STR Practice Exam 1 | 90 Questions with
100% Correct Answers
An important building block of literacy skills involves awareness of the sounds of human
language. To build this awareness, prekindergarten teachers will sing songs, play word games,
and read books that contain rhymes and alliteration. Which of the following terms is used to
describe the sounds of human speech?
syntax
phonetics
morphology
pragmatics Correct Answer: phonetics
describes the sounds of human speech
A third-grade teacher plans a lesson that begins with each student independently reading the
same text, followed by a writing activity completed in partner sets, and ends with a class
discussion about the text and their writing. The teacher checks in with students throughout all
parts of the lesson then collects their writing to score with a rubric. This lesson would be best
described as an example of:
integration of language skills
small group instruction
differentiation
an informal assessment Correct Answer: integration of language skills
this lesson requires students to read, listen, speak, and write, making it an example of the
integration of language skills
A prekindergarten teacher reads a big book aloud to her class. The book emphasizes alliteration,
with many words starting with the letter B. As she reads, she uses a pointer to follow along in the
text. Read the following excerpt from the book:
The big brown bear began each day with a big, hearty breakfast.
After reading the book, the teacher points to the better "b" and asks her class what letter it is.
Next, she asks her class what sound the letter makes. Which of the following skills is this teacher
assessing in this activity?
word awareness and tracking
,directionality and tracking
alphabetic principle and word awareness
letter recognition and alphabetic principle Correct Answer: letter recognition and alphabetic
principle
When the teacher points to the letter "b" and asks the name, she is assessing letter recognition,
and when the teacher asks what sound that letter makes, she is assessing alphabetic principle.
A prekindergarten teacher gives each student a tray of sand and asks them to trace the letter "s"
into the sand while making the /s/ sound out loud. This lesson is best designed to support the
development of what concept?
alphabetic principle
print concepts
oral language
alphabetic knowledge Correct Answer: alphabetic principle
Since they are repeating the letter's sound, they are reinforcing the connection between the letter
and the sound it makes.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher notes that the student is likely to understand 3,000 to 4,000 words by the end of the
school year. Based on the guidelines for the state of Texas, what grade level is this student
currently in?
prekindergarten
kindergarten
first grade
,second grade Correct Answer: prekindergarten
Prekindergarten students are likely to understand 3,000 - 4,000 words by the end of the year.
Prekindergarten children should be able to use a wide variety of words to label and describe
people, places, things, and actions. They should also understand the terms used in the
instructional language of the classroom.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher expresses concerns about how the student's limited vocabulary will impact reading
development. Which of the following two reading skills is the teacher likely concerned about in
relation to the student's vocabulary?
Select all answers that apply.
ability to comprehend texts
ability to read fluently
ability to learn sound and letter relationships
ability to use metacognition while reading Correct Answer: ability to comprehend texts
Vocabulary skills impact reading comprehension because frequently encountering words that
you do not know the meaning of can impact your understanding overall.
ability to read fluently
Vocabulary skills impact reading fluency because it is more difficult to decode a word when it is
not a word that is in your vocabulary.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
, The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher explains to the parents that part of the motivation to intervene early on is related to
the Matthew Effect. Which of the following best describes the Matthew Effect?
vocabulary challenges can only be addressed if intervention begins early on in the child's reading
development
initial reading success tends to make later success more likely, while initial deficit may make
continued progress increasingly more difficult
vocabulary challenges can impact student growth in all academic areas, not only language arts
skills
vocabulary detriments negatively impact how well students can comprehend and analyze texts
over time Correct Answer: initial reading success tends to make later success more likely, while
initial deficit may make continued progress increasingly more difficult
This is the correct explanation for the Matthew Effect and its role in reading development.
A second-grade teacher has planned a reading comprehension assessment over a text about the
4th of July. However, the teacher is concerned with the accessibility of this topic for the English
language learners in her class. How should the teacher differentiate this activity to make it a
more reliable assessment of her ELL students' skills?
read the text aloud to all students
provide ELL students with an alternative text on the same reading level for the assessment
encourage active reading by requiring ELL students to annotate while they read
provide ELL students with a graphic organizer of a plot pyramid to complete as they read
Correct Answer: provide ELL students with an alternative text on the same reading level for the
assessment
Providing ELL students with an alternative text would be the best option in this case. There is a
reasonable chance that some ELL students will not have much background knowledge related to
the 4th of July, making this an unreliable assessment of their comprehension.
A kindergarten teacher is using a reading app provided by the district to assess her students'
reading skills each grading period. She collects the data and uses it to track her students' progress
over time. Which of the following best describes the type of assessment that the teacher is
administering through the use of this technology?
diagnostic assessment
100% Correct Answers
An important building block of literacy skills involves awareness of the sounds of human
language. To build this awareness, prekindergarten teachers will sing songs, play word games,
and read books that contain rhymes and alliteration. Which of the following terms is used to
describe the sounds of human speech?
syntax
phonetics
morphology
pragmatics Correct Answer: phonetics
describes the sounds of human speech
A third-grade teacher plans a lesson that begins with each student independently reading the
same text, followed by a writing activity completed in partner sets, and ends with a class
discussion about the text and their writing. The teacher checks in with students throughout all
parts of the lesson then collects their writing to score with a rubric. This lesson would be best
described as an example of:
integration of language skills
small group instruction
differentiation
an informal assessment Correct Answer: integration of language skills
this lesson requires students to read, listen, speak, and write, making it an example of the
integration of language skills
A prekindergarten teacher reads a big book aloud to her class. The book emphasizes alliteration,
with many words starting with the letter B. As she reads, she uses a pointer to follow along in the
text. Read the following excerpt from the book:
The big brown bear began each day with a big, hearty breakfast.
After reading the book, the teacher points to the better "b" and asks her class what letter it is.
Next, she asks her class what sound the letter makes. Which of the following skills is this teacher
assessing in this activity?
word awareness and tracking
,directionality and tracking
alphabetic principle and word awareness
letter recognition and alphabetic principle Correct Answer: letter recognition and alphabetic
principle
When the teacher points to the letter "b" and asks the name, she is assessing letter recognition,
and when the teacher asks what sound that letter makes, she is assessing alphabetic principle.
A prekindergarten teacher gives each student a tray of sand and asks them to trace the letter "s"
into the sand while making the /s/ sound out loud. This lesson is best designed to support the
development of what concept?
alphabetic principle
print concepts
oral language
alphabetic knowledge Correct Answer: alphabetic principle
Since they are repeating the letter's sound, they are reinforcing the connection between the letter
and the sound it makes.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher notes that the student is likely to understand 3,000 to 4,000 words by the end of the
school year. Based on the guidelines for the state of Texas, what grade level is this student
currently in?
prekindergarten
kindergarten
first grade
,second grade Correct Answer: prekindergarten
Prekindergarten students are likely to understand 3,000 - 4,000 words by the end of the year.
Prekindergarten children should be able to use a wide variety of words to label and describe
people, places, things, and actions. They should also understand the terms used in the
instructional language of the classroom.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher expresses concerns about how the student's limited vocabulary will impact reading
development. Which of the following two reading skills is the teacher likely concerned about in
relation to the student's vocabulary?
Select all answers that apply.
ability to comprehend texts
ability to read fluently
ability to learn sound and letter relationships
ability to use metacognition while reading Correct Answer: ability to comprehend texts
Vocabulary skills impact reading comprehension because frequently encountering words that
you do not know the meaning of can impact your understanding overall.
ability to read fluently
Vocabulary skills impact reading fluency because it is more difficult to decode a word when it is
not a word that is in your vocabulary.
A teacher arranges a parent meeting to discuss some observed vocabulary challenges. The
teacher tells the parents that the student does not recognize common instructional language used
by the teacher in the classroom. Based on the teacher's observations, the student is significantly
below the 3,000 to 4,000 words that children her age are generally expected to understand by the
end of the school year. The teacher feels strongly that they should make a deliberate effort to
improve the students' vocabulary to prevent the Matthew Effect and to support reading
development.
, The teacher then describes her plans to support the student's vocabulary development within the
classroom and the process to determine whether further intervention is necessary. Finally, the
group discusses ways for the parents to support their child from home.
The teacher explains to the parents that part of the motivation to intervene early on is related to
the Matthew Effect. Which of the following best describes the Matthew Effect?
vocabulary challenges can only be addressed if intervention begins early on in the child's reading
development
initial reading success tends to make later success more likely, while initial deficit may make
continued progress increasingly more difficult
vocabulary challenges can impact student growth in all academic areas, not only language arts
skills
vocabulary detriments negatively impact how well students can comprehend and analyze texts
over time Correct Answer: initial reading success tends to make later success more likely, while
initial deficit may make continued progress increasingly more difficult
This is the correct explanation for the Matthew Effect and its role in reading development.
A second-grade teacher has planned a reading comprehension assessment over a text about the
4th of July. However, the teacher is concerned with the accessibility of this topic for the English
language learners in her class. How should the teacher differentiate this activity to make it a
more reliable assessment of her ELL students' skills?
read the text aloud to all students
provide ELL students with an alternative text on the same reading level for the assessment
encourage active reading by requiring ELL students to annotate while they read
provide ELL students with a graphic organizer of a plot pyramid to complete as they read
Correct Answer: provide ELL students with an alternative text on the same reading level for the
assessment
Providing ELL students with an alternative text would be the best option in this case. There is a
reasonable chance that some ELL students will not have much background knowledge related to
the 4th of July, making this an unreliable assessment of their comprehension.
A kindergarten teacher is using a reading app provided by the district to assess her students'
reading skills each grading period. She collects the data and uses it to track her students' progress
over time. Which of the following best describes the type of assessment that the teacher is
administering through the use of this technology?
diagnostic assessment
