TEST INFORMATION BOOKLET

MassachusettsTests forEducatorLicensure ®TESTINFORMATIONBOOKLET07 EnglishMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary EducationMA-SG-FLD007-09

IntroductionPurpose of the Test Information BookletsThe Test Information Booklets are designed to help familiarize candidates with the format and contentof the tests of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL®) program. Familiarity withtest format and content is one component of test preparation. The primary means of preparing forthe tests for educators seeking PreKindergarten to grade 12 licenses is coursework in the field of studyat the candidate's higher education institution. For candidates seeking vocational technical licenses,the primary means of preparation is the candidate's educational and work experience background, andfor adult basic education licenses, the primary approach is adequate study in the content defined by theLicensure of Adult Basic Education Teachers and Preparation Program Approval and other statepolicies.Education and arts and sciences faculty at Massachusetts higher education institutions with approvededucator preparation programs may also find the information in these booklets useful as they helpcandidates prepare for the MTEL.Key Features of the Test Information Booklets• Suggestions for preparing to take the test• Examples of MTEL test item formats and ways to approach the test items• Sample test items and responses• What to expect on the day of the test• Information on score reporting and interpreting a score reportFurther InformationInformation about MTEL registration and test administration procedures is available in the currentversion of the MTEL registration bulletin. The registration bulletin may be viewed or downloaded on theInternet at www.mtel.nesinc.com or www.doe.mass.edu/mtel.If after reviewing the registration bulletin you have further questions, please contact the offices listed onthe next page.Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s). All rights reserved.Evaluation Systems, Pearson, P.O. Box 226, Amherst, MA 01004Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure and MTEL are trademarks of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary andSecondary Education and Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s).Pearson and its logo are trademarks, in the U.S. and/or other countries, of Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s).

LICENSUREEducators enrolled in an Academic (PreK–12) Massachusetts higher education institution educator preparationprogram or educators seeking a Vocational Technical or Adult Basic Education license should refer to the relevantprogram section of the current registration bulletin for further information.You may apply for an educator license at any time, before or after taking the MTEL. However, candidatesseeking their first Massachusetts license must achieve a passing score on the Communication and LiteracySkills test before their license applications can be reviewed.CONTACT: MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATIONOFFICE OF EDUCATOR LICENSURE75 PLEASANT STREETMALDEN, MA 02148-4906TELEPHONE: (781) 338-6600 TTY-NET RELAY: (800) 439-2370Attendants are available 2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Pleasecheck the web site (www.doe.mass.edu/licensure) for up-to-date information on hours of operation.24-HOUR AUTOMATED LINE: Call (781) 338-3000 and then press "2" to obtain the status of an existinglicense application.WALK-IN SERVICE: 8:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidaysWEB SITE: LICENSING INFORMATION: www.doe.mass.edu/licensure and then select theappropriate license category. At this site you will find regulations, guidelines, and applications forAcademic (PreK–12), Vocational Technical Education, and Adult Basic Education licenses.Access "Licensure Help" and apply for a license online through the ELAR system for Academic(PreK–12) and Vocational Technical Education licenses. First-time applicants must create anELAR profile to apply online.WEB SITE: MTEL PROGRAM INFORMATION: www.doe.mass.edu/mtelAt this site you will find MTEL notices, a list of test preparation resources available to the public, andfrequently asked questions.TESTINGIf you have questions about:• Test registration• Changes to test center or date• Test session procedures• Score reportsCONTACT: MASSACHUSETTS TESTS FOR EDUCATOR LICENSUREEVALUATION SYSTEMSPEARSONP.O. BOX 660WEB SITE: www.mtel.nesinc.comAMHERST, MA 01004-9013TELEPHONE: (413) 256-2892 FAX: (413) 256-7077(866) 565-4894 (toll free)Operators are available 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.Automated Information System is available 24 hours daily.If you have questions about your computer-based test appointment:CONTACT: PEARSON VUEWEB SITE: www.pearsonvue.com/mtelTELEPHONE: (800) 989-8532Operators are available 8:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Table of ContentsOverview of the Tests............................................................................................................................ 1Description of the Tests ....................................................................................................................... 1Development of the Tests .................................................................................................................... 4Structure of the Tests........................................................................................................................... 4How to Prepare for the Tests................................................................................................................ 6Developing a Study Outline ................................................................................................................. 7Identifying Resources .......................................................................................................................... 7Approaching the Test Items................................................................................................................ 12Multiple-Choice Item Formats ............................................................................................................ 12Open-Response Item Formats........................................................................................................... 15Scoring of Open-Response Items...................................................................................................... 16The Day of the Test.............................................................................................................................. 18Preparing for the Test ........................................................................................................................ 18Test-Taking Tips ................................................................................................................................ 18After the Test........................................................................................................................................ 20Score Reporting ................................................................................................................................. 20Interpreting Your Score Report .......................................................................................................... 20Field-Specific Information....................................................................................................................21Test Overview Chart ...........................................................................................................................23Sample Test Items ..............................................................................................................................24Answer Key and Sample Response ...................................................................................................31Test Objectives ...................................................................................................................................33Readers should be advised that this booklet, including many of the excerpts used herein,is protected by federal copyright law.Test policies and materials, including but not limited to tests, item types, and item formats, are subjectto change at the discretion of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Overview of the TestsThe Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) program includes a Communication andLiteracy Skills test, PreKindergarten to grade 12 subject matter tests, a Vocational Technical LiteracySkills Test, and an Adult Basic Education test. See www.mtel.nesinc.com for a complete list of MTELtests currently offered. Information on what tests must be taken may be obtained from theMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's web site, www.doe.mass.edu.All tests included in the program are criterion referenced; that is, they are designed to measure acandidate's knowledge in relation to an established standard of competence (criterion) rather than inrelation to the performance of other candidates. Each MTEL test is also objective-based; that is, itis based on content stated in a set of test objectives for the test field. The purpose of the tests is tohelp identify those candidates who have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills judged to beimportant for educators in Massachusetts public schools.The MTEL tests are explicitly aligned with the relevant Massachusetts licensure regulations and thestate's standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks. These documents are available atwww.doe.mass.edu; the MTEL test objectives are available at www.mtel.nesinc.com.Description of the TestsAll tests in the MTEL program include both multiple-choice and open-response test items. The numberof multiple-choice and open-response test items varies across the tests. Refer to the table below forinformation about types and numbers of test items on each type of test.Test TypeCommunication and LiteracySkills (01)Test DescriptionReading subtestThis subtest includes 42 multiple-choice items. The multiple-choicesection counts for 100 percent of the candidate's total subtest score.Writing subtestThis subtest includes 35 multiple-choice items, seven (7) short-answersentence correction items, and two open-response items—a summaryexercise and a composition exercise. The summary exercise requirescandidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare an adequateresponse; the composition exercise requires candidates to spend about45–60 minutes to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choiceand short-answer item section counts for 50 percent of the candidate'sscore, the summary exercise counts for 15 percent of the candidate'stotal test score, and the composition exercise counts for 35 percent of thecandidate's total subtest score.1

Test TypeSubject Matter TestsAcademically Advanced (52)Biology (13)Business (19)Chemistry (12)Early Childhood (02)Earth Science (14)English (07)Foundations of Reading (90)General Science (10)Health/Family and ConsumerSciences (21)History (06)Latin and Classical Humanities (15)Mathematics (09)Mathematics (Elementary) (53)Mathematics (Middle School) (47)Mathematics/Science (MiddleSchool) (51)Middle School Humanities (50)Music (16)Physical Education (22)Physics (11)Political Science/PoliticalPhilosophy (48)Reading Specialist (08)Speech (44)Technology/Engineering (33)Theater (45)Visual Art (17)Subject Matter TestGeneral Curriculum (03)Test DescriptionThese subject matter tests include 100 multiple-choice items and twoopen-response items requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minuteseach to prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice sectionaccounts for 80 percent and the open-response section counts for20 percent of the candidate's total test score.Multi-subject subtestThis subtest includes 55 multiple-choice items and one open-responseitem requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare anadequate response. The multiple-choice section counts for 90 percentand the open-response section counts for 10 percent of the candidate'ssubtest score.Mathematics subtestThis subtest includes 45 multiple-choice items and one open-responseitem requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to prepare anadequate response. The multiple-choice section counts for 90 percentand the open-response section counts for 10 percent of the candidate'ssubtest score.Subject Matter TestDance (46)Subject Matter TestEnglish as a Second Language (54)The Dance test includes 55 multiple-choice items and two open-responseitems requiring candidates to spend about 60 minutes each to prepare anadequate response. The multiple-choice items count for 75 percent andthe open-response items count for 25 percent of the candidate's total testscore.The English as a Second Language test includes 100 multiple-choiceitems and four open-response items, all of which require oral responses.The multiple-choice items count for 80 percent of the total test score andthe open-response items count for 20 percent of the total test score.2

Test TypeLanguage Subject Matter TestsChinese (Mandarin) (29)French (26)German (27)Italian (30)Portuguese (32)Russian (31)Spanish (28)Test DescriptionFrench and SpanishThe language tests in French and Spanish include approximately100 multiple-choice items and two open-response items, one of whichrequires a written response and the other an oral response. The multiplechoiceitems count for approximately 70 percent and the open-responseitems count for approximately 30 percent of the candidate's total testscore.German and ItalianThe language tests in German and Italian include approximately55 multiple-choice items and two open-response items, one of whichrequires a written response and the other an oral response. The multiplechoiceitems count for approximately 67 percent and the open-responseitems count for approximately 33 percent of the candidate's total testscore.Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, and RussianThe language tests in Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, and Russianinclude approximately 55 multiple-choice items and short-answer itemsand four open-response items, one of which requires an oral response.The multiple-choice items and short-answer items count forapproximately 33 percent and the open-response items count forapproximately 67 percent of the candidate's total test score.Adult Basic Education (55)Vocational Technical LiteracySkills Test (91)This subject matter test includes 100 multiple-choice items and two openresponseitems requiring candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes eachto prepare an adequate response. The multiple-choice section accountsfor 85 percent and the open-response section counts for 15 percent ofthe candidate's total test score.Reading subtestThis subtest includes 60 multiple-choice items. The multiple-choicesection counts for 100 percent of the candidate's total subtest score.Writing subtestThis subtest includes 40 multiple-choice items and two open-responseitems—a summary exercise and a composition exercise. The summaryexercise requires candidates to spend about 20–30 minutes to preparean adequate response; the composition exercise requires candidates tospend about 45–60 minutes to prepare an adequate response. Themultiple-choice item section counts for 55 percent of the candidate'sscore; the summary and composition exercises count for 45 percent ofthe candidate's total subtest score.3

Development of the TestsThe development process for the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure involves numeroussteps. During the development of the test objectives, the Massachusetts Regulations for EducatorLicensure and Preparation Program Approval, the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks, and otherkey state and national documents were consulted. Massachusetts educators participated throughoutthe development process. The objectives for each test field were reviewed and validated by anadvisory panel of licensed and practicing Massachusetts public school educators and higher educationinstitution faculty. A content validation survey was conducted using randomly sampled, practicingMassachusetts public school educators and higher education institution faculty members in educatorpreparation programs and in the arts and sciences. Each survey participant reviewed the testobjectives in his or her field to ensure that the objectives are important to the job of a Massachusettseducator and reflect the subject matter knowledge necessary for entry-level teaching in Massachusettspublic schools. The test items were aligned with both the test objectives and the educational materialsrelevant to Massachusetts, including the state's licensure regulations and the curriculum frameworks.The test items were reviewed and verified by Massachusetts educators for inclusion on the test.An individual's performance on a test is evaluated against an established standard or qualifying score.The qualifying score for each test is established by the Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementaryand Secondary Education and is based in part on the professional judgments and recommendations ofMassachusetts educators. Candidates who do not achieve the qualifying score on a test may retake it.Candidates who have met the qualifying score on a test are not required to retake it.Structure of the TestsWhile the content covered by each test in the MTEL program is different, the structure that underliesthe content of the tests is similar. In general, the structure is as follows:• The content of each subject matter test field is organized into three to nine subareas. Thesesubareas define the major content domains of the test.• Each subarea includes one or more test objectives. The test objectives are broad, conceptualstatements, written in language that reflects some of the skills, knowledge, and understandingthat an educator needs in order to teach the test field in Massachusetts public schools.• Each test objective is clarified and further described by a descriptive statement, providingexamples of the types of content covered by the test objective.• Each multiple-choice item is written to assess understanding of a test objective.• Each open-response item is written to assess understanding of one or more test objectives.• The number of test objectives within a given subarea generally determines the proportion ofmultiple-choice items that will address that subarea on a test. In other words, subareas witha greater number of test objectives will generally receive more emphasis (i.e., have a greaternumber of corresponding multiple-choice items) on the test than those with fewer testobjectives. The number of test items and subarea proportions for each MTEL test are indicatedin the Test Overview Chart found in the field-specific section of the Test Information Booklet forthe field.The chart on the following page illustrates the relationship among subareas, test objectives, descriptivestatements, and test items in a typical test field.4

Organization of Content Within a Test Field5

How to Prepare for the TestsThis section of the Test Information Booklet offers suggestions on how to prepare for a test in theMTEL program. Candidates planning to take a test may find the suggestions helpful. However, thisbooklet is not intended to address all possible strategies for preparation.Using the Test ObjectivesThe test objectives may be useful to candidates preparing to take one of the Massachusetts Testsfor Educator Licensure. The test objectives are based on Massachusetts licensure regulations andother state policies. They reflect subject matter knowledge that the Massachusetts Department ofElementary and Secondary Education has determined to be important for educators entering teachingin Massachusetts public schools. The content described in the test objectives is typically learnedthrough college-level coursework and other educational experiences at Massachusetts educatorpreparation institutions.The test objectives are organized in such a way that each element of the test objectives can be helpfulin one or more aspects of test preparation. Test objectives for each of the tests can be obtained fromthe MTEL web site at www.mtel.nesinc.com.Review the test objectives. The first step in preparing for one of the Massachusetts Tests forEducator Licensure is to identify the information the test will cover. The test objectives can be a helpfulstudy tool because they define the content that will be assessed by the test you are preparing to take.Read the entire set of test objectives for your test field to get a general picture of the material the testcovers. Remember that the number of test objectives within a subarea broadly reflects the emphasisgiven to that subarea on the test; the proportion of the test allocated to the subarea is listed in the TestOverview Chart in the field-specific section of this booklet. In general, subareas with greaterproportions will include a greater number of test objectives and will be covered by more multiple-choiceitems on the test.Focus your studies. When you have become familiar with the test objectives, make a list of those testobjectives about which you feel you know the least. A suggested approach for outlining the content ofthe test objectives and identifying those on which you need to concentrate is presented below, underthe heading "Developing a Study Outline." This approach can help you set priorities for your studytime. You should leave time to review the content of all test objectives, both the familiar and the lessfamiliar ones. Keep in mind that you may improve your total test score by improving your performancein any subarea of the test. So, any additional preparation that you undertake may contribute toimproving your total test score.6

Developing a Study OutlineYou may wish to use the test objectives and descriptive statements to prepare an outline of the contentlikely to be covered on the test(s), especially the content about which you are unsure. The processdescribed here, which is designed to be used with the Study Outline Chart that follows, may help youorganize your thoughts and your future studies for the test(s).You may follow this process by yourself or with others in your program. As you read the test objectives,remember that some of the test objectives may refer to content that you are currently learning or willlearn in the near future during your college preparation, while other test objectives may refer to contentyou may have learned earlier or elsewhere.1. The first column of the chart lists test objective numbers, from 1 to 35. In the secondcolumn, briefly summarize the topic of each test objective, using a two- or three-word phrase(e.g., "Reading Comprehension," "Statistics and Probability").2. Read and consider each test objective and its associated descriptive statement and envisionthe content likely to be covered. Try to imagine the types of questions that might be askedabout that content. Consider the content in relation to courses or other educational activitiesthat you have undertaken in college or that you might undertake in the future. Brainstorm asmany ideas as you can. Participation in a study group may be particularly helpful for this task.3. In the fourth column, indicate the extent of your knowledge and educational preparationregarding the content of each test objective. Use symbols such as "" to indicate adequateknowledge and preparation, "X" to indicate partial knowledge and preparation, and "?" toindicate little or no knowledge and preparation. In cases of partial knowledge and preparation,circle in the third column particular aspects of the test objective that you need to study further.4. Beginning with areas you identified where you have partial (X) or little or no (?) knowledge andpreparation, devise a plan to increase your knowledge or enhance your preparation. See thenext section on "Identifying Resources" to help you find solutions to your individual needs. Notein the fifth column resources that may be particularly useful to you.At the conclusion of this process, you will have a chart listing the test objectives (and parts of testobjectives) about which you will need to learn more in order to prepare for the test. You will also havea plan for addressing your preparation needs.Identifying ResourcesAfter you have identified the test objectives on which you will focus your time, consider the resourcesyou may use in studying the content of those test objectives. You may determine that you have nottaken some relevant courses that would have covered content that will be assessed on the test.Consult with your advisor and, on his or her recommendation, take courses that will help youstrengthen those areas where your content knowledge may be less strong.Other resources include written materials, such as textbooks from relevant classes, your class notesand assignments, textbooks currently in use in Massachusetts public elementary and secondaryschools; Massachusetts curriculum frameworks; and publications from local, state, and nationalprofessional organizations. Practice tests are also available for some fields at no cost from the MTELweb site at www.mtel.nesinc.com. In addition, people can be important resources, including otherstudents who have taken courses related to your needs and instructors who teach such courses.Instructors may be able to guide you in finding and reviewing notes and textbooks.7

Review the sample test items. This guide contains examples of the formats of multiple-choice itemsand open-response items that you may encounter on the test. It also presents sample test items andcorrect responses. The sample items are designed to illustrate the nature of the test items; they shouldnot be used as a diagnostic tool to determine your individual strengths and weaknesses.Develop study techniques. It is usually best to approach preparing for a test with a study plan inmind, together with a schedule for accomplishing what you need to do to feel prepared. You may alsowish to obtain from either your school's library or a bookstore one of the many books available on studyskills.For some people, study groups are particularly helpful; you may want to form or join a study group withothers who will be taking the test at the same time. Find out if your school sponsors study groups.Study groups are more effective once you have identified the test objectives with which you are lessfamiliar.A gradual study pattern over an appropriate period of time can be effective for learning unfamiliar ordifficult content. In the last few days before the test, take time to review those topics with which youfeel most comfortable and avoid "cramming"—trying to learn too much new material quickly.Use subarea information. If you are retaking a test, the information from your score report thatindicates test subarea-level strengths and weaknesses may further help you determine areas foradditional preparation. You may be able to improve your performance on the test by studying in thoseareas in which you did well in addition to studying those areas for which your performance was weak.8

Approaching the Test ItemsMultiple-Choice Item FormatsThe purpose of this section is to describe and give examples of multiple-choice item formats that youmay see on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure. This section also suggests possibleways to approach thinking about and answering the multiple-choice items. The approaches describedin this section are intended as suggestions; you may want to try using them on the sample itemsincluded in this Test Information Booklet. However, these approaches are not intended to replace testtakingstrategies with which you are already comfortable and that work for you.The multiple-choice items in the MTEL program are designed to assess subject matter knowledgedescribed in the set of test objectives for each test field. You will be expected to demonstrate morethan your ability to recall factual information; you may be asked to think critically about information,analyze it, apply it, consider it carefully, compare it with other knowledge you have, or make a judgmentabout it.You may see several multiple-choice item formats in the MTEL. Not all types of test items that mayappear on a test are illustrated. Actual test items are not necessarily identical in wording or format tothe sample items in this booklet. Not every test will include all the item formats discussed in thissection, but it is in your best interest to be prepared to answer all types of items in the event that theyare included on the test(s) you elect to take. On the following pages are examples of the most commonmultiple-choice item formats and descriptions of approaches you might use to answer the items.For each multiple-choice item there are four response options, one of which is the best response of thechoices given. Each multiple-choice item counts equally toward a candidate's total multiple-choicesection score. There is no penalty for guessing.The tests may include a number of test items that do not count toward a candidate's score becausethey are being tried out for future administrations of the MTEL. Approximately 15 percent of themultiple-choice item section of each test form includes items that are nonscorable. Nonscorable itemsare included so that data can be collected on their psychometric characteristics for possible use asscorable items on future test forms.12

Multiple-Choice Item Format One: The Single Test ItemIn the single test-item format, a problem is presented as a direct question or an incomplete statement,and four response options (A, B, C, and D) appear below the question. The following sample test itemfrom a General Curriculum test is an example of this type. (The * indicates the best response of thechoices given.)Example of multiple-choice item format one: a single test itemA town planning committee must decidehow to use a 110-acre piece of land.The committee sets aside 20 acres of theland for watershed protection and anadditional 46 acres for recreation. Whatpercentage of the land is set aside foreither watershed protection or recreation?A. 19%B. 44%*C. 60%D. 66%For test items in this format, a suggested approach is to read the entire item carefully and critically.Think about what it is asking and the situation it is describing. It is best to read and evaluate allfour response options to find the best answer; you should not stop at the first answer that seemsreasonable. After reading all four response options, eliminate any obviously wrong answers, and selectthe best choice from the remaining answers. There is no penalty for guessing.13

Multiple-Choice Item Format Two: Test Items with Stimulus MaterialSome test items are preceded by stimulus material to which the test items relate. Some examples ofstimulus material that may be included on a test are maps, charts, tables, graphs, reading passages,and descriptions of classroom situations. In some cases, there is only one test item related to thestimulus provided. In other cases, two or more test items are related to a single stimulus. Eachstimulus is preceded by a direction line indicating how many items are related to that stimulus. Thefollowing sample from an English test includes an excerpt from a poem as the stimulus for one sampletest item. (The * indicates the best response of the choices given.)Example of multiple-choice item format two: a test item with stimulus materialUse the excerpt below from a poem byQueen Elizabeth I of England to answerthe question that follows.I grieve and dare not show my discontent,I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,I do, yet dare not say I ever meant,I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate.I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,Since from myself another self I turned.In this work, the poet constructs meaningby using:A. understatement to emphasize thespeaker's sense of incompleteness.B. allusion to elevate the speaker'ssituation.C. onomatopoeia to heighten the dramaticeffect.* D. antithesis to dramatize the speaker'sinner conflict.The following approach is suggested when responding to test items with stimulus material. First,examine the stimulus. Note how the information is presented. In this test item, the stimulus is a poeticexcerpt and must be read carefully and slowly to gain a sense of the meaning of the words and theirartistic use in the passage.Now you are prepared to address the sample test item associated with this stimulus. As you considereach response option, look back at the stimulus to determine which literary device is chiefly used in theexcerpt. The device that is most clearly used to construct meaning in the excerpt is antithesis, thejuxtaposition of contrasting ideas. Therefore, D is the correct response.14

Open-Response Item FormatsTypically, the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure include one or more open-response itemsfor which you are asked to prepare a written response. These items are designed to measure thedepth and breadth of the candidate's knowledge in the subject area, the candidate's understanding offundamental concepts of the discipline, and the candidate's familiarity with field-specific methodologies.In language tests, the open-response items generally assess speaking, writing, listening, reading,and/or cultural understanding.The open-response items may be designed to require the integration of knowledge from one or severalsubareas and to be comparable to each other in terms of information presented, the type of responserequired, and the difficulty of the items from one test form to the next. Responses to each openresponseitem typically require about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. For the open-response items thatrequire written responses, each item will generally include:1. contextual or background information that presents the topic of the open-response item; and2. one or more specific directions or assignments that advise you of the elements that you areexpected to provide in your response.The following open-response item from a Political Science/Political Philosophy (48) test illustratesthe components of a typical open-response item. The first paragraph introduces the topic of theassignment—the checks and balances that regulate the exercise of power among the three branchesof the U.S. government. The second paragraph, and accompanying bulleted instructions, describes thewriting task candidates must undertake and the elements they must include in their response.Sample open-response itemRead the information below; then complete the exercise that follows.The U.S. Constitution creates a government of checks and balances in which legislative,executive, and judicial authority reside in separate branches of the government.Using your knowledge of the U.S. government, write a response in which you:• describe the powers that are given to each of the three branches of the government underthe Constitution; and• discuss how these powers enable each branch of the government to check the activitiesof each of the other two branches.15

Scoring of Open-Response ItemsOpen-response items are scored holistically according to standardized procedures, using scoringscales that have been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and SecondaryEducation. In judging the overall effectiveness of each response, scorers use scoring scales thatdescribe varying levels of performance.Open-response items are scored holistically by two or more qualified educators during scoring sessionsheld after each test administration. Scorers are oriented before the scoring session to ensure that allresponses are scored according to standardized procedures.Performance characteristics. A set of performance characteristics, similar to the following, guidescorers in considering responses to the open-response items. The performance characteristics arecontained in the test directions for the open-response items. It may be helpful for you to be aware ofthese performance characteristics as you prepare for and take the MTEL. The actual performancecharacteristics used for your field may be found in the practice tests (available for some fields) andMTEL Faculty Guide available at www.mtel.nesinc.com.PurposePerformanceCharacteristicsSubject MatterKnowledgeSupportRationaleDefinitionsThe extent to which the response achieves the purpose of theassignment.Accuracy and appropriateness in the application of subjectmatter knowledge.Quality and relevance of supporting details.Soundness of argument and degree of understanding of thesubject matter.16

Scoring scale. The scoring scale below, which is related to the performance characteristics for thetests, is used by scorers in assigning scores to responses to the open-response items. Note that thisscoring scale is typical of the scoring scale used for many tests of the MTEL. The actual score scaleused for your field may be found in the practice tests (available for some fields) and MTEL FacultyGuide available at www.mtel.nesinc.com.ScorePoint4321Score Point DescriptionThe "4" response reflects a thorough knowledge and understanding of thesubject matter.• The purpose of the assignment is fully achieved.• There is substantial, accurate, and appropriate application of subject matterknowledge.• The supporting evidence is sound; there are high-quality, relevant examples.• The response reflects an ably reasoned, comprehensive understanding of the topic.The "3" response reflects an adequate knowledge and understanding of thesubject matter.• The purpose of the assignment is largely achieved.• There is a generally accurate and appropriate application of subject matterknowledge.• The supporting evidence is adequate; there are some acceptable, relevantexamples.• The response reflects an adequately reasoned understanding of the topic.The "2" response reflects a limited knowledge and understanding of the subjectmatter.• The purpose of the assignment is partially achieved.• There is a limited, possibly inaccurate or inappropriate application of subject matterknowledge.• The supporting evidence is limited; there are few relevant examples.• The response reflects a limited, poorly reasoned understanding of the topic.The "1" response reflects a weak knowledge and understanding of the subjectmatter.• The purpose of the assignment is not achieved.• There is little or no appropriate or accurate application of subject matter knowledge.• The supporting evidence, if present, is weak; there are few or no relevant examples.• The response reflects little or no reasoning about or understanding of the topic.A response to an open-response item is designated "unscorable" if it is unrelated to the assigned topic,illegible (for hand-written responses), not in the appropriate language, of insufficient length to score, ormerely a repetition of the assignment. If there is no response to an open-response item, it isdesignated "blank."17

The Day of the TestThis section provides suggestions for preparing for the experience of the test as well as strategies you maywish to employ while taking the test.Preparing for the TestThis section offers tips that you can use to prepare for the test day.Start early.• Make sure you leave plenty of time to get to the test center.• Report to the test center 30 minutes before your scheduled testing time.Dress comfortably.• Wear layers of clothing that you can easily remove or add on (e.g., sweater, sweatshirt). Thiswill allow you to make personal adjustments for fluctuations in room or body temperature.• Wear soft-soled shoes so that you will not disturb other candidates when you leave your seat.Arriving at the test center.• Any personal items that you bring to the test center must be stored in a locker outside of thetesting room during the test. This includes watches, wallets, and purses in addition to prohibitedmaterials described on the MTEL web site.• Do not bring any unauthorized aids or prohibited materials, as listed under "Test Center Rules"on the MTEL web site, with you to the test center. If you do bring these materials, you will berequired to leave them outside the testing area, as designated.Test-Taking TipsThe following tips for taking standardized tests are offered as suggestions that may contribute to yoursuccess and confidence during the test session.Watch the tutorials.• Take the Computer-Based Testing Tutorial on the MTEL web site before the day of your test tolearn how to navigate through a computer-based test (CBT), including how to indicate answersand how to use CBT features.• Take the Pearson Professional Centers Tour on the MTEL web site to preview a visit to aPearson Professional Center, including a view of the typical test room and other test centerareas, to gain advance knowledge of the test center experience.Follow directions.• At the beginning of the session and throughout the test, follow all directions carefully. Thisincludes instructions and written directions given to you by the test center administrators andwritten directions in the test itself.• The test will contain general directions for the test as a whole and specific directions forindividual test items or groups of test items.• If you do not understand something about the directions, raise your hand and ask a test centeradministrator.18

Pace your work.• Each test session is four hours long. The test session is designed to allow sufficient time forsign-in and communication of directions before testing begins and for completion of the test bycandidates. Some candidates may finish testing well before the scheduled ending time of thetest session.• You may find that you need less time than the four hours in a test session, but be prepared tostay for the entire time.• Do not make any other commitments for this time period that may cause you to work morequickly than you should.• Do not spend a lot of time on a test item that you cannot answer promptly; skip that item andmove on.Read carefully.• Read the directions and the test items carefully.• Read all response options.• Remember that the test items call for the "best answer." Do not choose the first responseoption that seems reasonable; read and evaluate all choices to find the best answer.• Read the test items closely so that you understand what they ask.• Do not skim the test items in an effort to save time; you may misread key words and select thewrong answer or spend more time than needed on a test item. For example, if a test item callsfor an approximate answer and you skip over that detail, you could waste time performing a longcomputation.• Read the test items, but don't read into them. The test items are designed to be straightforward,not tricky.Determine the "best answer" and guess wisely.• As you read through the multiple-choice item response options, try to find the best answer. Ifyou cannot quickly determine the best answer, try to eliminate as many of the options aspossible. Then, guess among the remaining answer choices.• Your score on each test will be based on the number of multiple-choice items you haveanswered correctly, in combination with your score(s) on the open-response items.• There is no penalty for incorrect multiple-choice item answers; therefore, it is better to guessthan not to respond at all.Check your accuracy.• Use any remaining time at the end of the test session to check your work.• Go back to the test items that gave you difficulty and verify your work on them.Review carefully the open-response items.• Be sure to read and respond to each part of the items.• Write legibly (if answers are being written by hand). Your responses to the open-responseitems will be evaluated by at least two qualified scorers. It is important for the scorers to be ableto read your response.19

After the TestScore ReportingAfter you have taken a test in the MTEL program, you will receive a score report indicating:• whether or not you met the qualifying score on the test;• your total test score, if you did not meet the qualifying score; and• information about your performance on the subareas/skills of the test.Your score report is available to you on the Internet for 45 days, beginning at 10:00 p.m. eastern timeaccording to the schedule on the MTEL web site, as a PDF document which you may view, print, andsave for your records.If you register online, you may request during the registration process that your score report be sentto you by e-mail. Score report e-mails are sent beginning at 5:00 p.m. eastern time on the score reportdate.If you register by mail or telephone, your score report will also be sent to you by U.S. mail on thescore report date.Your score report will be sent to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education andautomatically added to your licensure file once you apply for a license, based on your social securitynumber or Department-issued identification number. Your score report will be sent automatically tothe Massachusetts institution(s) you indicated during registration. In addition, if you give explicitpermission, your educator preparation institution will also receive the last five digits of your socialsecurity number.Interpreting Your Score ReportEach MTEL test has its own qualifying score (i.e., passing score) set by the MassachusettsCommissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. In order to report test scores in a consistentway, the scores for all the tests are reported on the same scale. Test results are reported as scores ina range of 100 to 300, with a score of 240 representing the qualifying, or passing, score. Therefore, atotal test scaled score of 240 or higher is required to meet the qualifying score for each test.Your total test score is based on your performance on all sections of the test. Your multiple-choicescore and scores on open-response items are combined to obtain your total score, reported on the100 to 300 scale. The scaled score for the multiple-choice items is obtained from the number of testitems answered correctly. The scaled score for the open-response items is obtained from the scoresassigned to the candidate's written or oral responses. If a candidate does not attempt an openresponseitem on the test, no points are contributed to the candidate's score for that test item.20

English (Field 07)Test Overview ChartSample Test ItemsAnswer Key and Sample ResponseTest Objectives21

Test Overview Chart:English (07)Subareas/Range of ObjectivesApproximateNumber of Multiple-Choice ItemsApproximate TestWeightingNumber ofOpen-ResponseItemsMultiple-ChoiceI. Literature and Language (Objectives 1–9) 63–65 51%II. Rhetoric and Composition (Objectives 10–12) 20–22 17%III. Reading Theory, Research, and Instruction(Objectives 13–14)14–16 12%80%Open-ResponseIV. Integration of Knowledge and Understanding(Objective 15)20% 2The English test is designed to assess the candidate's knowledge of the subject matter required for theMassachusetts English teacher license. This subject matter knowledge is delineated in the MassachusettsDepartment of Elementary and Secondary Education Regulations for Educator Licensure and PreparationProgram Approval (April 2007), 603 CMR 7.00 "Subject-Matter Knowledge Requirements for Teachers."The English test assesses the candidate's proficiency and depth of understanding of the subject at the levelrequired for a baccalaureate major, according to Massachusetts standards. Candidates are typically nearingcompletion of or have completed their undergraduate work when they take the test.The multiple-choice items on the test cover the subareas as indicated in the chart above. The open-response itemsmay relate to topics covered in any of the subareas and will typically require breadth of understanding of theEnglish field and the ability to relate concepts from different aspects of the field. Responses to the open-responseitems are expected to be appropriate and accurate in the application of subject matter knowledge, to provide highqualityand relevant supporting evidence, and to demonstrate a soundness of argument and understanding of theEnglish field.23

Sample Test Items:English (07)1. Which of the following statements bestdescribes a significant way in whichAmerican literature developed duringthe early nineteenth century?A. American writers developeddystopian fiction that offeredan alternate view of society'spotentialities.B. American writers used their workto explore psychological theoriesabout the power of the subconsciousmind over human behavior.2. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight mostclearly reflects which of the followingconcerns of the medieval period inBritain?A. the decline of feudalismB. the ethical conduct of the nobilityC. the role of the CrusadesD. the authority of the ChurchC. American writers created fictionalcharacters whose idiosyncraticpersonalities celebrated individualismas a national trait.D. American writers looked to theunlikely fields of science andtechnology as sources of artisticinspiration.24

Sample Test Items: English3. Read the traditional Zen parable "The Tigers and the Strawberry" (ca. 1400 C.E.) below; thenanswer the question that follows.A man was walking across a field when he saw a tiger. He fled, but the tiger ran after him. Comingto the edge of a cliff, he spied the root of a wild vine. Grabbing on to it, he swung himself down over theedge, out of reach of the tiger. He was safe!The tiger came to the edge and sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down and sawanother ferocious tiger prowling below. Only the thin vine held him.Two mice, one white and one black, scurried out of a nearby nest in the cliff and began gnawing atthe vine. As they chewed, the man saw a luscious strawberry on a nearby ledge. Grasping the vine withone hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other.Ah, how sweet it tasted!The above parable most reflects the Zensensibility in its depiction of anindividual:A. drifting through an indifferent,unpredictable universe.B. finding peace in a single, briefmoment.C. discovering a natural, balancedorder.D. meeting the challenges of survivalin a harsh and cruel world.4. The literature of Chinua Achebe, WoleSoyinka, and other twentieth-centuryAfrican writers frequently examinesconflicts between:A. traditional values and modernWestern ways of life.B. individual desire and conscience.C. women's rights and traditionalpatriarchal society.D. government policy and tribal unity.25

Sample Test Items: English5. Read the excerpt below from "Prefaceto Shakespeare" (1763) by SamuelJohnson; then answer the questionthat follows.The truth is, that the spectators arealways in their senses, and know, fromthe first act to the last, that the stage isonly a stage, and that the players are onlyplayers. They came to hear a certainnumber of lines recited with just gestureand elegant modulation. The lines relateto some action, and an action must be insome place; but the different actions thatcomplete a story may be in places veryremote from each other; and where isthe absurdity of allowing that space torepresent first Athens, and then Sicily,which was always known to be neitherSicily nor Athens, but a modern theatre?This excerpt best exemplifies howneoclassical British dramatic criticismrejects which of the following conceptsderived from classical criticism?A. the dramatic unitiesB. the possibility of perfection6. Which of the following descriptionsof a car accident is written in the mostappropriate style for the lead of anewspaper article?A. It was only a matter of time beforea serious accident occurred at thisnotorious intersection, andyesterday it happened—two carscollided at Summer and MainStreets, injuring five people.B. The unmistakable sound of metalagainst metal was heard yesterdayas two cars smashed into each otherat the town's most dangerousintersection.C. A two-car collision yesterday at theintersection of Summer and MainStreets sent five people to thehospital and shut down traffic foralmost two hours.D. Passersby were shocked as theywitnessed a collision in the center oftown yesterday; several went to theaid of the occupants of the two carsas others tried to divert traffic.C. the ideal of truthD. the imitative quality of art26

Sample Test Items: EnglishRead the paragraph below; then answer the two questions that follow.1Some writers produce early works that foreshadow future masterpieces. 2 At the tender age of thirteen,H. G. Wells wrote an entire novella, The Desert Daisy, complete with a map and illustrations. 3 VirginiaWoolf, at age ten, wrote a journal entry and gave it the title "To the Lighthouse." 4 As a nine-year-old,Helen Beatrix Potter's drawings of wild flowers won acclaim; by the time she was a teenager, Potter'sdescriptive prose was as beautiful as her drawings. 5 By age sixteen, T. S. Eliot had written a South Seasvignette and a lovely poem called "A Lyric."7. Which of the following sentences in theparagraph shown above should be revisedto eliminate the use of a cliché?A. Sentence 2B. Sentence 3C. Sentence 4D. Sentence 58. Which of the following revisions isneeded to make this paragraph conformto the conventions of standard writtenEnglish?A. Reposition the period in Sentence 3to be outside the quotation marks.B. Revise Sentence 3 to correct anerror in pronoun-antecedentagreement.C. Revise Sentence 4 to eliminate amisplaced modifier.D. Replace the semicolon in Sentence 4with a comma.27

Sample Test Items: English9. A high school English teacher considersways to help students use metacognitivestrategies to improve their reading comprehension.Which of the followingactivities would be most effective forthis purpose?A. Students take detailed notes on acomplex informational text afterreading it.B. Students read a persuasive essay anda news story on the same topic, andthen write a paragraph comparingand contrasting the two texts.C. Students write questions andremarks in the margins of aphotocopied essay as they read.D. Students skim a text to identifyunfamiliar vocabulary and then lookup the words in a dictionary beforerereading the text.10. Which of the following activities for highschool students would best promote theirunderstanding of the relationship betweenmain ideas and supporting details in anonfiction text they have read?A. Students collaborate in small groupsto take notes on the text and thenpresent their findings orally.B. Students work with partners toidentify what else they would liketo learn about the subject.C. Students collaborate in a smallgroup to write a brief paragraphsummarizing the text.D. Students work with partners tocreate an outline of informationcontained in the text.28

Sample Test Items: EnglishDIRECTIONS FOR THE OPEN-RESPONSE ITEM ASSIGNMENTSThis section of the test consists of two open-response item assignments. You will be asked toprepare a written response of approximately 150–300 words for each assignment. You should useyour time to plan, write, review, and edit your response for each assignment. You must writeresponses to both of the assignments.For each assignment, read the topic and directions carefully before you begin to work. Think abouthow you will organize your response.As a whole, your response to each assignment must demonstrate an understanding of theknowledge of the field. In your response to each assignment, you are expected to demonstrate thedepth of your understanding of the subject area by applying your knowledge rather than by merelyreciting factual information.Your response to each assignment will be evaluated based on the following criteria.PURPOSE: the extent to which the response achieves the purpose of the assignmentSUBJECT KNOWLEDGE: appropriateness and accuracy in the application of subject knowledgeSUPPORT: quality and relevance of supporting evidenceRATIONALE: soundness of argument and degree of understanding of the subject areaThe open-response item assignments are intended to assess subject knowledge. Your responsesmust be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of the evaluation criteria byscorers. Your responses should be written for an audience of educators in this field. The finalversion of each response should conform to the conventions of edited American English. Yourresponses should be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrasedfrom some other work.Be sure to write about the assigned topics. You may not use any reference materials during thetest. Remember to review your work and make any changes you think will improve your responses.29

Sample Test Items: English11. Read the passage below from "A Dog's Tale" (1903), a short story by Mark Twain; then answer thequestion that follows.My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian. This is what my mothertold me; I do not know these nice distinctions myself. To me they are only fine large words meaningnothing. My mother had a fondness for such; she liked to say them, and see other dogs look surprised andenvious, as wondering how she got so much education. But, indeed, it was not real education; itwas only show: she got the words by listening in the dining-room and drawing-room when there wascompany, and by going with the children to Sunday-school and listening there; and whenever she heard alarge word she said it over to herself many times, and so was able to keep it until there was a dogmaticgathering in the neighborhood, then she would get it off, and surprise and distress them all, from pocketpupto mastiff, which rewarded her for all her trouble. . . . When she told the meaning of a big word theywere all so taken up with admiration that it never occurred to any dog to doubt if it was the right one; andthat was natural, because, for one thing, she answered up so promptly that it seemed like a dictionaryspeaking, and for another thing, where could they find out whether it was right or not? for she was theonly cultivated dog there was. . . . She had one word which she always kept on hand, and ready, like alife-preserver, a kind of emergency word to strap on when she was likely to get washed overboard in asudden way— that was the word Synonymous. When she happened to fetch out a long word which hadhad its day weeks before and its prepared meanings gone to her dump-pile . . . then it would belly out tautand full, and she would say, as calm as a summer's day, "It's synonymous with supererogation," or somegodless long reptile of a word like that, and go placidly about and skim away on the next tack . . . theinitiated slatting the floor with their tails in unison and their faces transfigured with a holy joy.Using your knowledge of literature, write a response in which you:• identify and discuss a significant theme suggested by the passage; and• explain how the author's use of personification helps convey this theme.Be sure to cite specific examples from the text to support your answer.30

Answer Key and Sample Response:English (07)QuestionNumberCorrectResponseTest Objective*1. C Understand American literature from the colonial period through the end of thenineteenth century.2. B Understand the literature of Great Britain from the Anglo-Saxon period through theRomantic period.3. B Understand literature from the ancient world to the fifteenth century.4. A Understand world literature from the fifteenth century to the present.5. A Understand literary theory and criticism.6. C Understand the composition process.7. A Understand written language conventions.8. C Understand written language conventions.9. C Understand language acquisition, reading processes, and research-based theoriesrelating to reading.10. D Understand effective, research-based reading instruction and the role of children'sliterature and young adult literature in promoting reading proficiency.*Each test objective is clarified and further described by a descriptive statement, which provides examples of thetypes of knowledge and skills covered by the test objective. The test objectives for the English test appear afterthe sample response in this booklet.AcknowledgmentsQuestionNumber3. Martin, Rafe. Zen parable titled "The Tigers and the Strawberry," from ONE HAND CLAPPING,published by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. Copyright © 1995 by Rafe Martin. Used bypermission of Rafe Martin, www.rafemartin.com.31

Answer Key and Sample Responses: EnglishThe sample response below reflects a strong knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.One theme of this passage is the way people misuse language to enhance their social status andinfluence. Twain focuses on the hypocrisy of those who mask their ignorance and insecurity by affecting anelevated speaking style, implying that the strategy is bound to backfire in the long run, making the personlook ridiculous rather than grand.Twain conveys this theme using a satirical approach that relies on personification—attributing humancharacteristics to dogs. This device allows the author free rein in mocking the absurdities of human behavior.The humorous premise of dogs that act like humans also provides a way of softening what might otherwiseseem an unduly sharp and unkind criticism.The narrator in the passage is a naive young pup who describes, with a straight face, his mother's facilityfor vocabulary – a talent that makes other dogs "envious." Twain goes on to skewer would-be intellectuals(note references to "education," "dictionary," "cultivated") and poke fun at religious pomposity (note referenceto "Presbyterian," the pun of "dogmatic gathering," and the listening dogs "transfigured with a holy joy").In the process, Twain reminds us not only how intellectually dishonest human beings can be (and, at thesame time, how gullible in the face of “some godless long reptile of a word”), but also how words that shouldcarry meaning can be made hollow ("it was only show"), reduced to little more than tools for socialaggrandizement and manipulation.32

Test Objectives:English (07)SUBAREAS:LITERATURE AND LANGUAGERHETORIC AND COMPOSITIONREADING THEORY, RESEARCH, AND INSTRUCTIONINTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDINGLITERATURE AND LANGUAGE [51%]0001 Understand American literature from the colonial period through the end of the nineteenthcentury.For example: the significance of writers, works, and movements in the development of Americanliterature from the colonial period through the end of the nineteenth century; changes in literaryform and style in American literature; the characteristics of major literary periods in Americanliterature (e.g., colonial, Revolutionary, Romantic, Renaissance, realism, Civil War, post–CivilWar); the historical, social, and cultural contexts of American literature from the colonial periodthrough the end of the nineteenth century; significant genres and themes in American literaturefrom the colonial period through the end of the nineteenth century; and a range of Americanauthors (e.g., John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Jonathan Edwards, Phillis Wheatley, JamesFenimore Cooper, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Jefferson, Edgar Allan Poe, Abraham Lincoln,Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, HermanMelville, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Kate Chopin,Henry James), their representative works and themes, and their significance in the developmentof American literature from the colonial period through the end of the nineteenth century.0002 Understand American literature from the twentieth century to the present.For example: the characteristics of diverse works of American fiction, nonfiction, poetry, anddrama from the early twentieth century to the present; the historical, social, and cultural contextsfrom which modern and contemporary American literature emerged; significant genres andthemes in modern and contemporary American literature; and a range of American authors(e.g., Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Gertrude Stein, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, T. S. Eliot,Countee Cullen, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes, Eugene O'Neill, Gwendolyn Brooks,Ernest Hemingway, Saul Bellow, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, James Baldwin, Vladimir Nabokov,N. Scott Momaday, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Rita Dove, Leslie Marmon Silko, LouiseErdrich, Rudolfo Anaya, Amy Tan), their representative works and themes, and their significancein the development of American literature in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.33

Test Objectives: English0003 Understand the literature of Great Britain from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Romanticperiod.For example: the significance of writers, works, and movements in the development of theliterature of Great Britain through the Romantic period; the characteristics of major literaryperiods in the development of the literature of Great Britain (e.g., Anglo-Saxon, Middle Ages,Renaissance, Restoration and eighteenth-century, Romantic); the historical, social, and culturalcontexts of the literature of Great Britain through the Romantic period; significant genres andthemes in the literature of Great Britain from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Romanticperiod; and a range of authors and works from Great Britain (e.g., Beowulf, the Gawain poet,Geoffrey Chaucer, Sir Thomas Malory, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Donne,John Milton, Samuel Johnson, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Robert Burns, William Blake,William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Jane Austen, Percy Bysshe Shelley, MaryWollstonecraft Shelley, Lord Byron, John Keats) and their significance in the development of theliterature of Great Britain from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Romantic period.0004 Understand the literature of Great Britain from the Victorian period to the present.For example: the characteristics of significant literary works of Great Britain from the Victorianperiod to the present; the historical, social, and cultural contexts of Victorian, modern, andcontemporary literature of Great Britain; significant genres and themes in Victorian, modern, andcontemporary literature of Great Britain; and a range of authors of Great Britain (e.g., CharlesDickens, Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë, Matthew Arnold, Gerard Manley Hopkins, ThomasHardy, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, D. H. Lawrence, VirginiaWoolf, W. H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, Doris Lessing, Seamus Heaney), their representative works,and their significance in the development of the literature of Great Britain from the Victorianperiod to the present.0005 Understand literature from the ancient world to the fifteenth century.For example: the characteristics of major literary forms, works, and writers associated withliterature of the ancient world (e.g., African, Asian, European, and Greek and Roman literature;the Bible; world myths and folk tales); the historical, social, and cultural contexts from whichancient world literature emerged; significant genres and themes in ancient world literature; arange of authors and works (e.g., the Gilgamesh epic, the Vedas, the Old and New Testaments,the Qur'an, Homer, Lao-Tzu, Sappho, Sophocles, Aristophanes, Virgil, Li Po, Murasaki Shikibu,Omar Khayyám, Rumi, Dante Alighieri) and their significance in the development of ancient worldliterature; historical, social, and cultural aspects of ancient world literature (e.g., the expression ofregional, ethnic, and historical values, archetypes, and ideas through literature; ways in whichliterary works and movements both reflected and shaped culture and history); and characteristicsand significance of world mythology and folk literature.34

Test Objectives: English0006 Understand world literature from the fifteenth century to the present.For example: the characteristics of major literary forms, works, and writers associated with worldliterature (e.g., African, Asian, European, Latin American) from the fifteenth century to thepresent; the historical, social, and cultural contexts of world literature from the fifteenth century tothe present; significant genres and themes in world literature from the fifteenth century to thepresent; a range of authors (e.g., Michel de Montaigne, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Molière,Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Leo Tolstoy, Feodor Dostoevski, AntonChekhov, Rabindranath Tagore, Rainer Maria Rilke, Franz Kafka, Federico García Lorca, IsakDinesen, Albert Camus, Jorge Luis Borges, Primo Levi, Yehuda Amichai, Nadine Gordimer,Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Pablo Neruda, Czeslaw Milosz, Wole Soyinka, R. K. Narayan, MargaretAtwood, Derek Walcott, Naguib Mahfouz, Ōe Kenzaburō, V. S. Naipaul), their representativeworks, and their significance in world literature from the fifteenth century to the present; andsocial and cultural aspects of world literature from the fifteenth century to the present (e.g., theexpression of regional, ethnic, and historical values; ways in which literary works and movementsboth reflect and shape culture and history).0007 Understand the characteristics of various genres and types of literature.For example: characteristics of the major literary genres (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama);elements of fiction (e.g., plot, character, setting, theme); characteristic elements of fiction genres(e.g., novels, short stories); types of fictional narratives (e.g., folk legend, fantasy, mystery,realistic novel) and their characteristics; genres of nonfiction (e.g., biography, autobiography,letters, essays, reports) and their characteristic elements and structures; genres of drama(e.g., serious drama and tragedy, comic drama, melodrama, farce) and their characteristicelements and structures; genres of poetry (e.g., lyric, concrete, dramatic, narrative, epic) andtheir characteristic elements and structures; types of patterned lyric poetry (e.g., sonnet, ballad,limerick, haiku); criteria for evaluating prose, dramatic, and poetic works of various types; andliterary devices (e.g., figurative language, imagery, irony, symbolism, ambiguity, rhythm, rhyme,sensory detail) and ways in which they contribute to meaning and style.0008 Understand literary theory and criticism.For example: various critical approaches to literature (e.g., New Criticism, structuralism,deconstructionism, New Historicism, Marxist criticism, feminism, reader response); the role ofmajor works in classical literary criticism and the theories associated with them; characteristics ofneoclassic and Romantic literary theory as developed in major writings associated with eachmovement; and the use of various critical perspectives to analyze given literary passages.0009 Understand the structure and development of the English language.For example: structural features of languages (e.g., phonological, morphological, syntactic,semantic); historical, social, cultural, and technological influences shaping English languagestructure and use; significant historical events influencing the development of the Englishlanguage (e.g., Anglo-Saxon migrations; the Norman Conquest); and additions to the lexicon ofthe English language throughout its development (e.g., words from Latin and French, regionaland social dialects in the United States, words derived from technology).35

Test Objectives: EnglishRHETORIC AND COMPOSITION [17%]0010 Understand principles of rhetoric as they apply to various forms and purposes of oral and writtencommunication.For example: the development of rhetoric from a classical art of persuasive oratory to amodern discipline concerned with the analysis and interpretation of spoken, written, andmedia communications; modern and contemporary theories of rhetoric; application of modernrhetorical principles (e.g., unity, coherence, emphasis) to produce a desired result in anaudience; consideration of subject, subject knowledge, purpose, and audience in producing acommunication; use of appropriate arrangement and organization (e.g., logical ordering of ideas),style and tone (e.g., lexical choices, word order, cadence), and form of delivery; similarities anddifferences between language structures in spoken and written English; how to interpret andapply English grammar and language conventions in oral and written contexts; the role of culturalfactors in oral and written communication; strategies for evaluating the content and effectivenessof written and spoken messages; principles of effective speaking and listening for variouspurposes (e.g., for information and understanding, literary response and expression, criticalanalysis and persuasion, debate); and techniques for interpreting and analyzing mediamessages.0011 Understand the composition process.For example: strategies for writing effectively in a variety of forms and for a variety of audiences,purposes, and contexts; processes for generating and developing written texts (e.g., prewriting,drafting, revising, editing, publishing); techniques for revising written texts to achieve clarity andeconomy of expression; revision of sentences to eliminate wordiness, ambiguity, andredundancy; development of a thesis; development of an effective introduction and conclusion;effective useof topic sentences; the role of voice and style in writing; effective use of figurative language;identification of logical fallacies; techniques for improving text organization; effective use oftransitions to enhance the clarity of an argument; selection of appropriate details to support anargument or opinion; applications of technology in all phases of the writing process; and thedistinguishing features of various forms of writing (e.g., reflective essay, autobiographicalnarrative, editorial, memorandum, summary/abstract, argument, résumé, play, short story, poem,newspaper or journalistic article).0012 Understand written language conventions.For example: accurate use and effective application of written language conventions(e.g., sentence and paragraph construction, spelling, punctuation, usage, grammaticalexpression); techniques for editing written texts to achieve conformity with conventions ofstandard English usage (e.g., revising sentences and passages to maintain parallel form; revisingsentences to eliminate misplaced modifiers; editing written texts to eliminate errors in spellingand punctuation); and strategies for effective proofreading.36

Test Objectives: EnglishREADING THEORY, RESEARCH, AND INSTRUCTION [12%]0013 Understand language acquisition, reading processes, and research-based theories relating toreading.For example: basic processes of first- and second-language acquisition and use; strategies toresearch word origins and analyze word formation to understand meanings, derivations, andspellings; relationships among words (e.g., homonyms, synonyms, antonyms) and issues relatedto word choice (e.g., denotative and connotative meanings, multiple-meaning words); researchbasedtheories relating to the reading process; word analysis skills and strategies (e.g., phonics,syllabication, structural analysis); use of semantic and syntactic cues to verify word meanings;the role of vocabulary skills and strategies in the development of reading proficiency; applicationof literal, inferential, and evaluative comprehension skills; the use of metacognitive techniques tomonitor reading comprehension; the application of strategies before, during, and after reading topromote comprehension of expository texts (e.g., previewing and predicting, self-questioning,writing and discussing); the role of oral reading fluency in facilitating comprehension of texts; andways in which text characteristics and purposes for reading determine the selection of readingstrategies.0014 Understand effective, research-based reading instruction and the role of children's literature andyoung adult literature in promoting reading proficiency.For example: research-based theories and practices relating to reading instruction; methodsfor planning, managing, and differentiating reading instruction to support students' readingdevelopment; the role of children's literature and young adult literature in promoting readingproficiency and motivating students to read independently; instructional strategies to promotedevelopment of particular reading skills (e.g., word analysis, vocabulary, comprehension); theadjustment of reading instruction based on ongoing assessment; strategies to promoteindependent reading; strategies for selecting and using meaningful reading materials atappropriate levels of difficulty for all students; and uses of instructional technologies to promotestudents' reading development.INTEGRATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING [20%]In addition to answering multiple-choice items, candidates will prepare written responses to questions addressingcontent from the preceding objectives, which are summarized in the objective and descriptive statement below.0015 Prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to one or more of the following:literature and language; rhetoric and composition; reading theory, research, and instruction.For example: characteristics of various genres and types of literature; major authors, works, andmovements in the literature of the United States, Great Britain, and the world; the historical,social, and cultural contexts from which ancient and modern literature emerged; literary theoryand criticism; the structure and development of the English language; principles of rhetoric asthey apply to various forms and purposes of communication; the composition process andconventions of writing; reading skills and comprehension; language acquisition; and theories andmethods of reading instruction.37