Study Guide
Field 115: Reading Specialist
Test Design and Framework
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The test design below describes general assessment information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.
Test Design
*Does not include 15-minute C B T tutorial
Test Framework
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
subarea roman numeral 1–Instruction in Foundational Reading and Writing Skills
Competency 0001–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' emergent literacy skills, including phonological and phonemic awareness, concepts of print, and alphabet knowledge.
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- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies to promote students' understanding and application of concepts of print (e.g., understanding that print carries meaning; applying book-handling skills, such as identifying appropriate book orientation and various parts of a book; recognizing the directionality of print; tracking print in text; distinguishing letters, words, and sentences in a text; identifying and applying capitalization of the first word and ending punctuation in a sentence).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies to promote students' development of alphabet knowledge (e.g., recognizing uppercase and lowercase letters, sequencing the letters of the alphabet, applying letter-formation skills to write uppercase and lowercase letters).
- Distinguish between phonological awareness (i.e., the awareness that oral language is composed of smaller units such as spoken words and syllables) and phonemic awareness (i.e., the ability to distinguish and manipulate individual sounds in a spoken word).
- Analyze the roles of phonological and phonemic awareness at different stages in students' reading and spelling development.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' phonological awareness skills (e.g., discriminating words in a spoken sentence; counting, segmenting, and blending syllables in a word; recognizing rhyming words and alliteration; discriminating onsets and rimes).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' phonemic awareness skills (e.g., identifying the initial, final, and medial phoneme in a spoken word; segmenting a word into phonemes; blending phonemes to form a word; isolating, deleting, and manipulating phonemes).
Competency 0002–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' phonics skills and related spelling skills.
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- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies to develop students' knowledge of letter-sound correspondences and their understanding of the alphabetic principle.
- Analyze the role of developmental writing (i.e., students' use of phonetic spelling) in developing and reinforcing students' understanding of the alphabetic principle.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for using the reciprocity between decoding and encoding to support students' reading and spelling development (e.g., analyzing students' spelling errors to identify gaps in their phonics knowledge, using phonics instruction to improve students' spelling and vice versa).
- Analyze the role of phonics skills in the development of beginning reading and spelling and the importance of sequencing phonics instruction systematically according to the increasing complexity of linguistic units or concepts.
- Apply knowledge of systematic and explicit evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' phonics skills (e.g., decoding phonetically regular words containing single consonants; short vowels; consonant digraphs, blends, and trigraphs; long vowels made with silent e; r-controlled vowels; long vowels, variant vowels, and diphthongs made with vowel digraphs; schwa; silent letter combinations; hard/soft c, g) to support students' accurate reading and spelling.
- Apply knowledge of systematic and explicit evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' knowledge of the six common English syllable types (i.e., closed, open, silent e, r-controlled, vowel team, and stable final syllables such as C + le) to support students' accurate reading and spelling.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' knowledge of inflectional endings commonly taught as part of early phonics instruction (e.g., S, E S, E D, I N G), including their knowledge of orthographic rules associated with adding inflections to words, to support students' accurate reading and spelling.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' ability to self-monitor their decoding/encoding by using their knowledge of phonics and the context in which a word appears to confirm or correct the accuracy of their reading and spelling.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional resources (e.g., decodable texts) for supporting students' development of phonics skills and related spelling skills.
Competency 0003–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' word analysis skills, such as syllabication and structural/morphemic analysis, and related spelling skills.
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- Analyze the role of word analysis (e.g., applying syllabication and structural/morphemic analysis skills) in the development of accurate reading and spelling, and the importance of sequencing word analysis instruction systematically according to the increasing complexity of linguistic units or concepts.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' knowledge of structural analysis to support their accurate reading and spelling of compound words, contractions, and abbreviations.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' syllabication skills (e.g., ability to apply common syllable-division patterns) to support their accurate reading and spelling of multisyllabic words.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' structural/morphemic analysis skills (e.g., knowledge of common roots, prefixes, and suffixes; knowledge of common orthographic rules related to adding suffixes to words) to support their accurate reading and spelling of multisyllabic words.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for developing students' ability to self-monitor their decoding/encoding by using their knowledge of various word analysis skills and the context in which a word appears to confirm or correct the accuracy of their reading and spelling.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional resources (e.g., word matrices, word-sum charts) for supporting students' development of various word analysis skills and related spelling skills.
Competency 0004–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' fluency development at all stages of reading development.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of the distinctions between the principal components of fluency (i.e., accuracy, rate, and prosody).
- Analyze the role of phonics, high-frequency words, and word analysis in developing accurate, automatic word recognition to support reading fluency and comprehension.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for expanding students' sight vocabulary (e.g., providing frequent opportunities for students to read and spell words containing previously taught phonics patterns and high-frequency regularly and irregularly spelled words both in isolation and connected text).
- Analyze the significance of automaticity for reading fluency and comprehension, and apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for promoting students' automaticity (e.g., reading and rereading a wide range of texts written at one's independent reading levels).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for promoting students' fluency with regard to accuracy (e.g., improving students' phonics and word analysis skills).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for promoting students' fluency with regard to rate (e.g., providing multiple opportunities to read texts orally or engage in repeated reading).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for promoting students' fluency with regard to prosody (e.g., teacher modeling, echo reading).
- Analyze factors that affect fluency (e.g., limited phonics skills, lack of automaticity, limited vocabulary knowledge, unfamiliarity with the content of a text) and apply knowledge of strategies for addressing these factors.
- Analyze the relationship between fluency and comprehension (e.g., fluency as the bridge between decoding and comprehension) and the role of fluent reading in supporting reading comprehension.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional resources for supporting students' development of fluency (e.g., decodable texts, technology-based fluency programs), and analyze the importance of selecting texts for fluency instruction that reflect students' growing command of decoding skills and academic language.
subarea roman numeral 2–Instruction in Reading Comprehension and Writing
Competency 0005–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' vocabulary and academic-language development in order to support their effective listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
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- Analyze relationships between listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabularies as well as relationships between vocabulary knowledge and comprehension.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for expanding students' vocabulary development (e.g., providing explicit instruction in word meaning, conducting guided discussions of new words and their meanings, analyzing word parts to determine the meaning of new words, discussing the origins of roots and affixes, creating semantic maps of related words, modeling the use of reference materials to clarify the meaning of words).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional practices and strategies for promoting students' use of independent word-learning strategies (e.g., use of structural/morphemic analysis, reference materials, and syntactic and semantic clues) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words encountered in texts.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' knowledge of grammar and usage to comprehend and analyze increasingly complex texts and to communicate effectively when speaking or writing.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for reinforcing and extending students' vocabulary knowledge and academic-language development (e.g., providing opportunities for frequent, extensive, and varied reading experiences; providing opportunities to hear and/or use new vocabulary and academic language during class discussions and in students' writing; providing opportunities to recognize and interpret new vocabulary and academic language in both literary and informational texts).
Competency 0006–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' reading and writing processes with a variety of texts, including multimodal content.
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- Analyze reading as a process of constructing meaning through dynamic interaction between the reader, the text, and the context of the reading situation.
- Analyze the role of various factors in promoting or impeding students' reading comprehension (e.g., decoding and encoding skills, reading fluency, vocabulary knowledge, academic language, background knowledge, text complexity) and/or students' ability to summarize and analyze a literary or informational text effectively when speaking or writing.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of distinctions between different levels of comprehension (i.e., literal, inferential, and critical/evaluative) and strategies for facilitating students' strategic reading at each level.
- Apply knowledge of oral language and writing activities to develop and reinforce students' background knowledge related to academic texts and strategies for activating or developing students' background knowledge to facilitate content-area reading and writing (e.g., reviewing known facts before reading or writing).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for facilitating students' comprehension of complex academic texts (e.g., modeling think-alouds, engaging in close reading of texts with students, activating and discussing prior knowledge/schema related to the text's topic, previewing graphic features, setting a purpose for reading, annotating the text, creating graphic organizers, discussing, engaging in think-pair-share, retelling, summarizing, paraphrasing, journal writing).
- Analyze strategies effective readers use to comprehend different types of text, and apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for promoting students' skills in monitoring and regulating their own comprehension (e.g., applying metacognitive skills, adjusting reading strategies to match the purpose or requirements of the reading task) during reading (e.g., rereading as necessary; using visualization, self-questioning, note taking, annotating, and/or text structure) and after reading (e.g., summarizing, engaging in discussion).
- Analyze effective writing as a recursive process, and apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' understanding and use of the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing) and for developing students' ability to write intentionally and thoughtfully when addressing a range of modes, purposes, and audiences.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' multimodal literacies by supporting their ability to comprehend and create multimodal content (e.g., alphabetic, aural, visual, spatial, gestural), including comprehending, evaluating, and communicating ideas through a combination of writing, sound, visual content, and/or movement.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' independent reading and writing, including how to support students' ability to engage in self-sustained reading of increasingly complex texts with comprehension for increasing periods of time (e.g., explicitly teaching strategies for self-selecting texts and for repairing comprehension when it breaks down).
Competency 0007–Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' critical reading and writing of literary/narrative and informational texts, including their research and disciplinary-literacy skills.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to distinguish and analyze key ideas and details in texts (e.g., using textual evidence to support analysis; explaining how key details support a text's main idea; explaining how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of a text; identifying key components of literary/narrative texts; mapping the structure or content of an informational text).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to analyze an author's craft in constructing a text (e.g., analyzing the use of literary devices; interpreting figurative language; distinguishing their own point of view from that of the author of a text; analyzing the impact of specific word choices on a text's meaning and tone; recognizing different informational text structures and their purposes).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to integrate knowledge and ideas within a text and across texts (e.g., explaining how specific aspects of a text's graphic features relate to the text; comparing and contrasting the themes of two or more texts written in the same genre; assessing the validity of an informational text's argument, evidence, and reasoning; analyzing/synthesizing information from multiple print or digital sources).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of scaffolding strategies that develop and reinforce students' ability to interpret, analyze, and synthesize information and ideas in increasingly complex texts, including engaging students in specific oral language activities (e.g., read-alouds, literature circles, text-based discussions) and writing activities (e.g., response journals, summaries, character analyses, note taking).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to compose narratives that include literary elements (e.g., plot and character development, point of view), details, vivid language, and literary devices appropriate for students' grade level.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to compose informational texts (e.g., introducing and developing topics, using appropriate transition words, maintaining an organized structure, incorporating evidence, organizing related information from multiple sources).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for developing students' study and note-taking skills (e.g., locating, organizing, and interpreting information from various sources).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' ability to use reading and writing to gather, comprehend, and synthesize information ethically when engaging in research (e.g., formulating viable research questions, developing thesis statements, determining the reliability of sources, using proper citation).
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' disciplinary-literacy skills (e.g., distinguishing discipline-specific meanings of words, recognizing text structures commonly used in different disciplines).
subarea roman numeral 3–Assessment, Diagnosis, and Evaluation
Competency 0008–Analyze and apply knowledge of basic principles of literacy assessment, including procedures for interpreting assessment results and using assessment information to plan instruction that supports students' literacy development.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of basic principles of literacy assessment in various instructional contexts (e.g., using multiple measures to guide instructional decision making; ensuring the use of valid, nonbiased assessment procedures; understanding the distinction between and role of various assessments in the literacy program).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of assessment concepts (e.g., validity, reliability) in various assessment situations.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of bias issues (e.g., inherent language, dialect, and/or cultural bias) related to the use of assessment instruments and procedures for diagnosis, placement, and other evaluative purposes (e.g., misinterpreting dialect differences as reading errors).
- Analyze the role of ongoing assessment and diagnostic results in enhancing knowledge of students, monitoring student progress, and planning and modifying literacy instruction within the assessment/instruction cycle.
- Analyze principles and apply knowledge of procedures for interpreting, comparing, contrasting, and using assessment results in different areas of reading and writing to plan, evaluate, revise, and differentiate effective instruction to meet the needs of all students.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of procedures for supporting teachers in selecting, administering, analyzing, interpreting, and using the results of literacy assessments.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of various strategies for communicating results of assessments to a variety of stakeholders (e.g., students, colleagues, parents/legal guardians, administrators, policy makers, policy officials).
Competency 0009–Analyze and apply knowledge of characteristics and uses of formal and informal literacy assessments.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of the characteristics, uses, benefits, and limitations of different types of formal literacy assessment instruments (e.g., norm-referenced tests, criterion-referenced tests, standardized achievement tests, diagnostic tests, placement tests).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of the characteristics, uses, benefits, and limitations of different types of informal reading and spelling assessments (e.g., observation, checklist, retelling, reading inventory, teacher-made test, anecdotal record, running record, portfolio).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of procedures for selecting and administering formal and informal literacy assessment instruments.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of procedures for using data from formal assessments and evaluation procedures for a variety of purposes (e.g., identifying and diagnosing reading and writing difficulties, planning instruction, informing curricular decision making, evaluating the effectiveness of the literacy program).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of procedures for using data from ongoing informal assessments for a variety of purposes (e.g., planning and adjusting reading and writing instruction to meet students' literacy needs).
Competency 0010–Analyze and apply knowledge of characteristics and uses of screening and diagnostic procedures.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of characteristics, uses, and limitations of different types of literacy screening and diagnostic procedures for identifying possible reading and spelling difficulties.
- Analyze and apply screening results in various contexts (e.g., identifying a student for diagnosis, planning for intervention, making a referral for a comprehensive individual assessment).
- Analyze and apply diagnostic results in various contexts (e.g., identifying students' specific literacy strengths and needs, selecting instructional methods and materials that are most appropriate for addressing a student's needs).
subarea roman numeral 4–Professional Knowledge, Roles, and Responsibilities
Competency 0011–Analyze and apply knowledge of foundations of literacy development, including factors affecting literacy development.
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- Analyze major trends and movements in the history of literacy instruction (including major philosophies and approaches).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of current, evidence-based concepts and practices in reading instruction, including essential components of an evidence-based reading program (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension) and interrelationships between the components.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of oral language foundations of literacy development, including major theories and models of language development.
- Apply knowledge of language systems (i.e., phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, orthography, pragmatics) for promoting students' literacy development.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of the connections between reading and writing (e.g., reciprocity between decoding and encoding) and the instructional implications of these connections.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of the literacy needs of all students, including students who are developing readers/writers and/or who have diverse and varying skills and/or linguistic backgrounds.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of the interrelationships between first-language acquisition, second-language acquisition, and literacy development (e.g., positive transfer of literacy skills from the primary language to a new language).
- Analyze various factors that affect literacy development, including individual factors (e.g., physical, emotional, developmental) and factors involving home and community (e.g., cultural experiences, environment).
- Analyze research, theories, and pedagogy related to diversity, including the importance of valuing diversity in the school and community.
- Apply knowledge of ways to advocate for equity in the literacy program at the school and district levels.
Competency 0012–Analyze and apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional principles and practices.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of evidence-based components of effective reading instruction (e.g., explicit explanation, modeling, scaffolding, guided and independent practice) to help all students learn to read successfully.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of evidence-based components of effective reading instruction (e.g., explicit explanation, modeling, scaffolding, guided and independent practice) to help all students learn to read successfully.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for implementing culturally responsive literacy instruction (e.g., valuing the contributions of diverse people and traditions to literacy learning; supporting colleagues in recognizing their own and their students' culturally influenced approaches to learning; using instructional practices that have a positive impact on students' knowledge, beliefs, and engagement with diversity; providing students with linguistic and academic experiences and resources that link their families/caregivers and communities with the school).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of the nature of reading difficulties and factors that contribute to reading difficulties (e.g., students' knowledge, skills, and prior experiences related to literacy; factors embedded in the reading materials; instructional factors), including recognizing key characteristics of dyslexia.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for adapting literacy instruction to meet the needs of various and diverse student populations (e.g., English language learners, gifted students, students with reading difficulties).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of criteria (e.g., ensuring that selected materials reflect society's diversity) and procedures (e.g., considering quantitative and qualitative factors of text complexity) for evaluating and selecting materials for reading instruction and for creating or adapting materials to meet various student needs; and apply knowledge of strategies for assisting students and teachers in selecting appropriate reading materials for various purposes.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of characteristics, benefits, uses, and limitations of various types of materials used in reading instruction, including evaluating and selecting technology-based materials, for a variety of instructional purposes (e.g., enhancing motivation; addressing instructional objectives, interests, or developmental needs); and analyze how technological tools may be used to support reading instruction (e.g., reinforcing previously taught skills, offering opportunities for structured practice with feedback, generating individualized student data).
- Analyze evidence-based concepts related to creating a literate environment (e.g., conditions and experiences that support the emergence of literacy, connections between teacher dispositions and student achievement), and apply knowledge of evidence-based strategies for creating a literate environment that supports the development of a community of learners who engage in wide reading and writing (e.g., using written language routinely in the classroom and across the curriculum; having a large supply of reading materials that represent a variety of genres, multiple reading levels, broad interests, and diverse cultural backgrounds).
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies for promoting students' motivation to improve their literacy skills and to engage in reading and writing (e.g., helping students set and monitor their own reading goals, learning about and using students' interests and backgrounds to motivate and enhance their literacy development).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for modeling reading and writing as valued lifelong activities and for promoting students' interest in, and lifelong appreciation of, reading and writing for pleasure and information (e.g., helping students set and pursue their own personal research goals; encouraging book clubs, literature circles, author studies, and other reading discussion groups; providing students with opportunities to produce creative and personal responses to literature).
Competency 0013–Analyze and apply knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the reading professional.
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- Analyze and apply knowledge of the multiple roles of the reading specialist (e.g., reading coach; provider of in-class support; provider of individualized and small-group instruction; interpreter of literacy assessments; mentor in professional learning communities; staff trainer working with teachers, school administrators, families/caregivers, community members, and others to promote literacy growth for all students; advocate of appropriate and equitable literacy practices and policies).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for collaborating effectively with families/caregivers and community members to support children's literacy development (e.g., partnering with families/caregivers and community members in promoting children's lifelong appreciation of reading and writing; communicating findings of current research in literacy development to various stakeholders, including families/caregivers, local libraries, businesses, and policy makers) and for supporting positive family/caregiver–child interactions related to literacy.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of strategies for keeping current within the field of literacy and for enhancing one's own professional knowledge and skills (e.g., interpreting and appropriately applying research presented in professional journals and publications, participating in professional organizations, attending workshops and conferences) and for engaging in reflective practices (e.g., evaluating and adjusting one's own performance in a variety of instructional contexts).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of ways to collaborate effectively with colleagues to promote professional development and to meet the literacy needs of all students (e.g., coaching, conducting professional study groups for teachers, providing constructive feedback on colleagues' practices related to literacy instruction).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of ways to collaborate effectively with colleagues to promote professional development and to meet the literacy needs of all students (e.g., coaching, conducting professional study groups for teachers, providing constructive feedback on colleagues' practices related to literacy instruction).
- Analyze and apply knowledge of principles, issues, and procedures for determining curriculum needs and for planning, implementing, supplementing, and scaffolding the reading curriculum to accommodate the needs of individual students.
- Analyze and apply knowledge of components and procedures related to effective, evidence-based, multi-tiered system of supports (M T S S) used in Oklahoma (e.g., Response to Intervention [R T I], Oklahoma Tiered Intervention System of Support [O T I S S]).
subarea roman numeral 5–Constructed-Response Assignment
Competency 0014–Analyze assessment data related to a student's reading and writing development and plan appropriate instructional strategies for the student.
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- Analyze and interpret information from multiple reading and writing assessments for a given student in order to identify and discuss significant needs that the student demonstrates in reading and writing.
- Apply knowledge of reading and writing development and instruction to select and describe appropriate and effective evidence-based instructional strategies for the student featured in the assessment evidence.
- Apply knowledge of development, assessment, and instruction in reading and writing to explain and discuss the appropriateness and effectiveness of the selected instructional strategies.