Test Information Guide
Overview and Test Objectives
Field 190: Foundations of Reading
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) and online proctored test; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 open-response items |
|---|---|
| Number of Items by Subarea |
|
| Time | 4 hours (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Foundations of Reading test is designed to measure a candidate's knowledge of reading/language arts required for the Massachusetts Early Childhood, Elementary, and Moderate Disabilities licenses. The MTEL are aligned with the Massachusetts educator licensure regulations and, as applicable, with the standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.
The test objectives specify the content to be covered on the test and are organized by major content subareas. The chart below shows the approximate percentage of the total test score derived from each of the subareas.
The Foundations of Reading test assesses the candidate's proficiency and depth of understanding of the subject of reading and writing development based on the requirement that the candidate has participated in seminars or courses that address the teaching of reading. Candidates are typically nearing completion of or have completed their undergraduate work when they take the test.
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple-Choice | |||
| 1 | Foundations of Reading Development | 01–04 | 35% |
| 2 | Development of Reading Comprehension | 05–07 | 27% |
| 3 | Reading Assessment and Instruction | 08–09 | 18% |
| 80% | |||
| Open-Response | |||
| 4 | Integration of Knowledge and Understanding | ||
| Foundational Reading Skills | 10 | 10% | |
| Reading Comprehension | 11 | 10% | |
| 20% | |||
Subarea 1–Foundations of Reading Development
Objective 0001: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for developing language and emergent literacy skills, including phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, and the alphabetic principle.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of phonological awareness and phonemic awareness in literacy development, including understanding the distinction between phonological awareness (i.e., the awareness that oral language is composed of smaller units, such as spoken words and syllables) and phonemic awareness (i.e., a specific type of phonological awareness involving the ability to distinguish the separate phonemes in a spoken word) and between phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the continuum of phonological awareness skills (i.e., segmenting sentences into words; blending and segmenting syllables; blending and segmenting onset/rime, including identifying and producing rhyming words and alliteration) and phonemic awareness skills (i.e., identifying beginning, medial, and final phonemes in words; blending, segmenting, deleting, adding, and substituting phonemes in words).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, systematic, explicit instruction in phonological awareness and phonemic awareness skills.
- Apply knowledge of concepts of print and evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting development of concepts of print (e.g., understanding that print carries meaning; awareness of the relationship between spoken and written language; awareness of the organization and basic features of print, such as print directionality, spacing between words, and how words are represented by specific sequences of letters).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting letter knowledge (e.g., skill in recognizing and naming uppercase and lowercase letters, letter formation).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting understanding of the alphabetic principle (i.e., the understanding that letters represent the sounds of spoken language [phonemes] and that phonemes have a predictable, systematic relationship to letters and letter combinations).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationship between letter-sound correspondence and beginning decoding (e.g., blending letter sounds), and apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting development of letter-sound correspondence skills.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language, reading, and writing strategies for supporting development of and reinforcement in various emergent literacy skills (e.g., encouraging use of phonetic spelling reinforces phonemic awareness, understanding of the alphabetic principle, and knowledge of letter-sound correspondences).
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors that can affect development of language and emergent literacy skills (e.g., prior literacy experiences; prior exposure to language-rich, concept-rich environments; presence of disabilities, talents, and/or giftedness; presence of physical and/or medical conditions; bilingualism or multilingualism; level[s] of English language and/or home language proficiency; limited or interrupted formal education).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationships between oral language and literacy development (i.e., speaking, listening, reading, writing, and language) and apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate (i.e., with a respect for students' emerging abilities) strategies for providing frequent, extensive, varied, and meaningful oral language and literacy experiences (e.g., modeling conversation and discourse, interactive read-alouds, accountable talk, shared reading, modeled reading, independent reading, activating prior knowledge, building background knowledge).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in language development, phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, and the alphabetic principle in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Objective 0002: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for developing beginning reading skills, including phonics, high-frequency words, and spelling.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the relationship between oral vocabulary and the process of decoding and encoding written words, as well as the role of oral language, phonics, high-frequency words, and spelling in the construction of meaning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of phonics and high-frequency words in developing accurate, automatic word recognition and the importance of sequencing phonics and high-frequency word instruction according to the increasing complexity and/or the relative utility of linguistic units (e.g., introducing the letter combination -ck before wr-, introducing the high-frequency word the before only).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching phonics, including strategies for helping students decode words that follow common consonant-vowel patterns (e.g., CVC, CVCC, CVCe, CVVC) and word patterns (e.g., onset/rimes or word families).
- Demonstrate knowledge of specific terminology associated with phonics instruction (e.g., phoneme, inflection or inflectional morpheme, syllable types, consonant digraph, consonant blend, vowel team, diphthong, r- or l-controlled vowel).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching high-frequency words and inflectional morphemes (e.g., the suffixes -s, -ed, -er, -est, -ing) that are commonly taught as part of phonics instruction.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit methods for promoting the use of phonics to decode words in connected text.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching the use of semantic and syntactic clues to confirm a decoded word in connected text or to verify the meaning and pronunciation of homographs (i.e., words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and may be pronounced differently [e.g., bow, part of a ship vs. bow, to bend from the waist; tear, a drop of water from the eye vs. tear, to rip]).
- Apply knowledge of the reciprocity between decoding and encoding in the beginning stages of reading and writing (e.g., analyzing the spellings of beginning readers to assess phonics knowledge, using spelling instruction to reinforce phonics skills).
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of providing beginning readers with frequent opportunities to develop and extend their phonics skills in their reading and writing using a variety of texts, including decodable, authentic, and shared texts, in order to reinforce accurate, automatic recognition of phonics elements and high-frequency words.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language, reading, and writing strategies for supporting development of and reinforcement in beginning-reading skills, including phonics, high-frequency words, and spelling (e.g., oral reading or whisper reading with teacher monitoring, word walls, interactive writing).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in phonics and related beginning-reading skills (e.g., high-frequency words, spelling patterns, inflections) in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Objective 0003: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for developing word analysis skills and strategies, including syllabication, structural or morphemic analysis, and orthographic skills.
For example:
- Demonstrate understanding of various types of morphemes (e.g., base words, roots, inflections, derivational affixes), including distinctions between inflectional and derivational morphemes (e.g., inflectional suffixes signal grammatical relationships, such as plural, past tense, or possession, and do not change a word's part of speech; derivational suffixes directly affect a word's part of speech [e.g., action is a noun, active is an adjective, activate is a verb]).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching the spelling and meaning of morphemes, such as common prefixes (e.g., un-, re-, pre-), derivational suffixes (e.g., -ion, -able), and compound words to promote accurate, automatic word recognition and spelling of multisyllable words.
- Demonstrate understanding of the relationship between orthographic knowledge and accurate, automatic word recognition and spelling, and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching common orthographic rules (e.g., dropping silent e when adding a suffix that begins with a vowel).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the six common English syllable types and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching syllable types and syllabication skills to promote accurate, automatic decoding and spelling of multisyllable words.
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of providing students with frequent opportunities to develop and extend their word analysis skills in their reading and writing using a variety of texts.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language, reading, and writing strategies for supporting development of and reinforcement in word analysis skills (e.g., developing and discussing structural or morphemic analysis charts, spelling by analogy [word families]).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in syllabication, structural or morphemic analysis, and orthographic skills in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient), including explicitly developing English learners' cognate awareness (e.g., using etymology [word origins, word derivations]).
Objective 0004: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for developing reading fluency at all stages of reading development.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key indicators of reading fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody) and their interrelationships.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of fluency at various stages of reading development (e.g., from accurate, automatic letter naming to word reading to reading connected text to reading complex academic texts).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of providing students with frequent opportunities to develop and extend their fluency development at different stages of reading development (e.g., using decodable texts with beginning readers, transitioning students to a broader range of texts as they develop more advanced decoding skills and greater command of academic language).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the interrelationships between decoding skills (e.g., phonics, word analysis), fluency, and reading comprehension, including the role of fluency as a bridge between decoding and comprehension and the role of prosody as the bridge between fluency and comprehension.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for promoting fluency with respect to accuracy (e.g., addressing gaps in students' phonics and word analysis skills).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for promoting fluency with respect to rate (e.g., having students whose decoding is not automatic engage in oral or whisper reading with teacher monitoring and students whose decoding is automatic engage in silent reading with accountability for comprehension).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for promoting fluency with respect to prosody (e.g., teacher modeling, phrase-cued reading, echo reading, building students' familiarity with complex academic language structures, building students' background knowledge with regard to a text's content).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of automaticity in developing reading fluency and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for promoting the development of automaticity (e.g., reading and rereading a wide range of texts written at one's independent reading level).
- Demonstrate knowledge of common factors that disrupt fluency at various stages of reading development (e.g., limited phonics skills and/or word recognition, lack of familiarity with academic vocabulary and language structures, limited background knowledge about a text's content) and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for addressing these factors.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in reading fluency in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Subarea 2–Development of Reading Comprehension
Objective 0005: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for promoting academic language development, including vocabulary development.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the relationships between oral and written vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and access to higher-order thinking.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of helping students make connections between their oral vocabulary and the same vocabulary encountered in print, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting oral language development and listening comprehension (e.g., purposeful read-alouds, text- or content-based discussions).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of word consciousness in enhancing students' interest in words and their motivation to learn new vocabulary, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting word consciousness.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit instruction in independent word-learning strategies, such as using morphology and etymology as clues to a word's meaning (e.g., applying knowledge of common Latin and Greek roots and affixes and their meanings), using various context clues (e.g., apposition, definition/explanation, restatement/synonym, contrast/antonym, syntax, punctuation) to infer a word's meaning, and using print and digital reference materials (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, glossary) to determine the correct pronunciation or clarify the precise meaning of a word or phrase.
- Demonstrate knowledge of criteria for selecting vocabulary words for explicit word study (e.g., tiered vocabulary, key words, concept words, words whose meaning cannot be deduced through context), and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit instruction in words and their meanings, including strategies for deepening and extending understanding and for promoting retention of new words (e.g., providing student-friendly definitions and meaningful, contextualized examples; explaining a word's etymology; discussing a word's root[s] and/or affixes; grouping words based on conceptual categories and associative meanings [synonyms, antonyms]; developing semantic maps; comparing related words with respect to nuances of meaning).
- Demonstrate knowledge of common sayings, proverbs, idioms (e.g., raining cats and dogs, better safe than sorry), foreign words and abbreviations commonly used in English (e.g., RSVP), and discipline-specific symbols (e.g., degree symbol as it is used in mathematics to measure angles and in science to measure temperature), and apply knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for teaching these elements.
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based, explicit strategies for promoting comprehension across the curriculum by expanding students' knowledge of academic language, including their awareness of the distinctions between tiers of vocabulary (i.e., Tier One, Tier Two, and Tier Three); their understanding of differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English grammar and usage; their command of conventions of standard capitalization, punctuation, and spelling; and their ability to deconstruct complex sentences in academic texts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of wide reading (e.g., reading a variety of genres, cultures, perspectives, and levels of complexity) and frequent, extensive, and varied listening, speaking, and writing experiences in the development of academic language and vocabulary, and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting wide reading and for providing students with repeated, meaningful exposure to new words and language structures in their listening and reading and opportunities to use the new words and language structures in their speaking and writing.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in academic language, including vocabulary development, in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Objective 0006: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for promoting comprehension and analysis of literary texts.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language and writing strategies for scaffolding and/or reinforcing comprehension and analysis of literary texts (e.g., engaging in purposeful literary discussions, summarizing texts, creating story maps and other graphic organizers, developing character analyses).
- Demonstrate knowledge of levels of reading comprehension (i.e., literal, inferential, and evaluative), and apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting comprehension of literary texts at all three levels.
- Apply understanding of how to promote critical thinking about literary texts by modeling and guiding students in constructing critical/higher-order questions (e.g., questions related to bias; questions related to voices and perspectives, both present and absent).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to analyzing key ideas and details in literary texts (e.g., describing characters, settings, and major events in a story; determining a text's central message, lesson, or moral; referring to details in a text to retell a story or draw inferences about characters and events; summarizing a text).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to interpreting an author's use of craft and structure in literary texts (e.g., recognizing characteristics of various literary genres; describing how words and phrases, including figurative language, contribute to a text's rhythm or meaning; comparing and contrasting first-person and third-person narration).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to integrating knowledge and ideas in and across literary texts (e.g., comparing and contrasting the experiences of characters in different stories, explaining how a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a text, comparing and contrasting the treatment of similar themes and topics in literary works from different cultures).
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies (e.g., think-alouds, close reading, reciprocal teaching) for modeling and promoting the use of comprehension strategies (e.g., predicting, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, rereading, annotating, visualizing, reviewing, self-monitoring and other metacognitive strategies) to help students develop self-efficacy and independence in reading complex literary texts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' strategic reading of literary texts for different academic tasks and purposes (e.g., skimming, scanning, adjusting reading rate based on text difficulty and comprehension monitoring).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language and writing strategies for supporting students' comprehension and analysis of literary texts (e.g., strategic, purposeful read-alouds; text-based discussions; literature circles; graphic organizers; literary response journals).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in comprehension and analysis of literary texts in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Objective 0007: Demonstrate knowledge of principles and evidence-based instructional practices for promoting comprehension and analysis of informational texts.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language and writing strategies for scaffolding and/or reinforcing comprehension and analysis of informational texts, including digital texts (e.g., engaging in academic conversations about content-area topics and ideas, promoting note taking, developing semantic maps, outlining, summarizing, student-generated questioning).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting comprehension of informational texts at all three levels (i.e., literal, inferential, and evaluative), and apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting comprehension of informational texts at all three levels.
- Apply understanding of how to promote critical thinking about informational texts by modeling and guiding students in constructing critical/higher-order questions (e.g., questions related to sources; validity; bias; voices and perspectives, both present and absent).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to analyzing key ideas and details in informational texts (e.g., identifying the main topic of a text; describing the connection between events, concepts, ideas, or steps in a text; quoting or paraphrasing a text accurately when summarizing a text's main idea[s] or drawing inferences from the text; explaining how a text's main idea[s] are supported by key details).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to interpreting an author's use of craft and structure in informational texts (e.g., determining or clarifying the meaning of words or phrases in a text; using various text features, such as bold print, captions, indexes, subheadings, and electronic menus, to locate key information in a text; recognizing common text structures, such as chronological, comparison/contrast, problem/solution, and cause/effect; determining an author's point of view or purpose in a text; analyzing an author's development of an idea or argument).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing reading comprehension and analysis skills related to integrating knowledge and ideas in and across informational texts (e.g., using both the illustrations and print in a text to determine the text's key ideas, describing the logical connections between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text, drawing on information from multiple print or digital texts to locate information or solve a problem efficiently, comparing and contrasting two or more authors' presentations of the same event or concept, evaluating the logic or credibility of an argument or specific claims in a text).
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies (e.g., think-alouds, close reading, reciprocal teaching) for modeling and promoting the use of various comprehension strategies (e.g., activating schema, predicting, rereading to confirm or clarify, annotating, visualizing, text-based questioning, paraphrasing) to help students develop self-efficacy and independence in reading complex informational texts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' strategic reading of informational texts for different academic tasks and purposes (e.g., skimming, scanning, adjusting reading rate based on text difficulty and comprehension monitoring).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for developing students' disciplinary literacy skills (e.g., comparing information from primary and secondary sources; developing an accurate summary of a text that is distinct from background knowledge or opinions; distinguishing discipline-specific meanings of words, such as factor and power, as they are used in mathematics, science, and social studies).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based, developmentally appropriate oral language and writing strategies for supporting students' comprehension and analysis of informational texts (e.g., text-based discussions, oral and written paraphrasing and summarizing, note taking, outlining, graphic organizers).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing evidence-based differentiated instruction and classroom interventions and extensions in comprehension and analysis of informational texts in order to address the needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Subarea 3–Reading Assessment and Instruction
Objective 0008: Apply knowledge of principles and evidence-based best practices for assessing reading development.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of valid approaches to assessing the major components of reading (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension).
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of using data from ongoing reading assessment to adjust instructional planning and delivery to meet students' reading needs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of key purposes of reading assessment, including determining students' current skills with respect to specific grade-level standards (i.e., screening or entry-level assessment), determining students' progress toward a standard and/or their response to instruction/intervention (i.e., formative or progress-monitoring assessment), determining whether students have achieved grade-level standard(s) (i.e., summative assessment), identifying specific reading difficulties and/or deficits (i.e., diagnostic assessment), and determining the effectiveness of instruction (i.e., pre and post assessment).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of standardized criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests to assess reading development and identify reading difficulties, including demonstrating understanding of key assessment concepts (e.g., validity, reliability, bias in testing).
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics and uses of informal reading assessments (e.g., phonics inventories, oral reading fluency measures, written or oral response to text), including understanding the distinctions between group and individual reading assessments.
- Demonstrate understanding of the importance of using both code-based and meaning-based reading assessments, and apply knowledge of strategies, tools, and techniques for assessing particular aspects of reading (e.g., using oral retellings, written responses, or text-based questioning to assess reading comprehension and vocabulary development; using word lists to assess recognition of high-frequency words; using word pattern surveys, pseudoword assessments, phonics inventories, writing samples, or spelling inventories to assess phonics knowledge and skills).
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to interpret the results of various reading assessments and use this data to identify reading strengths and difficulties and to guide instructional decision making (e.g., selecting and/or modifying appropriate instructional materials, strategies, and activities for individual students; developing flexible instructional groupings; applying appropriate scaffolds; determining the most appropriate instructional format for a lesson [i.e., whole class, small group, or individual]).
- Apply knowledge of techniques for determining students who are at risk for reading difficulties and strategies for using the results to inform instructional decision making.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for differentiating assessments in order to accurately assess the reading needs of all students (e.g., English learners, students with disabilities, students who are experiencing difficulty, students who are performing at grade level, students who are highly proficient).
Objective 0009: Apply knowledge of principles and evidence-based best practices of reading instruction.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the major components of reading instruction (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension), including the essential roles that oral language, writing, and motivation play in promoting reading development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of interrelationships between reading, writing, listening, speaking, and language (i.e., knowledge and use of conventions of standard English grammar and usage and vocabulary); and apply knowledge of strategies for providing reading instruction that reflects an integrated model of literacy (e.g., planning a reading lesson that strategically combines relevant standards from two or more English language arts strands).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the significant theories, approaches, and practices for developing reading skills (e.g., stages or phases of word reading) and reading comprehension (e.g., reading as a process to construct meaning).
- Demonstrate understanding of principles of standards-based reading instruction (e.g., aligning reading assessment and instruction to reading standards), including differentiated instruction (e.g., using flexible grouping; modifying resources and/or the pacing, intensity, and/or complexity of instruction to help all students achieve grade-level standards).
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for planning, organizing, managing, and differentiating reading instruction on the basis of the results of ongoing assessment and data analysis to support the reading development of all students.
- Demonstrate knowledge of tiered instructional models (e.g., Multi-Tiered Systems of Support [MTSS]), including basic components of these models (e.g., shared responsibility and decision making, evidence-based interventions, progress monitoring), and apply knowledge of the uses of large-group, small-group, and individualized reading instruction in the context of a tiered instructional model.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the challenges and supports in a text (e.g., pictures, predictability, decodability), and apply knowledge of strategies for evaluating and sequencing texts for reading instruction according to text complexity (e.g., quantitative dimensions, qualitative dimensions, reader and task).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of balancing students' exposure to and reading of authentic literary and informational texts, including balancing shorter and extended texts; and apply knowledge of strategies for selecting and using texts for reading and content instruction that reflect a diversity of genres, cultures, perspectives, and time periods (e.g., integrating various genres of literary and informational texts into a social studies unit).
- Demonstrate understanding of the role of close reading and rereading of well-crafted, content- and idea-rich texts in developing students' ability to read increasingly complex materials with efficacy, and demonstrate knowledge of key components of an evidence-based close-reading routine or protocol (e.g., using text-dependent questions and annotation; rereading a text for different levels of meaning, including to examine vocabulary, determine key ideas and details, analyze genre/text structure, examine an author's craft, and make comparisons to other texts; engaging in collaborative conversations about the text).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for creating an environment that supports motivation for and engagement in reading, helps develop self-confidence and self-efficacy with respect to reading, and promotes the development of lifelong readers, including strategies for promoting independent reading in the classroom and at home.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various uses of instructional technologies to promote reading development and reading engagement and motivation.
- Demonstrate knowledge of resources and evidence-based best practices for supporting the reading development of individual students, including readers with diverse strengths, needs, and/or cultural and linguistic backgrounds (e.g., focusing on key skills; providing concrete examples and scaffolds; reteaching challenging skills; providing additional practice; using multisensory activities; building on and extending current skills; promoting transfer of skills from the home language to English).
Subarea 4–Integration of Knowledge and Understanding
Objective 0010: Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to the development of foundational reading skills.
For example:
- Analyze, interpret, and discuss accurately and appropriately the results of an assessment of foundational reading skills for an individual student.
- Demonstrate the ability to select appropriate examples from a student's reading performance that identify a strength and a need related to foundational reading skills (e.g., phonemic awareness skills, phonics skills, recognition of high-frequency words, syllabication skills, morphemic analysis skills, automaticity, reading fluency [i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody]).
- Demonstrate the ability to select and accurately describe an appropriate, effective instructional strategy, activity, intervention, or extension to build on a student's identified strength or address a student's identified need in foundational reading skills.
- Demonstrate the ability to explain the effectiveness of the selected instructional strategy, activity, intervention, or extension in building on a student's identified strength and/or addressing a student's identified need, using sound reasoning and knowledge of foundational reading skills.
Objective 0011: Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to the development of reading comprehension.
For example:
- Analyze, interpret, and discuss accurately and appropriately the results of an assessment of reading comprehension for an individual student.
- Demonstrate the ability to select appropriate examples from a student's reading performance that identify a strength and a need related to reading comprehension (e.g., vocabulary knowledge; knowledge of academic language structures, including conventions of standard English grammar and usage; application of literal, inferential, or evaluative comprehension skills; use of comprehension strategies; application of text analysis skills to a literary or informational text, including determining key ideas and details, analyzing craft and structure, or integrating knowledge and ideas within a text or across texts).
- Demonstrate the ability to select and accurately describe an appropriate, effective instructional strategy, activity, intervention, or extension to build on a student's identified strength or address a student's identified need in reading comprehension.
- Demonstrate the ability to explain the effectiveness of the selected instructional strategy, activity, intervention, or extension in building on a student's identified strength and/or addressing a student's identified need, using sound reasoning and knowledge of reading comprehension.