Test Information Guide
Overview and Test Objectives
Field 08: Reading Specialist
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) and online proctored test; 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 open-response items |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions |
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| Time | 4 hours (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) are designed to measure a candidate's knowledge of the subject matter contained in the test objectives for each field. 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 test assesses a candidate's proficiency and depth of understanding of the subject at the level required for a baccalaureate major according to Massachusetts standards. Candidates are typically nearing completion of or have completed their undergraduate work when they take the test.
Sub area I 32%, Sub area II 16%, Sub area III 16%, Sub area IV 16%, and Sub area V 20%.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple-Choice | |||
| I | Reading Processes and Development | 01–08 | 32% |
| II | Reading Assessment | 09–12 | 16% |
| III | Reading Instruction | 13–16 | 16% |
| IV | Professional Knowledge and Roles of the Reading Specialist | 17–19 | 16% |
| 80% | |||
| Open-Response* | |||
| V | Integration of Knowledge and Understanding | 20 | 20% |
*The open-response items may relate to topics covered in any of the subareas.
Subarea I–Reading Processes and Development
Objective 0001: Understand the connections among listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- For example: the influence of oral language on literacy development; the interaction among basic components of language (e.g., phonology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics); knowledge of the principles of first- and second-language acquisition; stages of oral and written language development; key features of theories and models related to reading; the research foundations of these theories and models; and the implications of these theories and models for literacy instruction and curriculum development.
Objective 0002: Understand phonological and phonemic awareness.
- For example: the distinction between phonological awareness (i.e., the awareness that oral language is composed of smaller units such as spoken words) and phonemic awareness (i.e., a specific type of phonological awareness involving the ability to distinguish the separate phonemes of a spoken word); the roles of phonological and phonemic awareness in reading development; levels of phonological awareness skills (e.g., distinguishing spoken words, syllables, onsets/rimes, phonemes); types of phonemic awareness skills (e.g., rhyming, segmenting, blending, deleting, substituting); types of phonemes (e.g., continuant and stop sounds, voiced and unvoiced sounds); co-articulation of phonemes; the importance of students' metacognition in relation to phonological and phonemic awareness; and the role of phonological and phonemic awareness in the reading development of English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0003: Understand concepts of print and the alphabetic principle.
- For example: development of the understanding that print carries meaning; development of awareness of the relationship between spoken and written language (e.g., invented spelling, language experience); the influence of written words in a child's surroundings; development of book-handling skills; the directionality of print, the ability to track print in connected text, and the ability to recognize boundaries between words; the importance of letter naming, letter-recognition skills, and the ability to form letters independently; the alphabetic principle (i.e., the recognition that each phoneme corresponds to a letter or letter combination); enhancement of students' metacognition in relation to concepts of print and the alphabetic principle; and the role of concepts of print and alphabetic knowledge in the reading development of English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0004: Understand the role of phonics knowledge in reading development.
- For example: multiple approaches to phonics instruction (e.g., implicit and explicit instruction, analytic and synthetic approaches); the role of explicit, systematic phonics in promoting the reading development of students with differing strengths and needs; types of phonographs (e.g., consonant digraphs, consonant blends, consonant clusters, vowel digraphs); decoding of single-syllable words that follow common patterns (e.g., CVC, CVCC, CVVC, CVCe) and multisyllable words; use of word families and analogies to enhance decoding skills; appropriate use of phonics generalizations; use of context in conjunction with phonics knowledge to decode words in connected text; the relationship between phonics knowledge and spelling development; the role of phonics in developing rapid, automatic word recognition; the relationship between phonics knowledge and reading comprehension; enhancement of students' metacognition in relation to phonics; and the role of phonics knowledge in the reading development of English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0005: Understand other word analysis skills and strategies.
- For example: development of word analysis skills, including structural analysis and syllabication; types of morphemes (e.g., roots, base words, inflectional and derivational affixes); common prefixes (e.g., un-, re-, pre-) and suffixes (e.g., ‑tion, -able) and their meanings; Latin and Greek roots that form English words; the use of etymology to determine a word's meaning; the historical development of English; formation of compound words; the relationship between word analysis skills and spelling development; use of context to help verify the pronunciation and meaning of words; the appropriate use of sight-word memorization for high-frequency words; the relationship between word analysis skills and reading comprehension; enhancement of students' metacognition in relation to word analysis; and the role of word analysis skills and strategies in the reading development of English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0006: Understand the development of vocabulary knowledge and skills.
- For example: the relationship between oral vocabulary, word identification, and reading comprehension; use of oral language (e.g., spontaneous language, "language on demand," extended oral language, read-alouds, word explanation strategies) to promote oral vocabulary; the use of noncontextual vocabulary strategies (e.g., grouping words based on conceptual categories and associative meanings); methods for clarifying and extending a reader's understanding of unfamiliar words encountered in connected text (e.g., paraphrasing, use of context and syntax, use of word maps, use of the dictionary); criteria for selecting vocabulary words for instruction; methods for expanding knowledge of content-area vocabulary; the importance of frequent, extensive, and varied reading experiences for vocabulary development; enhancement of students' metacognition in relation to vocabulary knowledge and skills; and the role of vocabulary knowledge and skills in the reading development of English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0007: Understand skills and strategies for comprehending literary/imaginative texts.
- For example: the ability to promote comprehension of literary/imaginative texts at the literal, inferential, and evaluative levels; development of literary response skills (e.g., connecting elements in a text to prior knowledge and other sources, using evidence from a text to support responses); development of literary analysis skills (e.g., identifying features of different literary genres, analyzing story elements, analyzing character development, interpreting figurative language, identifying literary allusions, analyzing the author's point of view); use of comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading (e.g., predicting, visualizing, reviewing, self-monitoring, and other metacognitive strategies); use of oral language activities to promote comprehension (e.g., retelling, think-alouds, discussing); the role of reading fluency in facilitating comprehension; ability to improve reading fluency; use of writing activities to promote literary response and analysis (e.g., creation of story maps and other graphic organizers); awareness of text features that challenge or support comprehension (e.g., pictures, predictability, decodability); and the ability to address specific comprehension difficulties and promote comprehension of literary/imaginative texts by English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0008: Understand skills and strategies for comprehending expository and content-area texts.
- For example: the ability to promote comprehension of expository and content-area texts at the literal, inferential, and evaluative levels; development of critical-reading skills (e.g., identifying point of view, distinguishing facts from opinions, detecting faulty reasoning); use of reading strategies for different texts and purposes (e.g., adjusting reading rate based on text difficulty, skimming/scanning); use of comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading (e.g., predicting, visualizing, self-questioning, paraphrasing); use of oral language activities to promote comprehension (e.g., oral preview/review, restating sentences using different words); the role of reading fluency in facilitating comprehension of expository and content-area texts; use of writing activities to promote comprehension (e.g., student-generated questioning, note taking, outlining, summarizing, semantic maps, K-W-L charts); knowledge of text structures (e.g., chronological, comparison/contrast, cause/effect); use and purpose of text features (e.g., index, glossary), graphic features (e.g., charts, maps), and reference materials; and the ability to address specific comprehension difficulties and promote the comprehension of expository and content-area texts by English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Subarea II–Reading Assessment
Objective 0009: Understand principles of test construction and the interpretation of test results.
- For example: concepts of validity and reliability in testing; characteristics and uses of criterion-referenced and norm-referenced tests; alignment of standards-based tests with curriculum; statistical terminology related to testing (e.g., sample size, mean, median, standard deviation); statistical terminology used to report individual test results (e.g., raw score, scaled score, percentile, stanine, grade equivalency); methods for ensuring objective scoring of tests; issues related to bias in testing; issues related to the confidentiality of test results; and the advantages and limitations of information provided by assessment of reading skills, particularly in relation to English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0010: Understand characteristics and uses of formal and informal reading and writing assessments.
- For example: uses of formal and informal reading assessments (e.g., for screening, formative and summative evaluation, progress monitoring, student self-evaluation, flexible placement of students in leveled reading groups, selection of appropriate reading materials); types of formal and informal reading assessments in addition to standardized tests (e.g., phonemic awareness assessment, cloze procedure, miscue analysis, running records, rubrics, Informal Reading Inventories, portfolios, observations and anecdotal records); selection of appropriate methods to assess mastery of specific skills (e.g., spelling of dictated word lists to help assess letter-sound knowledge, oral or written retellings to assess reading comprehension, oral readings to assess fluency); formal and informal methods for assessing writing skills (e.g., student journals, rubrics, summaries, open-response questions, portfolios); and the advantages and limitations of information provided by formal and informal assessments of reading skills, particularly in relation to English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0011: Understand the role of assessment in promoting reading and writing development.
- For example: use of assessment to determine a student's reading and writing abilities, to monitor progress, and to determine appropriate interventions; use of assessment before, during, and after instruction; knowledge of grade-level expectations for reading and writing development; identification of a student's independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels; awareness of text leveling techniques; ability to match individual readers with appropriate texts (e.g., predictable texts, orthographically controlled texts, trade books); assessment of a student's need for orthographically controlled texts (i.e., texts composed of words that follow regular spelling patterns); appropriate uses of whole-group and individual assessment; identification of students for individual assessment; planning and implementing individualized, small-group, and whole-class instruction based on assessment results; and factors that may affect student performance on reading assessments (e.g., text characteristics, testing environment) for all students, including English Language Learners, speakers of dialects other than standard English, struggling readers, and students with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Objective 0012: Understand the screening and diagnosis of reading difficulties and disabilities.
- For example: characteristics of screening methods for identifying existing or potential reading difficulties; appropriate uses of screening (e.g., identification of students for diagnosis, special needs referral, early intervention); procedures used in diagnosis of reading difficulties and disabilities; information obtained from various diagnostic procedures; appropriate uses of diagnostic results (e.g., identifying students' reading strengths, selecting instructional methods and materials to respond to students' needs); criteria for identifying students struggling with specific reading skills, students in need of remedial instruction, and students with reading disabilities; and awareness of federal and state laws, regulations, and guidelines regarding screening and diagnosis of reading difficulties and disabilities.
Subarea III–Reading Instruction
Objective 0013: Understand research-based instructional strategies, programs, and methodologies for promoting early reading and writing development.
- For example: knowledge of significant strategies, programs, and methodologies for promoting beginning reading and writing skills; the design of balanced, comprehensive, and sequential instruction in early reading and writing; adjustment of reading and writing instruction based on ongoing assessment; use of children's oral language skills to foster reading and writing development; creation of reading/writing connections; components of effective instructional practices for early reading (e.g., eliciting and using prior knowledge, integrating knowledge and skills, providing scaffolded instruction); instructional practices to promote development of particular early reading and writing skills (e.g., use of manipulatives to promote phonemic awareness, interactive writing); targeting of early literacy instruction to address the needs of both struggling and highly proficient readers; uses of large-group, small-group, and individualized instruction; and awareness of federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines related to instruction in early reading.
Objective 0014: Understand research-based instructional strategies, programs, and methodologies for consolidating and extending reading and writing skills.
- For example: knowledge of significant strategies, programs, and methodologies for strengthening and extending reading and writing skills; the design of balanced, comprehensive, and sequential instruction to consolidate and extend reading skills; adjustment of instruction based on ongoing assessment; effective instructional practices to consolidate and extend skills (e.g., eliciting and using prior knowledge, integrating knowledge and skills, providing scaffolded instruction, creating literature circles); methods for promoting students' use of metacognitive skills; uses of writing activities to foster interest in reading and to promote development of specific skills (e.g., vocabulary knowledge, comprehension); the role of children's literature and young-adult literature in promoting reading proficiency and motivating students to read independently; awareness of societal trends and technological innovations in shaping literacy needs; targeting of literacy instruction to address the needs of both struggling and highly proficient readers; uses of large-group, small-group, and individualized instruction; and awareness of federal, state, and local regulations and guidelines related to instruction in reading (e.g., Title I).
Objective 0015: Understand the differentiation of reading instruction to meet the needs of individual students.
- For example: knowledge of varied instructional strategies and flexible grouping to address the individual reading needs of all students; instructional issues related to the reading development of English Language Learners (e.g., the student's level of first-language literacy, the primary language used in the student's home); facilitation of the development of reading skills in students who are English Language Learners at the same time that these students are developing oral competency in English; recognition of a variety of factors that may affect students' reading development (e.g., social, cultural, psychological, physical); knowledge of research on causes of reading difficulties and disabilities and appropriate instructional interventions; and characteristics of instruction to address the reading needs of students with reading-specific difficulties and disabilities.
Objective 0016: Understand characteristics and uses of reading resources, materials, and technologies.
- For example: selection of reading materials that are at appropriate levels of difficulty; selection of reading materials that sustain students' interest and promote love of reading; in-depth knowledge of children's and young adult literature (e.g., traditional, contemporary, multicultural); the use of instructional resources that reflect current research on reading development and that promote and reinforce mastery of specific reading skills; methods for selecting and adapting materials for English Language Learners, struggling readers, and students with special needs; appropriate uses of television, video, and audio presentations to facilitate reading development; the use of computer programs designed to promote specific reading and writing skills; the use of computer applications to motivate students and promote general literacy skills (e.g., multimedia applications); and the use of computer-based assessment, screening, and diagnostic tools.
Subarea IV–Professional Knowledge and Roles of the Reading Specialist
Objective 0017: Understand the interpretation, evaluation, and application of reading research.
- For example: interpretation, evaluation, and application of major research findings related to literacy in relevant areas of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and linguistics (e.g., first- and second-language acquisition, conceptual development, attention, memory, language-based learning disabilities); research on the reading process; the influence of culture, home environment, schooling, and individual differences on reading development; features of well-designed experimental and observational studies of reading; recognition of flaws in research designs; awareness of qualitative and quantitative research on reading (e.g., ethnographic, inquiry-based, case studies, experimental); and knowledge of sources of current research on literacy.
Objective 0018: Understand the multiple roles of the Reading Specialist in planning and implementing reading instruction in collaboration with other members of the school community.
- For example: the role of the Reading Specialist as consultant, in-class support person, and provider of individualized, small-group, and whole-class instruction; strategies for performing these roles effectively (e.g., teaming with classroom teachers, modeling instruction, involving and educating parents/guardians about students' literacy development, coordinating instruction with special education personnel); awareness of federal and state laws and regulations related to the provision of reading instruction and the responsibilities of reading professionals under these laws and regulations; creation and implementation of effective and coordinated school-wide reading programs and approaches; connections between reading instruction and other areas of the curriculum; implementation of reading instruction that reflects local data related to literacy issues; and the effect of student interests and achievement levels on decisions about reading instruction.
Objective 0019: Understand the role of professional development in promoting the effectiveness of the Reading Specialist and other educators.
- For example: communication of information related to reading development and instruction to colleagues (e.g., teachers, administrators, media specialists, other specialists, special education personnel, paraprofessionals) and the wider community; methods for promoting colleagues' awareness of advances in current knowledge about reading; methods for increasing colleagues' awareness of instructional approaches appropriate for English Language Learners and struggling readers; use of leadership, communication, and facilitation skills to effect positive changes in classroom instruction and school-wide reading programs; knowledge of effective professional-development practices for classroom teachers and administrators; awareness of best practices, professional publications, organizations, and conferences related to reading development and instruction and methods for increasing use of these resources; and techniques for increasing communication and collaboration among educators, administrators, and parents/guardians.
Subarea V–Integration of Knowledge and Understanding
Objective 0020: Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following: reading processes and development; reading assessment; reading instruction; and/or the professional knowledge and roles of the Reading Specialist.
- For example: phonological and phonemic awareness; concepts of print and the alphabetic principle; the role of phonics knowledge in reading development; other word analysis skills and strategies; development of vocabulary knowledge and skills; skills and strategies for comprehending literary/imaginative texts; skills and strategies for comprehending expository and content-area texts; principles of test construction and the interpretation of test results; characteristics and uses of formal and informal reading and writing assessments; the role of assessment in promoting reading and writing development; the screening and diagnosis of reading difficulties and disabilities; research-based instructional strategies, programs, and methodologies for promoting early reading development; research-based instructional strategies, programs, and methodologies for consolidating and extending reading skills; the differentiation of instruction to meet the needs of individual students; characteristics and uses of reading resources, materials, and technologies; the interpretation, evaluation, and application of reading research; the Reading Specialist's role in planning and implementing literacy instruction in collaboration with other members of the school community; and the role of professional development in promoting the effectiveness of the Reading Specialist and other educators.