
and linguistic diversity, and are based on a convergence of research evidence
(e.g., reading aloud, dramatizations, conversations, word play, discussions,
questioning, presentations).
•
Knows how to provide systematic oral language instruction using language
structures and pronunciations commonly associated with standard English.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' oral language
development and when such delays/differences warrant further assessment
and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
9
Competency 002 (Phonological and Phonemic Awareness)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
10
•
Demonstrates knowledge of expected stages and milestones in acquiring
phonological and phonemic awareness and of relationships between
phonological and phonemic awareness and reading acquisition.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' phonological
and phonemic awareness.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional sequences, strategies, and materials that
reflect cultural and linguistic diversity, are based on a convergence of research
evidence, and promote students' phonological and phonemic awareness.
•
Knows how to provide systematic age-appropriate instruction and reinforcing
activities to promote the development of students' phonological and phonemic
awareness.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' phonological
and phonemic awareness and when such delays/differences warrant further
assessment and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 003 (Concepts of Print and the Alphabetic Principle)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Demonstrates an understanding of the development of concepts of print
(e.g., left-right progression, spaces between words), and knows how to model
and teach concepts of print.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of the elements of the alphabetic principle, including
graphophonemic knowledge and the relationship of the letters in printed words
to spoken language.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of expected stages and patterns in the development
of students' understanding and application of the alphabetic principle and
implications of individual variations in student development in this area.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that
is responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is
based on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students'
understanding and application of concepts of print and the alphabetic principle.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies and materials that reflect cultural
and linguistic diversity, are based on a convergence of research evidence, and
promote students' understanding and application of concepts of print and the
alphabetic principle.
•
Knows how to provide systematic age-appropriate instruction and reinforcing
activities to promote students' understanding and application of concepts of
print and the alphabetic principle.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' understanding
of and ability to apply concepts of print and the alphabetic principle and when
such delays/differences warrant further assessment and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
11
Competency 004 (Word Identification)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
12
•
Demonstrates knowledge of word identification skills and strategies for reading
words (e.g., application of the alphabetic principle, phonics, structural analysis,
syllabication, identification of high-frequency sight words, use of context clues).
•
Demonstrates knowledge of skills and strategies for confirming word pronunciation and/or meaning when reading words in text (e.g., use of context clues
and resource materials).
•
Demonstrates knowledge of expected stages and patterns in the use of word
identification strategies and implications of individual variations in student
development in this area.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' word
identification skills.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies and materials that reflect cultural
and linguistic diversity, are based on a convergence of research evidence, and
promote students' understanding and application of word identification skills.
•
Knows how to provide systematic age-appropriate instruction and reinforcing
activities to promote students' word identification skills, including the use of
increasingly complex, connected text.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' development
of word identification skills and strategies and when such delays/differences
warrant further assessment and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 005 (Fluency)
The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of reading fluency and
instructional methods that promote students' reading competence at grades 1
through 12.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Recognizes the components of reading fluency (i.e., rate, accuracy, and
prosody), and demonstrates knowledge of the relationship between reading
fluency and reading comprehension.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of expected patterns of development in reading
fluency (including developmental benchmarks) and implications of individual
variations in the development of reading fluency.
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' reading
fluency.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies and materials that reflect cultural
and linguistic diversity, are based on a convergence of research evidence, and
promote students' reading fluency.
•
Knows how to provide systematic age-appropriate instruction and reinforcing
activities to promote students' reading fluency.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' reading fluency
and when such delays/differences warrant further assessment and additional
intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
13
Competency 006 (Comprehension)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
14
•
Knows a variety of comprehension theories/models (e.g., transactional,
interactive, metacognitive, socio-psycholinguistic, constructivist) and their
impact on instructional strategies.
•
Identifies student factors that affect reading comprehension (e.g., schema,
past reading instruction, oral language, interests, attitudes, word recognition
skills, vocabulary, fluency, ability to monitor understanding).
•
Applies knowledge of textual factors that affect students' reading comprehension (e.g., readability, vocabulary, visual representations, text organization,
author's schema, genre, syntactical and conceptual density).
•
Applies knowledge of contextual factors that affect students' reading comprehension (e.g., curriculum materials, time allotted for reading, grouping
practices, environment, assigned task and purpose).
•
Demonstrates knowledge of literal, inferential, critical, and evaluative
comprehension skills, and knows how to provide instruction to promote
students' literal, inferential, critical, and evaluative comprehension.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of characteristics of types of texts and genres and
strategies for reading a variety of texts and genres (e.g., expository and
narrative texts, including electronic media and other visual representations).
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' reading
comprehension strategies.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies and materials that reflect cultural
and linguistic diversity, are based on a convergence of research evidence, and
promote students' reading comprehension skills.
•
Knows how to promote students' comprehension skills by providing them with
multiple opportunities to listen to, read, and respond in various ways to a wide
variety of fiction and nonfiction texts.
•
Knows how to promote students' ability to apply strategies that facilitate
comprehension before, during, and after reading, including metacognitive
strategies.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in the development of
students' comprehension skills/strategies and when such delays/differences
warrant further assessment and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 007 (Vocabulary Development)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Recognizes the importance of teaching and modeling the use of a wide range
of general, technical, and specialized vocabularies.
•
Identifies student factors that influence vocabulary development
(e.g., experiential background, cultural and linguistic diversity, interest
in words, reading experience).
•
Knows how to plan, implement, and monitor age-appropriate instruction that is
responsive to individual students' strengths, needs, and interests and is based
on ongoing informal and formal assessment of individual students' vocabulary
knowledge.
•
Applies knowledge of age-appropriate instructional strategies and materials
that reflect students' cultural and linguistic diversity, are based on a
convergence of research evidence, and promote students' vocabulary
knowledge.
•
Knows how to promote and extend students' vocabulary knowledge by
providing systematic age-appropriate instruction and reinforcing activities
(e.g., morphemic analysis, etymology, use of graphic organizers, contextual
analysis, multiple exposures to a word in various contexts).
•
Knows which strategies to use before, during, and after reading to facilitate
students' vocabulary development.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of age-appropriate strategies to teach students
effective use of resources for vocabulary development (e.g., dictionaries,
glossaries, indexes, electronic media).
•
Knows how to promote students' vocabulary development and knowledge by
providing them with multiple opportunities to listen to, read, and respond in
various ways to a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction texts.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' vocabulary
development and when such delays/differences warrant further assessment
and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
15
Competency 008 (Written Language)
The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of written language and
instructional methods to reinforce reading and writing at the levels of early childhood
through grade 12.
The beginning reading specialist:
16
•
Recognizes the reciprocal nature of reading and writing, the similarities and
differences between spoken and written language, and the relationships
among listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of the developmental continuum of students'
written language, including milestones in physical and/or cognitive processes
(e.g., letter formation, spelling, sentence construction, paragraph development).
•
Knows how to create an environment in which students are motivated to
express their ideas through writing and how to use appropriate instructional
strategies and sequences for developing students' writing throughout the
writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, editing, revising).
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies for developing students'
meaningful writing for a variety of audiences, purposes, and settings.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional strategies for developing students' writing in
connection with listening and speaking and in response to reading.
•
Knows how to provide students with opportunities to self-assess their writing
(e.g., voice, coherence, depth of ideas, focus sentence-to-sentence movement)
and elicit critiques of their writing from others.
•
Knows how to model the use of writing conventions and appropriate grammar
and usage to communicate clearly and effectively in writing and to reinforce
students' use of writing conventions and appropriate grammar and usage.
•
Demonstrates understanding of the role of spelling and graphophonemic
knowledge in reading and writing, factors that affect students' spelling, the
stages of spelling development (i.e., prephonetic, phonetic, transitional, and
conventional), how and when to support students' development from one stage
to the next, and procedures for providing systematic spelling instruction.
•
Applies knowledge of the benefits of technology for teaching writing (e.g., word
processing, desktop publishing software).
•
Knows how to formally and informally monitor and assess students' writing
development, including their use of writing conventions, and how to use
assessment results to develop focused instruction that is responsive to
students' strengths, needs, and interests to reinforce students' writing skills.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of delays or differences in students' writing and
spelling development and when such delays/differences warrant further
assessment and additional intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
DOMAIN II—INSTRUCTION AND ASSESSMENT: RESOURCES AND PROCEDURES
Competency 009 (Assessment)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Demonstrates knowledge of the reciprocal nature of assessment and
instruction, and uses multiple and varied reading assessments before, during,
and after instruction to monitor progress and design and modify instruction.
•
Applies knowledge of the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of types
of reading assessment (e.g., norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, formal
and informal inventories, constructed-response, portfolios, running records,
miscue analyses, observations, anecdotal records, journals, technology-based
assessments) and their use in monitoring and evaluating student progress in
the components of reading (i.e., oral language, phonological and phonemic
awareness, concepts of print, alphabetic principle, word identification, fluency,
comprehension, vocabulary development, and written language).
•
Uses information from reading assessments for various purposes
(e.g., screening, in-depth assessment, continuous progress monitoring,
formative and summative evaluation).
•
Knows how to identify students' independent, instructional, and frustrational
reading level and listening comprehension level and to adjust instruction to
accelerate learning.
•
Applies knowledge of a variety of methods for assessing students' reading,
study, and inquiry skills across content areas.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of instructional strategies that promote students' use
of self-assessment to enhance literacy development.
•
Analyzes factors that may impact student performance on various types of
assessment (e.g., text characteristics; testing environment; student characteristics such as language, culture, prior knowledge, disabilities).
•
Applies knowledge of assessment-related concepts and issues (e.g., reliability,
validity, utility, bias, confidentiality) and common standardized testing
terminology (e.g., raw score, scaled score, percentile, grade equivalency,
stanine, normal curve equivalency [NCE], growth scale) in selecting and using
assessments and interpreting results.
•
Knows state and federal requirements related to reading assessment and
diagnosis.
•
Applies skills for communicating to various stakeholders the results and
instructional implications of formal and informal assessments.
•
Knows grade-level expectations for literacy and when delays or differences in
language and literacy development warrant referral for additional evaluation or
intervention.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
17
Competency 010 (Instructional Methods and Resources)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
18
•
Knows about state and national standards and requirements that relate to
reading and writing curriculum and instruction.
•
Knows how to develop systematic, sequential age-appropriate literacy
instruction that reflects content and performance standards, components
of a comprehensive literacy program, students' strengths and needs, and a
convergence of research evidence.
•
Applies knowledge of educational theories that underlie instructional practices
and components of effective instructional design.
•
Applies knowledge of instructional methods and resources to provide effective
literacy instruction that addresses various student dialects, learning
preferences, and modalities.
•
Knows how to select materials and provide instruction that promotes respect
for cultural and linguistic diversity and fosters all students' literacy
development.
•
Knows how to implement effective instructional strategies that focus on specific
literacy components (e.g., oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, alphabetic principle, word identification, fluency,
comprehension, vocabulary development, written language), and identifies
specific short-term and long-term interventions to address student needs in
each component.
•
Identifies appropriate strategies for addressing the literacy needs and
accelerating the achievement of students who are reading below grade level.
•
Recognizes the value of using flexible grouping to promote literacy growth for
all students, and knows how to assist other educators in implementing flexible
grouping.
•
Knows how to evaluate, select, and incorporate various types of reading
materials, including children's and young adult literature, expository texts, and
other instructional materials for a range of reading levels, purposes, and
interests.
•
Knows how to support students' learning in all content areas by teaching them
to apply various strategies for comprehending expository and narrative texts
and by promoting their acquisition and use of study and inquiry skills (e.g., note
taking, outlining, skimming and scanning, using graphic organizers, setting
purposes for reading, self-assessing, locating and evaluating multiple sources
of information).
•
Knows how to promote students' comprehension, literary response, and
analysis using various genres.
•
Knows how to design and implement instruction in interpreting, analyzing,
and evaluating information (e.g., maps, charts, graphics, video segments,
technology presentations) and how to use media to produce visual images,
messages, and meanings.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
DOMAIN III—MEETING THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS
Competency 011 (Instruction for English Language Learners)
The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of effective literacy
instruction for English Language Learners at the levels of early childhood through
grade 12.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Demonstrates knowledge of expected stages and patterns of first- and secondlanguage learning and issues and concepts related to the transfer of literacy
competency from one language to another.
•
Applies knowledge of issues and procedures in assessing English Language
Learners' reading strengths and needs, including when to collaborate with
other specialists to aid in assessment.
•
Applies knowledge of how to develop systematic, sequential, age-appropriate
reading instruction for English Language Learners that is based on a
convergence of research evidence and is responsive to individual students'
strengths, needs, and interests.
•
Knows how to work with other professionals in selecting and using appropriate
formal and informal assessments of English Language Learners and in
planning effective literacy instruction, including selecting instructional materials
and strategies that reflect cultural diversity.
•
Knows how to work with other professionals to implement and monitor
instruction that reflects an awareness of appropriate instructional progressions
and that facilitates students' transfer of oral language skills and literacy from
their primary language to English while maintaining literacy in their primary
language.
•
Applies strategies for collaborating with teachers, specialists, parents/
guardians, students, and administrators to promote and maintain English
Language Learners' literacy in English and their primary language.
•
Recognizes the importance of distinguishing between language differences
and reading disabilities, and knows when additional assessment and additional
intervention is needed.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
19
Competency 012 (Instruction for Students with Reading Difficulties, Dyslexia, and Reading
Disabilities)
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.
The beginning reading specialist:
20
•
Applies knowledge of the characteristics and instructional implications of
reading difficulties, dyslexia, and reading disabilities in relation to the
development of reading competence.
•
Knows about state and federal laws, regulations, guidelines, and procedures
regarding assessment and provision of services for students with reading
difficulties, dyslexia, and reading disabilities.
•
Knows how to work with other professionals to select and administer
appropriate formal and informal assessments for students with reading
difficulties, dyslexia, and reading disabilities and analyze results to plan
effective literacy instruction that is responsive to individual strengths, needs,
and interests.
•
Uses results from formal and informal assessments to determine when indepth evaluation and additional intervention are warranted.
•
Applies knowledge of convergent research about practices for providing
effective literacy instruction to students with reading difficulties, dyslexia, and
reading disabilities, including both prevention and intervention strategies.
•
Uses assessment results to design age-appropriate instruction that promotes
reading skills and strategies by building on strengths and addressing needs of
students with reading difficulties, dyslexia, and reading disabilities.
•
Applies strategies for collaborating with teachers, specialists, parents/
guardians, students, and administrators to promote literacy for individual
students with reading difficulties, dyslexia, and reading disabilities.
•
Knows how to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention and
how to determine when additional or alternative interventions are appropriate.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
DOMAIN IV—PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND LEADERSHIP
Competency 013 (Theoretical Foundations and Research-Based Curriculum)
The reading specialist understands and applies knowledge of the theoretical
foundations of literacy and of research-based reading/literacy curriculum.
The beginning reading specialist:
•
Demonstrates knowledge of major theories of language acquisition, reading,
cognition, and learning (e.g., behaviorism, cognitive theory, constructivism,
transactional theory) and how they relate to approaches and practices in
literacy instruction.
•
Analyzes the impact of physical, perceptual, emotional, social, cultural,
linguistic, environmental, and intellectual factors on learning, language
development, and reading competence.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of the significance of interactions among the reader,
the text, and the context of the reading situation.
•
Knows the role of societal trends and technological innovations in shaping
literacy needs (e.g., the Internet, reading electronic texts).
•
Applies knowledge of convergent research on reading and literacy instruction
for all students, and identifies sources for locating information about
convergent research on reading and literacy instruction.
•
Applies knowledge of the foundations of basic research design, methodology,
and application to critically review research on reading and to select research
findings for the purpose of improving reading instruction.
•
Knows how to prepare written documentation of literacy assessment data,
analysis of instructional needs, and accommodations for instruction.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
21
Competency 014 (Collaboration, Communication, and Professional Development)
The reading specialist understands and applies procedures for collaborating and
communicating with educational stakeholders and for designing, implementing,
evaluating, and participating in professional development.
The beginning reading specialist:
22
•
Demonstrates knowledge of how to use leadership, communication, and
facilitation skills and strategies to effect positive change in the school reading
program and literacy instruction.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of principles, guidelines, and professional ethical
standards related to collegial and professional collaborations, and applies skills
and procedures for facilitating effective interactions among groups and
individuals to improve literacy instruction for all students.
•
Knows how to communicate research findings and make recommendations
based on a convergence of research evidence to colleagues and the wider
community.
•
Knows how to communicate local data and information related to literacy
issues and, when appropriate, make recommendations to district staff and
community stakeholders.
•
Applies strategies for working with other educators to involve parents/
guardians in cooperative efforts to support students' reading and writing
development.
•
Knows how to use local data to identify and prioritize professional development
needs and provide professional development experiences that address the
needs of participants, are sensitive to school constraints (e.g., class size,
limited resources), and use multiple indicators to monitor and evaluate
effectiveness.
•
Demonstrates knowledge of strategies for facilitating positive change in instructional practices through professional development and for working with other
educators to initiate, implement, and evaluate professional development and its
impact on instructional practice.
•
Applies knowledge of procedures for effectively mentoring and coaching
educators to promote the successful implementation and sustained application
of instructional practices addressed in professional development.
•
Knows how to expand knowledge of literacy through a variety of professional
activities (e.g., reading professional publications, participating in conferences),
and recognizes the value of participating in local, state, national, and international professional organizations whose mission is the improvement of
literacy.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
SECTION III
APPROACHES TO ANSWERING MULTIPLE-CHOICE ITEMS
The purpose of this section is to describe multiple-choice item formats that you will see on the TExES
test in this field and to suggest possible ways to approach thinking about and answering the multiplechoice items. However, these approaches are not intended to replace familiar test-taking strategies with
which you are already comfortable and that work for you.
The Reading Specialist test is designed to include 80 scorable multiple-choice items and approximately
10 nonscorable items. Your final scaled score will be based only on scorable items. The nonscorable
multiple-choice items are pilot tested by including them in the test in order to collect information about
how these questions will perform under actual testing conditions. Nonscorable test items are not
considered in calculating your score, and they are not identified on the test.
All multiple-choice questions on this test are designed to assess your knowledge of the content described
in the test framework. The multiple-choice questions assess your ability to recall factual information and
to think critically about the information, analyze it, consider it carefully, compare it with other knowledge
you have, or make a judgment about it.
When you are ready to answer a multiple-choice question, you must choose one of four answer choices
labeled A, B, C, and D. Then you must mark your choice on a separate answer sheet.
Item Formats
You may see the following two types of multiple-choice questions on the test.
— Single items
— Items with stimulus material
You may have two or more items related to a single stimulus. This group of items is called a cluster.
Following the last item of a clustered item set containing two or more items, you will see the graphic
illustrated below.
‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
This graphic is used to separate these clustered items related to specific stimulus material from other
items that follow.
On the following pages, you will find descriptions of these commonly used item formats, along with
suggested approaches for answering each type of item. In the actual testing situation, you may mark the
test items and/or write in the margins of your test booklet, but your final response must be indicated on
the answer sheet provided.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
23
SINGLE ITEMS
In the single item format, a problem is presented as a direct question or an incomplete statement, and four
answer choices appear below the question. The following question is an example of this type. It tests
knowledge of Reading Specialist 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.
A kindergarten teacher wants to help
students learn to read the words walk,
does, come, and mother. Which of the
following instructional approaches would
be most effective for this purpose?
24
A.
modeling for students how to apply
phonics skills to sound out the words
B.
providing repeated exposures to the
words to help students incorporate
the words into their sight-word
vocabularies
C.
showing students how to segment
the words into smaller units that are
easier to decode
D.
using word families that group the
target words with other similar
words to strengthen students'
recognition and recall
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Suggested Approach
Read the question carefully and critically. Think about what it is asking and the situation it is describing.
Eliminate any obviously wrong answers, select the correct answer choice, and mark it on your answer
sheet.
In this situation, a kindergarten teacher is considering instructional approaches to help students learn to
read the words walk, does, come, and mother. Now look at the response options and decide which
instructional approach would be most effective for this purpose.
Option A suggests that the teacher should model for students how to apply phonics skills to sound out the
words walk, does, come, and mother. Note that the four words all have irregular spellings. For example,
if the word come followed the regular CVCe spelling pattern, the letter "o" would be associated with the
long "o" sound. Instead, the letter "o" in the word come sounds like a short "u." For this reason, phonics
is not an effective strategy for decoding the word come. The same is true for the other three irregularlyspelled words. Option A can therefore be eliminated as the best response to this item.
Option B suggests that the teacher should provide repeated exposures to the words walk, does, come, and
mother to help students incorporate the words into their sight-word vocabularies. These irregularlyspelled words occur frequently in print. To become fluent readers, students need to recognize such words
automatically when reading connected text. For this reason, high-frequency words with irregular spelling
(including walk, does, come, and mother) are considered "sight words." Providing repeated exposure to
such words through various reading and writing activities helps students incorporate the words into their
sight-word vocabularies. Thus option B describes an effective instructional approach to help students
learn to read the four words.
Option C suggests that the teacher should help students learn to read the words walk, does, come, and
mother by showing the students how to segment each word into smaller units that are easier to decode.
Because of their irregular spellings, dividing these words into smaller units (e.g., individual letters, onsetrime, syllables) still would not enable a student to decode each word in its entirety. Therefore, option C
can be eliminated as the best response to this item.
Option D suggests that the teacher should help students learn to read the words walk, does, come, and
mother by using word families that group the target words with other similar words to strengthen students'
recognition and recall. The use of word families is an effective technique for helping students recognize
common patterns of vowels and consonants in words with regular spellings (e.g., CVCe words such as
make, cake, and bake). Since irregular words do not follow these patterns, the use of word families would
not be an effective approach for helping students read such words. Option D can thus be eliminated as the
best response to this item.
Of the alternatives offered, the only effective approach for helping students learn to read the words walk,
does, come, and mother would be to provide repeated exposures to the words, thus helping students
incorporate the words into their sight-word vocabularies. The correct response, therefore, is option B.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
25
ITEMS WITH STIMULUS MATERIAL
Some questions are preceded by stimulus material that relates to the item. Some types of stimulus
material included on the test are reading passages, graphics, tables, or a combination of these. In such
cases, you will generally be given information followed by an event to analyze, a problem to solve, or a
decision to make.
One or more items may be related to a single stimulus. You can use several different approaches to
answer these types of questions. Some commonly used approaches are listed below.
Strategy 1 Skim the stimulus material to understand its purpose, its arrangement, and/or its content.
Then read the item and refer again to the stimulus material to verify the correct answer.
Strategy 2 Read the item before considering the stimulus material. The content of the item will help
you identify the purpose of the stimulus material and locate the information you need to
answer the question.
Strategy 3 Use a combination of both strategies; apply the "read the stimulus first" strategy with
shorter, more familiar stimuli and the "read the item first" strategy with longer, more
complex, or less familiar stimuli. You can experiment with the sample items in this manual
and then use the strategy with which you are most comfortable when you take the actual test.
Whether you read the stimulus before or after you read the item, you should read it carefully and
critically. You may want to underline its important points to help you answer the item.
As you consider items set in educational contexts, try to use the identified teacher's point of view to
answer the items that accompany the stimulus. Be sure to consider the items in terms of only the
information provided in the stimulus—not in terms of specific situations or individuals you may have
encountered.
Suggested Approach
First read the stimulus (a description of a seventh-grade student's conversation with the teacher about a
passage the student has read).
26
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.
A seventh-grade student silently reads the passage printed below.
People all around the world are both fascinated and repulsed by snakes, with their unusual
shape, habits, and way of getting around. Many cultures regard snakes as special, sacred
animals. Even so, the population of snakes is decreasing as humans move into their
environment. Often, snakes are hunted for their skins and their meat, or for recreation.
Snakes are found in all parts of the world except near the poles. They are cold-blooded
animals, which means that their body temperature goes up and down along with the
temperature outside. They are able to survive cold seasons by staying very still and slowing
down their digestion and circulation. Once it warms up, they begin to move, sense the world
around them, and look for food.
Rodents and other small animals are the main food source for snakes. Even though snakes
are able to slither into the holes and burrows where these animals hide, they must spend most
of their time, and most of their energy, looking for food. As people living in the country
have found out, when the snakes in an area are all gone, the number of mice and other
rodents goes up.
Though many snakes are famous for their dangerous venom, other types have become
popular pets. Unfortunately, this is yet another cause of the decreasing number of snakes still
living in the wild.
When the student finishes reading, the teacher asks her questions about the passage. Printed
below is an excerpt from this conversation.
Teacher: What is this passage about?
Student: It's all about snakes. Where they live, what they eat, stuff like that.
Teacher: What did you learn about where they live?
Student: They live all over the place. They don't really get cold. That's why they can live
anywhere, pretty much. Wherever there's food. In some places people have gotten rid
of all the things they eat, like mice. They use mousetraps and stuff. So the snakes
don't live there anymore.
Teacher: Did you learn anything else about snakes?
Student: In some religions they're really important animals. And lots of people have them as
pets. I think people like them for pets because they like to have things nobody else has,
and things that are kind of dangerous. Jake has one, and he's just trying to be cool.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
27
Now you are prepared to address the first of the two questions associated with this stimulus. The first
question measures 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.
Which of the following comprehension
strengths does the student most clearly
demonstrate?
A.
using metacognitive strategies to
monitor understanding
B.
activating background knowledge
when reading
C.
using context cues to identify
unfamiliar words
D.
adjusting reading strategies based
on text difficulty
Read and consider carefully the information presented in the stimulus, including the passage about snakes
and the student's conversation with the teacher about the passage. Then read the first question, which
asks you to identify a comprehension strength demonstrated by the student. Now look at the response
options to consider which comprehension strength is most clearly demonstrated by the student in her
conversation with the teacher.
Option A suggests that the student demonstrates the use of metacognitive strategies to monitor her
understanding of the passage about snakes. Metacognitive strategies involve a reader's awareness of his
or her own thought processes. For example, readers use metacognitive strategies when they monitor their
own comprehension while reading (e.g., "This part seems confusing to me. I think I'll reread the last
section to make sure I understand what the author is saying here."). In this case, the student's
conversation with the teacher does not include any explicit references to the student's use of
metacognitive strategies. Option A is not the best response to this question.
Option B suggests that the student demonstrates activation of background knowledge when reading.
Linking background knowledge to information in a text strengthens comprehension by helping a reader
construct meaning. The passage about snakes states that some types of snakes "have become popular
pets." In her conversation with the teacher, the student comments, "I think people like them [snakes] for
pets because they [people] like to have things nobody else has, and things that are kind of dangerous.
Jake has one, and he's just trying to be cool." This comment provides specific evidence that the student
has activated her own background knowledge about pet snakes and is connecting this knowledge to
information in the text. Thus option B accurately describes a comprehension strength demonstrated by
the student.
28
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Option C suggests that the student demonstrates the use of context cues to identify unfamiliar words.
Reading comprehension depends in part on the ability to identify and understand individual words in the
text. Use of context cues is one strategy readers may use to help them identify unfamiliar words. In her
comments to the teacher, the student does not demonstrate difficulty understanding particular words in the
passage; nor does she make statements that suggest she used context cues to identify words in the
passage. Therefore option C may be eliminated.
Option D suggests that the student has adjusted her reading strategies based on text difficulty. Proficient
readers vary their reading strategies according to the difficulty of the text. For example, when proficient
readers encounter a section of text that is more difficult to understand, they typically will read more
slowly to improve their comprehension. In her conversation with the teacher, the student does not
comment on the difficulty of the text or give any indication that she has varied her reading strategies.
Option D is therefore not the best response to this item.
Of the four options offered, only option B describes a comprehension strength that the student clearly
demonstrates in her conversation with the teacher about passage.
Now you are ready to answer the next question. The second question measures 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.
Based on the conversation, it is likely that
the student would benefit most from
instruction designed to:
A.
increase the student's automatic
word recognition and fluency.
B.
help the student recognize a text's
main idea.
C.
promote the student's vocabulary
knowledge.
D.
increase the student's attention to
supporting details.
Consider carefully the information presented in the stimulus, including the passage about snakes and the
conversation in which the teacher assesses the student's comprehension of the passage. Then read and
reflect on the second question, which asks what type of instruction would benefit the student most.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
29
Option A suggests that the student would benefit most from instruction to increase her automatic word
recognition and reading fluency. Lack of automatic word recognition can undermine comprehension by
reducing reading fluency. However, there is no evidence that the student is experiencing this type of
difficulty. As an informal assessment of the student's reading comprehension, the teacher's conversation
with the student about the passage does not indicate a need for instruction to improve automatic word
recognition or reading fluency. Option A is not the best response to this item.
Option B suggests that the student would benefit most from instruction to help the student recognize the
main idea of a text. The ability to identify the main idea of a text is an important aspect of literal
comprehension. In this case, however, the student does not seem to have difficulty identifying the main
idea of the passage about snakes. When asked what the passage is about, the student replies, "It's all
about snakes. Where they live, what they eat, stuff like that." Option B may therefore be eliminated.
Option C suggests that the student would benefit most from instruction to promote the student's
vocabulary knowledge. Reading comprehension depends in part on a reader's vocabulary knowledge
relating to the text. In this instance, however, the student's conversation with the teacher does not provide
any evidence that the student is having difficulty understanding vocabulary in the passage. Option C can
therefore be eliminated.
Option D suggests that the student would benefit most from instruction to increase her attention to
supporting details in a text. The ability to recognize and recall supporting details in a text is an important
literal comprehension skill. In this case, the student's conversation with the teacher suggests that the
student has overlooked or misinterpreted several significant details in the text. For example, the passage
explains that snakes are "cold-blooded animals, which means that their body temperature goes up and
down along with the temperature outside." The postreading conversation reveals that the student has
misunderstood this detail, as she comments that snakes "don't really get cold." She also misinterprets
details relating to the role of snakes in limiting the population of mice. Option D thus identifies an
instructional focus that is clearly warranted, based on the student's postreading conversation with the
teacher.
Of the four options offered, only option D accurately describes a type of instruction that is likely to
benefit the student, based on this informal assessment of the student's reading comprehension.
30
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
SECTION IV
SAMPLE ITEMS
This section presents some sample test items for you to review as part of your preparation for the test. To
demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, each sample item is accompanied by the competency
number that it measures. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you
consider each sample item. Please note that the competency numbers will not appear on the actual test
form.
An answer key follows the sample items. The answer key lists the item number and correct answer for
each sample item. Please note that the answer key also lists the competency assessed by each item and
that the sample items are not necessarily presented in competency order.
The sample items are included to illustrate the formats and types of items you will see on the test;
however, your performance on the sample items should not be viewed as a predictor of your
performance on the actual examination.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
31
Reading Specialist
Competency 001
1. Which of the following is an accurate
statement regarding typical oral language development?
A.
Some children learn principles of
syntax (e.g., word order) on their
own, while others require explicit
instruction.
B.
Children generally pass through
the same stages in their oral
language development (e.g., a
stage of two-word utterances),
but they do so at different rates.
C.
D.
32
Some children learn word
meanings on their own, while
others must have common words
explicitly defined.
Children generally go through
a period of oral language development during which their
expressive capacity exceeds
their receptive capacity.
Competency 001
2. A preschool teacher informally assesses
students' oral language development by
engaging each child in conversation and
observing each child's interactions with
classmates. Which of the following
observations warrants further assessment to identify a possible difficulty
or delay in the student's oral language
development?
A.
A student frequently interrupts
during conversations with other
children.
B.
A student typically responds to
questions with one- or two-word
answers and rarely asks questions.
C.
A student who orally retells a
story includes few specific details
in the retelling.
D.
A student is unable to distinguish
the individual phonemes within a
familiar spoken word with one
syllable.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 002
3. A kindergarten teacher plans instruction
to help children blend phonemes to form
spoken words. The teacher asks the
reading specialist what type of words
would be most appropriate for this
purpose. The reading specialist could
best respond by recommending that the
teacher use:
A.
words that children select
themselves.
B.
common single-syllable CVC
patterned words (e.g., man, Sam).
C.
high-frequency sight words that
most children can recognize.
D.
familiar single-syllable words that
begin with a stop sound (e.g., bat,
cat).
Competency 003
5. Which of the following most clearly
suggests that a kindergarten student
already has developed some understanding of print concepts?
A.
The student often recognizes
when two simple spoken words
begin with the same sound.
B.
The student is able to make
predictions about a story after the
teacher reads a few pages of it.
C.
The student responds appropriately when asked to count
the words on a page from a
storybook.
D.
The student is able to recite
the letters of the alphabet with
minimal assistance from the
teacher.
Competency 002
4. A reading specialist could informally
assess a student's phonemic awareness
by asking the student to:
A.
identify the sound he/she hears at
the beginning, middle, or end of a
spoken word (e.g., "What sound
do you hear at the end of step?").
B.
listen to a tape-recorded story
while looking at the book, then
answer several simple questions
about the story.
C.
identify the letters in the alphabet
that correspond to the initial
consonant sounds of several
familiar spoken words.
D.
listen to the teacher read aloud
a set of words with the same
beginning sound (e.g., train, trap,
trouble), then repeat the words.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
33
Competency 003
6. Which of the following activities would
best reinforce kindergarten students'
understanding of the correspondence
between the letter d and the /d/ sound?
A.
B.
The teacher presents a printed
word beginning with the letter d,
and students try to spell new
words by changing the first letter.
C.
As the teacher says a series of
words that begin with either the
/d/ or the /t/ sound, students try
to identify the ones that begin
with the /d/ sound.
D.
34
As the teacher reads aloud from a
list of words that begin with the
letter d, she points to the first
letter and emphasizes the first
sound.
Competency 004
7. A first-grade teacher regularly assesses
the reading skills of students in the
class. Which of the following assessment results most clearly suggests the
need for an instructional intervention to
strengthen word identification skills?
A.
A student uses phonetic spelling
when writing many common
single-syllable words.
B.
A student relies heavily on background knowledge to construct
meaning from a text.
C.
A student has trouble decoding
common single-syllable words
with regular spellings.
D.
A student has trouble dividing
spoken words into syllables or
morphemes.
The teacher demonstrates for
students how to spell a variety of
familiar words that begin with the
letter d.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 005
8. To promote students' reading fluency,
a fifth-grade teacher plans activities in
which students and their assigned
partners will engage in repeated oral
readings. When the teacher assembles
reading materials for this purpose, it
would be most important to assign
each pair of students passages from
a text that:
A.
both partners are capable of
reading aloud with no more than
5 word recognition errors per
100 words of text.
B.
the students have previewed and
selected themselves.
C.
both partners are capable of
reading aloud with no more than
25 word recognition errors per
100 words of text.
D.
Competency 007
9. A high school reading specialist is
collaborating with a biology teacher to
address the reading needs of an English
Language Learner. The biology teacher
has observed that the student's knowledge of scientific vocabulary is very
limited. The reading specialist advises
the biology teacher to provide explicit
instruction on key vocabulary words
before and after the student reads
assigned texts. Which of the following
additional activities would be most
effective in improving the student's
knowledge of scientific vocabulary?
A.
partner activities in which
students quiz each other about
the definitions of scientific
terminology in assigned texts
B.
heterogeneous small-group
activities in which students
look up scientific terms in the
dictionary and then report their
findings to the class
C.
writing activities in which
students consult the textbook
glossary to write answers to
questions about assigned readings
D.
small-group activities that
involve discussion and hands-on
experience relating to scientific
concepts students are studying
the students have been reading in
connection with content-area
study.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
35
Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.
A fourth-grade class is beginning a unit on deserts. The teacher starts the unit by having the
students form small groups and list everything they know about deserts. Next the whole class
meets, and students share their lists. The teacher then asks the students to help her arrange their
ideas into a web. The class's partially completed web is shown below.
CLIMATE
dry
hot
thunderstorms
sandstorms
Deserts
food
PLANTS
cactus
LANDFORMS
sand dunes
big boulders
Competency 010
10. Creating such a web is likely to promote
students' ability to retain and use information they read about a topic by:
A.
B.
C.
D.
PEOPLE
encouraging students to attend
to new information on the
topic rather than to familiar
information.
nomads
shelter
water tents
ANIMALS
snakes
scorpions
camels
Competency 010
11. The teacher gives each student a copy
of the web developed by the class. She
could best help students use the web to
learn and retain facts from their reading
by asking them to:
A.
add continuously to the web as
they encounter and organize new
information in their reading.
providing students with the
vocabulary they need to make
sense of their reading.
B.
try to maintain a mental image of
the web while they are reading on
the topic.
prompting students to assess the
accuracy of their prior knowledge
of the topic.
C.
review each category on the web
to ensure that it is an appropriate
one to have included.
helping students learn to use
categories to organize their
thinking about the topic.
D.
memorize the information on
the web before they begin their
reading.
‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
36
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 011
12. Which of the following best explains
why developing phonemic awareness in
English may be especially challenging
for a student who is an English
Language Learner?
A.
The writing system of the
student's primary language may
be non-alphabetic or logographic.
B.
Comprehension of the student's
primary language may require
attention only to whole words,
not to individual sounds.
Competency 012
14. Which of the following instructional
strategies would best help a kindergarten
student with visual discrimination
difficulties distinguish between
frequently confused letters?
A.
creating sandpaper letters that
the student can trace with his/her
finger while saying the letter
name
B.
helping the student locate the
letters within the text of a favorite
book
C.
Some of the sounds that occur
in English may not occur in the
student's primary language.
C.
repeating the name of each letter
several times as the student points
to the letter
D.
The syntax and morphology of the
student's primary language may
differ substantially from that of
English.
D.
encouraging the student to
observe closely as the teacher
writes the letters
Competency 011
13. During class discussions about stories,
a third-grade English Language Learner
often mispronounces key words from
the stories. The teacher's best response
would be to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Competency 014
15. A reading specialist wants to use a
coaching model to observe a reading
teacher and provide him with feedback
about his instructional performance. To
promote the most effective observation
experience, which of the following steps
should the reading specialist take first?
ask the student to pause and
correct her pronunciation before
she continues with her remarks.
A.
Have the reading teacher provide
a list of the instructional materials
he will be using.
analyze the student's pronunciation patterns and plan an
intervention to address her needs.
B.
Share with the reading teacher any
comments classroom teachers
have made about his work.
encourage other students in the
class to help the student work on
pronouncing words correctly.
C.
Ask the reading teacher to help a
student who has been particularly
challenging.
write down the words and include
them on a list of words for the
student to practice pronouncing.
D.
Meet with the reading teacher in a
preconference to set goals for the
observation.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
37
Read the information below; then answer the two questions that follow.
Two middle school students ask the reading specialist for help in understanding the following
passage from their science textbook. The reading specialist suggests that they begin by
discussing the text with each other—sharing their thoughts and questions about the passage.
Certain conditions, including appropriate temperatures and proper amounts of water and
oxygen, must be present for a seed to sprout and grow. For many seeds, a period of rest is
necessary before they can germinate. A seed may lie dormant for a single year or many
years, but when conditions are right, the seed will sprout. For some species of plants, the
seed's own chemical inhibitors temporarily prevent it from germinating. These inhibitors may
be washed away by rainwater or eliminated by prolonged exposure to cold.
38
Student #1:
Most of this stuff is easy. Everyone knows that seeds need the right weather to
grow. But I don't exactly get this word "germinate." You know what it means?
Student #2:
I've heard it before . . . Doesn't it just mean sprout?
Student #1:
How do you figure that?
Student #2:
Look [points to text], some of the sentences say sprout and other sentences say
germinate, and it seems like they're talking about the same thing. Then there's this
other part about things that keep seeds from sprouting, like cold weather or
pollution.
Student #1:
I don't remember anything about pollution. Where did you read that?
Student #2:
This part about chemicals.
Student #1:
But look, it says the seed's own chemical inhibitors. I'm not sure what inhibitors
are, but I think the chemicals come from the seed, not pollution.
Student #2:
Oh, I get it. That's what keeps the seed dormant.
Student #1:
And dormant is . . . ?
Student #2:
Resting. You know, like when a bear hibernates.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
Competency 013
16. The second student's final comment
about bears most clearly demonstrates
the student's ability to:
A.
create meaning based on personal
interests.
B.
use context clues to determine
meaning.
C.
monitor comprehension while
reading.
D.
construct meaning by linking
prior knowledge to new
information.
Competency 008
17. For the two students, which of the
following activities would most
effectively promote further learning
through interactions among reading,
writing, speaking, listening, and
viewing?
A.
watching a film that demonstrates
the germination process and then
working together on a brief essay
describing that process
B.
rereading the passage aloud and
then working together to create
a summary outline of the text
C.
working together to design a
poster consisting of visual
displays related to the passage
D.
conducting additional research
using print and computer
resources and then working
together on an oral and visual
presentation
‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
39
ANSWER KEY
40
Item
Number
Correct
Answer
Competency
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
B
B
B
A
C
A
C
A
D
D
A
C
B
A
D
D
D
001
001
002
002
003
003
004
005
007
010
010
011
011
012
014
013
008
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
SECTION V
PREPARATION RESOURCES
The resources listed below may help you prepare for the TExES test in this field. These preparation
resources have been identified by content experts in the field to provide up-to-date information that
relates to the field in general. You may wish to use current issues or editions to obtain information on
specific topics for study and review.
Journals
Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, International Reading Association.
Reading Online, International Reading Association
Reading Research Quarterly, International Reading Association.
The Reading Teacher, International Reading Association
Other Sources
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print. Cambridge, MA:
MIT Press.
Allington, R. L. (1998). Teaching Struggling Readers: Articles From the Reading Teacher. Newark,
DE: International Reading Association.
Alvermann, D. E., Moon, J., and Hagood, M. (Eds.). (1999). Popular Culture in the Classroom:
Teaching and Researching Critical Media Literacy. Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Anderson, V., and Roit, M. (1998). Reading as a Gateway to Language Proficiency for LanguageMinority Students in the Elementary Grades. In R. M. Gersten and R. T. Jimenes (Eds.),
Promoting Learning for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Classroom Applications
from Contemporary Research (pp. 42–54). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co.
Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning. (1998).
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
August, D., and Hakuta, K. (Eds.). (1997). Improving Schooling for Language Minority Children.
Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Barr, R., Blachowicz, C., Katz, C., Kaufman, B. (2002). Reading Diagnosis for Teachers. Boston, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., and Johnson, F. (1996). Words Their Way: Word Study for
Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling. Columbus, OH: Merrill.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
41
Blachman, B. (Ed.). (1997). Foundations of Reading Acquisition and Dyslexia: Implications for Early
Intervention. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Burke, J. (1999). The English Teacher's Companion. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Carnicelli, T. (2001). Words Work: Activities for Developing Vocabulary, Style, and Critical Thinking.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Clark, D., and Uhry, J. (1995). Dyslexia: Theory and Practice of Remedial Instruction. Baltimore, MD:
York Press, Inc.
Cunningham, P. M. (1995). Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing. (Second Edition).
New York, NY: HarperCollins College Publishers.
Donoahue, Z., Tassell, M., and Patterson, L. (Eds.). (1996). Research in the Classroom: Talk, Texts,
and Inquiry. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Ehri, L. C., and McCormick, S. (1998). Phases of word learning: Implications for instruction with
delayed and disabled readers. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 14, 135–163.
Every Child Reading: An Action Plan of the Learning First Alliance. (June 1998). Washington, D.C.:
ASCD Pub. No. 300342.
Every Child Reading: A Professional Development Guide: A Companion to Every Child Reading: An
Action Plan of the Learning First Alliance. (November 2000). Washington, D.C.: ASCD
Pub. No. 300303.
Farstrup, A. E., and Samuels, S. Jay (Eds.). (2002). What Research Has to Say About Reading
Instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Hancock, J. (Ed.). (1999). Teaching Literacy Using Information Technology: A Collection of Articles
from the Australian Literacy Educators' Association. Newark, DE: International Reading
Association.
Harris, T. L., and Hodges, R. E. (Eds.). (1995). The Literacy Dictionary: The Vocabulary of Reading
and Writing. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Harris, V. J. (Ed.). (1997). Using Multiethnic Literature in the K–8 Classroom. Norwood, MA:
Christopher Gordon.
Lapp, D., Flood, J., and Farnan, N. (1996). Content Area Reading and Learning: Instructional
Strategies. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Moats, L. C. (1998). Middle Grades: Reading, Writing, and Spelling. In B. Wong (Ed.), Learning
About Learning Disabilities (2nd ed., pp. 367–389). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Moats, L. C. (2000). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. Baltimore, MD:
Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.
Moats, L. C. (1995). Spelling: Development, Disability, and Instruction. Baltimore, MD: York Press.
Moore, D. W., Alvermann, D., Hinchman, K. (Eds.). (2000). Struggling Adolescent Readers:
A Collection of Teaching Strategies. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
42
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
National Research Council. (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington,
D.C.: National Academy Press.
Osborn, J., and Lehr, F. (Eds.). (1998). Literacy for All: Issues in Teaching and Learning. New York,
NY: The Guildford Press.
Potter, W. (1998). Media Literacy. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Read All About It! Readings to Inform the Profession. (1999). Sacramento, CA: California State Board
of Education.
Report of the American Federation of Teachers: Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science: What Expert
Teachers of Reading Should Know and Be Able to Do. (June 1999). Washington, D.C.: AFT
Pub.
No. 372.
Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment
of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction.
(April 2000). Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
NIH Pub. No. 00-04769.
Roller, C. (1996). Variability, Not Disability: Struggling Readers in a Workshop Classroom. Newark,
DE: International Reading Association.
Simmons, D. C., and Kameenui, E. J. (Eds.). (1998). What Reading Research Tells Us About Children
with Diverse Learning Needs: Bases and Basics. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Smith, P. G. (Ed.). (2001). Talking Classrooms: Shaping Children's Learning Through Oral Language
Instruction. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Spangenberg-Urbschat, K., and Pritchard, R. (Eds.). (1994). Kids Come in All Languages: Reading
Instruction for ESL Students. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Strickland, D. S. (1998). Teaching Phonics Today: A Primer for Educators. Newark, DE: International
Reading Association.
Taylor, B. M., Graves, M., and Van Den Broek, P. (Eds.). (2000). Reading for Meaning: Fostering
Comprehension in the Middle Grades. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts. (1997, 1998, 1999). Professional Development Guides:
Reading and Language Arts TEKS. Austin, TX: Author.
Torgesen, J. K., and Mathes, P. G. (2000). A Basic Guide to Understanding, Assessing, and Teaching
Phonological Awareness. Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
Wepner, S. B., Strickland, D., and Feeley, J. (Eds.). (2002). The Administration and Supervision of
Reading Programs. New York, NY: Teacher's College Press.
Wepner, S. B., Valmont, W., and Thurlow, R. (Eds.). (2000). Linking Literacy and Technology: A
Guide for K–8 Classrooms. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
TExES Preparation Manual—Reading Specialist
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