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MTEL Reading Specialist Test Breakdown

Reading Processes and Development has eight subareas with a total of 39 to 41 questions and counts 32 percent of the final score.

Connections Between Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing: influence of oral language, interaction of basic language components, acquisition of first and second languages, steps in the development of oral and written skills and research, theories and models, and their impact on instruction and curriculum.
Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: differences, types, roles and levels of awareness, articulation, impact of students’ cognition level and the role in the reading development of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers, and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Concepts of Print and The Alphabetic Principle: print has meaning and influence, relationship between written and spoken words, book-handling skills, reading left to right, top to bottom, tracking print, recognizing word boundaries, letter naming and recognition, forming letters, impact of students’ cognition level and the role in the reading development of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers, and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Role of Phonics in Reading Development: approaches, role in helping students’ with various strengths and weaknesses, types of phonographs, common single and multi syllable word patterns, generalizations, use of context clues, impact on learning to spell, word recognition, impact of students’ cognition level and the role in the reading development of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers, and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Word Analysis: skills and strategies, morphemes, common prefixes and suffixes, Latin and Greek roots, etymology, compound words, word analysis, spelling development and reading comprehension, using context cues to help pronunciation, sight-word memorization, impact of students’ cognition level and the role in the reading development of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers, and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Vocabulary: relationship between oral vocabulary, word identification and reading comprehension, use of oral language to encourage oral vocabulary, non-contextual vocabulary strategies, methods to help understand unfamiliar words using context cues, choosing vocabulary words, importance of reading a variety of material, impact of students’ cognition level and the role in the reading development of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers, and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Literary and Imaginative Texts: developing literal, inferential, evaluative, response and analytical skills; comprehension before, during and after reading; using oral language and writing activities to promote comprehension; how reading fluency influences comprehension, awareness of text features; and addressing the specific needs of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Expository and Content-Area Texts: developing literal, inferential, evaluative, response, analytical and critical reading skills; strategies for different texts and purposes; comprehension before, during and after reading; using oral language and writing activities to promote comprehension; use of text structures, graphs, features and reference materials; and addressing the specific needs of English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.

Reading Assessment has four subareas with a total of 19 to 21 questions and counts 16 percent of the final score.

Test Construction and Interpretation of Results: validity and reliability, criteria referenced and norm referenced tests, aligning standards based test with curriculum, statistical terminology, objective scoring, biases, confidentiality and the advantages and limitations of reading skills assessments especially for English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Formal and Informal Reading and Writing Assessments: types, characteristics, uses and selection for various reading and writing skills and purposes and the advantages and limitations of assessments especially for English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Role of Assessment in Promoting Development: determine abilities, monitor progress and decide on required interventions; assessments before, during and after instruction; grade level expectations; identifying different reading levels, text leveling techniques, assigning appropriate reading materials to individual students; planning and using individual, small group and whole class assessments; and factors that affect performance of all students, including English as a first and second language students, struggling readers, dialect speakers and those with limited exposure to oral and written language.
Screening and Diagnosis of Reading Difficulties and Disabilities: identifying existing and potential problems, appropriate tools and procedures and uses for the information learned from each, criteria for identifying specific issues. and knowledge of state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines.

Reading Instruction has four subareas with a total of 19 to 21 questions and counts 16 percent of the final score.

Early Reading and Writing Development: research, strategies, methods, instructional practices and their components; designing balanced, comprehensive and sequential instruction; adjustments based on continuing assessments; use of oral language skills and reading and writing connections; addressing the needs of both proficient and struggling readers and writers; individual, small group and whole class instruction; and knowledge of state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines.
Consolidating and Extending Reading and Writing Skills: research, strategies, methods, instructional practices and their components; designing balanced, comprehensive and sequential instruction; promoting cognitive skills; writing activities; role of children’s and young adult literature; trends and technological innovations; addressing the needs of both proficient and struggling readers and writers; individual, small group and whole class instruction; and knowledge of state and federal laws, regulations and guidelines.
Meeting the Needs of Individual Students: instructional strategies and flexible groups; issues specific to English Language Learners and methods to help them learn to read while acquiring oral language skills; social, cultural, psychological and physical factors that influence reading development; and research regarding reading difficulties, and disabilities, appropriate interventions and the various methods to address these issues.

Reading Resources, Materials and Technologies: selection of appropriate material to encourage students to read and foster love and appreciation of the written word; in-depth knowledge of children’s and young adult literature; current research, instructional resources and computer technology for improving literacy and fluency; selecting and adapting material for English Language Learners, struggling readers and special needs students; uses of television, video and audio presentations; and computer based assessment, screening and diagnostic tools.

Professional Knowledge and the Roles of the Reading Specialist has three subareas with a total of 19 to 21 questions and counts 16 percent of the final score.

Reading Research: interpretation, evaluation and application of developmental and cognitive psychology and linguistics; the reading process; impact of culture, home environment, schooling and individual differences; recognition of the features of well designed and flawed experimental and observational studies; and knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research and current research on literacy.
Collaborating with Other Members of the School Community: roles of consultant, in-class support person and provider of individual, small group and whole class instruction and the methods and strategies required to perform each, designing and implementing school wide reading programs, connecting reading with all academic disciplines, knowledge of federal and state laws and regulations and specific community literary issues, and ensuring programs are relevant to the students’ lives away from school and reflect the community’s diversity.
Professional Development: relaying relevant information to colleagues and the local community, methods to help colleagues learn new strategies teaching English Language Learners and struggling readers, using leadership, communication and facilitation skills to improve classroom instruction and reading programs, knowledge of best practices, professional publications, conferences and organizations and ways to inform teachers and administrators of these resources, and techniques for encouraging communication and cooperation between administrators, teachers, students and the community.

MTEL Reading Specialist Test Practice Questions