Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages Study Companion

The Praxis®

Study Companion

www.ets.org/praxis

English to Speakers of

Other Languages (5362)

The Praxis® Study Companion 2

Welcome to the Praxis® Study Companion

Welcome to The Praxis®Study Companion

Prepare to Show What You Know

You have been working to acquire the knowledge and skills you need for your teaching career. Now you are

ready to demonstrate your abilities by taking a Praxis® test.

Using the Praxis Study Companion is a smart way to prepare for the test so you can do your best on test day. This

guide can help keep you on track and make the most eﬃcient use of your study time.

The Study Companion contains practical information and helpful tools, including:

• An overview of the Praxis tests

• Speciﬁc information on the Praxis test you are taking

• A template study plan

• Study topics

• Practice questions and explanations of correct answers

• Test-taking tips and strategies

• Frequently asked questions

• Links to more detailed information

So where should you start? Begin by reviewing this guide in its entirety and note those sections that you need

to revisit. Then you can create your own personalized study plan and schedule based on your individual needs

and how much time you have before test day.

Keep in mind that study habits are individual. There are many diﬀerent ways to successfully prepare for your

test. Some people study better on their own, while others prefer a group dynamic. You may have more energy

early in the day, but another test taker may concentrate better in the evening. So use this guide to develop the

approach that works best for you.

Your teaching career begins with preparation. Good luck!

Know What to Expect

Which tests should I take?

Each state or agency that uses the Praxis tests sets its own requirements for which test or tests you must take for

the teaching area you wish to pursue.

Before you register for a test, conﬁrm your state or agency’s testing requirements at www.ets.org/praxis/states.

How are the Praxis tests given?

Praxis tests are given on computer. Other formats are available for test takers approved for accommodations (see

page 38).

The Praxis® Study Companion 3

Welcome to the Praxis® Study Companion

What should I expect when taking the test on computer?

When taking the test on computer, you can expect to be asked to provide proper identiﬁcation at the test

center. Once admitted, you will be given the opportunity to learn how the computer interface works (how to

answer questions, how to skip questions, how to go back to questions you skipped, etc.) before the testing time

begins. Watch the What to Expect on Test Day video to see what the experience is like.

Where and when are the Praxis tests oered?

You can select the test center that is most convenient for you. The Praxis tests are administered through an

international network of test centers, which includes Prometric® Testing Centers, some universities, and other

locations throughout the world.

Testing schedules may diﬀer, so see the Praxis web site for more detailed test registration information at www.

ets.org/praxis/register.

The Praxis® Study Companion 4

Table of Contents

The Praxis

Study Companion guides you through the steps to success

1. Learn About Your Test ....................................................................................................5

Learn about the specic test you will be taking

2. Understanding Question Types .................................................................................. 18

Become comfortable with the types of questions you’ll nd on the Praxis tests

3. Practice with Sample Test Questions ......................................................................... 20

Answer practice questions and nd explanations for correct answers

4. Determine Your Strategy for Success ......................................................................... 29

Set clear goals and deadlines so your test preparation is focused and ecient

5. Develop Your Study Plan ............................................................................................. 32

Develop a personalized study plan and schedule

6. Review Smart Tips for Success .................................................................................... 36

Follow test-taking tips developed by experts

7. Check on Testing Accommodations ........................................................................... 38

See if you qualify for accommodations to take the Praxis test

8. Do Your Best on Test Day ............................................................................................. 39

Get ready for test day so you will be calm and condent

9. Understand Your Scores .............................................................................................. 41

Understand how tests are scored and how to interpret your test scores

Appendix: Other Questions You May Have ................................................................... 43

The Praxis® Study Companion 5

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

1. Learn About Your Test

Learn about the specic test you will be taking

English to Speakers of Other Languages (5362)

Test at a Glance

Test Name English to Speakers of Other Languages

Test Code 5362

Time 120 minutes

Number of Questions 120 selected-response questions

Format Selected-response questions; This test may include questions with an audio

component.

Test Delivery Computer delivered

Approximate Approximate

Content Categories Number of Percentage of

Questions Examination

I. Foundations of Linguistics 22 18%

II. Foundations of Language Learning 26 22%

III. Planning and Implementing Instruction 28 23%

IV. Assessment and Evaluation 18 15%

V. Culture 13 11%

VI. Professionalism and Advocacy 13 11%

About This Test

The English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) test is designed to measure basic linguistic and pedagogical

knowledge for those interested in working in the context of teaching ESOL in elementary or secondary schools.

Candidates usually come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are preservice teachers who are recent graduates

of an ESOL degree program, some may be experienced ESOL teachers moving from a diﬀerent state, while

others are current teachers who have changed from their content area of education to ESOL.

The Praxis ESOL test is categorized into six content categories of expertise, as shown in the pie chart above.

Candidates are expected to demonstrate the knowledge and skills required of a beginner-level K-12 ESOL

teacher. The six content categories were identiﬁed, via rigorous content analyses, by nationally recognized

thought leaders in the ﬁeld of TESOL and applied linguistics. Having basic knowledge in each category was

deemed critical for the beginning-level ESOL teacher.

ETS works in collaboration with teacher educators, higher-education content specialists, and accomplished

teachers to keep the test updated and representative of current and relevant standards.

ETS has aligned the questions on this test with the Standards for the Recognition of Initial TESOL Programs in P-12

ESL Teacher Education, developed by TESOL International Association and the Council for the Accreditation of

Educator Preparation (CAEP).

The Praxis® Study Companion 6

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

Test takers have two hours to complete 120 multiple-

choice questions, which have listening questions

embedded throughout the test. For the listening

questions, test takers have an opportunity to listen

to a recorded prompt multiple times, taking into

account time considerations. Some of the questions

ask candidates to choose more than one answer,

which helps to capture the breadth of a candidate’s

knowledge.

This test may contain some questions that will not

count toward the test taker’s total score.

Content Topics

In this section, discussion questions are open-ended

questions or statements intended to help test your

knowledge of fundamental concepts and your

ability to apply those concepts to classroom or real-

world situations. We do not provide answers for the

discussion questions but thinking about the answers

will help improve your understanding of fundamental

concepts and may help you answer a broad range

of questions on the test. Most of the questions

require you to combine several pieces of knowledge

to formulate an integrated understanding and

response. They are written to help you gain increased

understanding and facility with the test’s subject

matter. You may want to discuss these questions with

a teacher or mentor

I. Foundations of Linguistics

A. Understands phonetics, stress and intonation

patterns, and the eects of phonetic

environment on pronunciation

1. Correctly identiﬁes, stressed syllables, rising

and falling intonation, minimal pairs, and

intonation patterns

B. Is familiar with IPA (the International Phonetic

Alphabet)

1. Correctly identiﬁes and transcribes phonetic

symbols

C. Understands the various types of morphemes

and how they are used in word formation

1. Correctly identiﬁes derivational morphemes,

inﬂectional morphemes, and distinguishes

between derivational and inﬂection

morphemes

D. Understands the usage of English syntax

1. Correctly identiﬁes correct and incorrect syntax

in statements, questions, negations

E. Understands the parts of speech, including

their structural, semantic, and functional

characteristics

1. Identiﬁes parts of speech

F. Understands semantics and how

combinations of words convey meaning

1. Identiﬁes the following

a. collocations

b. synonyms

c. homophones

d. idioms

G. Knows that languages dier from or are

similar to each other in their phonology,

morphology, syntax, semantics, and

pragmatics

1. Identiﬁes cognates

H. Understands the concepts of pragmatics

1. Identiﬁes the following

a. deﬁnitions of pragmatics

b. implications

c. pragmatic failure

d. intended meaning

e. code-switching

I. Understands the concepts of sociolinguistics

1. Identiﬁes the deﬁnition of sociolinguistics,

dialects, sociolects, speech community norms,

and social functions of language

J. Knows the concept of World Englishes

1. Identiﬁes a deﬁnition of World English

2. Knows examples of World Englishes

K. Understands the conventions of written

English (i.e., mechanics)

1. Identiﬁes errors in the

a. spelling

b. punctuation

c. capitalization

d. formation of paragraph

L. Understands the rhetorical patterns and

range of genres used in written English

1. Identiﬁes correct genre and rhetorical devices

(e.g., alliteration, metaphor, simile, etc.)

M. Understands communicative competence

1. Identiﬁes sociolinguistic competence,

grammatical competence, discourse

competence, and strategic competence

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

N. Knows about the inconsistencies and

irregularities of the English language

1. Identiﬁes irregular verbs, irregular nouns

(plurals), and irregular spelling

Discussion Questions: Foundations of

Linguistics

• What is communicative competence?

• What are two ways that spoken English diﬀers

syntactically from written English?

• What are common phonetic transcriptions of

the vowel and consonant sounds in Standard

American English using the International

Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?

• What are three ways to spell the English

phoneme /i/ ?

• What kinds of words most frequently occur in

a reduced form in natural speech?

• What types of utterances have a rising

intonation pattern?

• If an EL consistently pronounces [z] as [s],

how can a teacher help the student learn to

correct the error?

• Which suﬃx is best to teach when showing

students how to change an adjective to an

adverb?

• What is the root of the word “unbelievable”?

• What ﬁve words could a teacher use in a

lesson on Greek or Latin roots in a secondary

school ESOL class?

• How are declarative and interrogative

sentences formed in English?

• What is an example of a tag question?

• How does the word “treat” function diﬀerently

in the following sentences? Let me treat you

to dinner versus Ice cream is a special treat.

• Why is an indeﬁnite article used in the

following sentence?

I would like an apple.

• In English, which verb tense is used for

actions that started in the past and continue

up to the present?

• What is an idiom? Give some examples.

• What kind of lesson could help ELs learn

common phrasal verbs?

• What are three ways that intermediate-level

ELs could expand their repertoire of

adjectives?

• What is one sound in English that is typically

problematic for speakers of each of the

following languages? (Arabic, Spanish, and

Mandarin).

• How does word order in English compare

with word order in a language other than

English that you know?

• What is the function of English in a

multilingual society? Give a speciﬁc example

of its use in one such society.

II. Foundations of Language Learning

A. Understands the distinction between social

and academic language functions

1. Identiﬁes the following

a. registers

b. BICS and CALP as concepts

c. rate of acquisition of BICS and CALP

B. Understands the similarities and dierences

between rst and second language

acquisition, and how learners’ rst language

can aect their second-language production

and reception

1. Identiﬁes the following

a. code-switching

b. positive/negative transfer

c. simultaneous/sequential bilingualism

d. external and environmental factors

C. Understands the processes of second-

language acquisition, including research-

based models

1. Identiﬁes various types of research and

theories on how receptive skills precede

productive skills, on the characteristics of

interlanguage, and on the deﬁnition of

interlanguage

D. Knows the dierent types of aective factors

and their implications for the second-

language learning process

1. Identiﬁes inﬂuence of anxiety of SLA and

various types of motivation

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

E. Understands the relationship between

English phonemes and graphemes and the

rules of phonics

1. Identiﬁes appropriate decoding skills and

invented spelling

F. Understands the literacy development of ELs

1. Identiﬁes stages of reading development,

stages of writing development, transfer from

L1 literacy to L2 literacy, purposes of reading,

and diﬀerence between simple decoding and

comprehension

G. Understands how rst-language literacy

inuences the development of English literacy

1. Identiﬁes the features of ﬁrst language literacy,

positive and negative transfer, rhetoric

patterns, orthographic systems, and structural

patterns

H. Understands that, in addition to language,

student performance may be aected by

various factors (e.g., socioeconomic, physical,

emotional)

1. Can identify the impact of poverty and

characteristics of at-risk students

Discussion Questions: Foundations of

Language Learning

• What are the diﬀerences between basic

interpersonal communication skills (BICS) and

cognitive academic language proﬁciency

(CALP)?

• What is an activity that could help ELs

become aware of appropriate register use in

common social interactions?

• How could a teacher explain to a colleague

why a student from Jamaica was not placed

in the ESOL program at their school?

• How is a classroom practice designed to

foster communicative competence diﬀerent

from one used in another approach to

language learning?

• What is one example of an utterance that

shows evidence of language transfer?

• What psycholinguistic concept is associated

with the following student utterance?

I writed a letter yesterday.

• What is a likely explanation for a student’s

pronunciation of the word “people” as

“beople”?

• What is code-switching?

• What are the principal features of the

constructivist model of second-language

acquisition?

• How does Vygotsky’s zone of proximal

development relate to L2 learning?

• What are the notable features of the following

utterances in terms of interlanguage,

morpheme acquisition order, and formulaic

utterance?

John no come.

• What is one key ﬁnding of the L2 research on

the order of morpheme acquisition in

English?

• What is one classroom practice that could

foster intrinsic motivation for reading?

• Why is portfolio assessment likely to have

positive eﬀects on student motivation?

• How does strategy training enhance

motivation for learning?

• What is an ideal classroom environment for

ELs? Give at least three features and explain

why they are important.

• What is phonemic awareness?

• What is one lesson that could help

beginning-level ELs learn a word-decoding

skill?

• What are the stages of literacy development?

• Why is oral language skill crucial for literacy

development in English?

• What are sight words?

• How does the amount of schooling in an

ESOL student’s native language aﬀect

second- language acquisition?

• What advice could an ESOL teacher give to

the parents of primary-grade-level ELs to

improve their literacy development?

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

III. Planning and Implementing Instruction

A. Knows the implication of dialect variation for

the instruction of English learners

1. Understands colloquial language and diﬀerent

language pronunciation of North American

dialects, and confusion about meanings

B. Understands various methods and

approaches in teaching ELs and knows how to

select the most appropriate methods for the

context

1. Understands in which contexts to use

scaﬀolded texts

C. Knows a variety of instructional delivery

models specic for ELs

1. Understands the following diﬀerent delivery

models

a. TPR

b. push-in

c. pull-out

d. inclusion

D. Knows how to identify appropriate and

measureable objectives that align to

language and content standards

1. Understands lesson plans

E. Knows how to design appropriate classroom

activities that connect to learning objectives

for ELs

1. Understands activities and lesson

development

F. Knows how to design appropriate

assessments that connect to learning

objectives for ELs

1. Understands learning objectives and

appropriate assessments

G. Is familiar with ways to collaborate with other

educators in designing classroom activities

appropriate to the prociency levels of

English learners

1. Understands eﬀective ways to collaborate with

a variety of colleagues on activities focusing

across diﬀerent proﬁciency levels of ELs

H. Knows how to eectively integrate the four

domains of language (i.e., speaking, listening,

reading, and writing) into instruction

1. Understands the most eﬀective use of

language domains

I. Knows how to promote ELs’ acquisition of

receptive and productive skills

1. Understands acquisition of receptive skills and

acquisition of productive skills

J. Knows how and when to apply a variety of

strategies for teaching language skills

contextually or targeting them discretely

1. Understands lists of scaﬀolding techniques

K. Knows how to promote autonomous learning

through cognitive and metacognitive

strategies with ELs

1. Understands graphic organizers or best

contextual technique to promote a skill

L. Understands techniques that activate

students’ prior knowledge and that build new

knowledge to support acquisition of content

and language

1. Understands scenario, learning theory, and

strategy that demonstrate constructivism and

activate prior knowledge

2. Understands the need to facilitate learning in

the content areas for ELs

M. Knows how to organize instruction that

provides students with meaningful

opportunities to use language

1. Knows teaching strategies: grouping and

previewing

N. Understands eective practices for teaching

literacy to English learners

1. Understands balanced literacy and best

literacy practices for emerging learners

O. Understands how to select, modify, and/or

create culturally responsive, age-appropriate,

and linguistically accessible teaching

materials and resources to support ELs’ needs

1. Understands scenarios that portray

appropriate activities

P. Is familiar with how technologies can be used

to support language development,

instruction, and learning

1. Understands scenarios that portray

appropriate activities

Q. Understands how to create a secure,

supportive, and culturally respectful learning

environment for ELs

1. Understands scenarios that portray

appropriate activities

R. Knows how and when to use constructive

feedback to facilitate English-language

learning

1. Understands possible responses to student

output

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

S. Knows how to create a language-, text-, and

print-rich environment at a linguistic and

age-appropriate level that promotes

academic growth

1. Understands print-rich environment

classrooms

T. Understands how to dierentiate instruction

for ELs based on individual student needs and

language prociency levels

1. Understands scenarios of diﬀerent student

supports

U. Knows how to recognize and be

instructionally responsive to Students with

Interrupted Formal Education (SIFEs)

1. Can create learning sequences that eﬀectively

address SIFEs’ needs

V. Understands that instruction will need to be

adapted for ELs receiving special education or

gifted services

1. Understands scenarios or lists of instructional

adaptive strategies that are appropriate for ELs

that have learning disabilities and/or those ELs

who are gifted

W. Understands the importance of language

modeling, comprehensible input and output,

and scaolding for English language learning

1. Understands CALP versus BICS

Discussion Questions: Planning and

Implementing Instruction

• What are strategies that ESOL and general

education teachers can use to adapt

instruction for ELs at diﬀerent proﬁciency

levels?

• What can teachers do to select the most

appropriate materials for their students?

• What is the relationship between Chamot

and O’Malley’s CALLA (Cognitive Academic

Language Learning Approach) and Cummins’

CALP?

• How do the signiﬁcant aspects of Krashen’s

Natural Approach apply to second-language

acquisition?

• Which theorist is associated with the zone of

proximal development, and how can the

concept be used to guide learning?

• What is a silent period in an ESOL student’s

language development, and what are some

activities that accommodate a student in that

stage?

• What is sheltered instruction?

• What are the characteristics of a sheltered ESL

class?

• What are the beneﬁts of dual-immersion

programs?

• What is one lesson that could teach ELs polite

ways to refuse an invitation, to ask for

information about an unclear assignment, or

to oﬀer a critical comment?

• What is English for Speciﬁc Purposes (ESP),

and what types of ESOL students are most

likely to beneﬁt from such a design?

• What are the core components of the SIOP

model?

• What is Total Physical Response?

• How does Krashen’s input hypothesis support

the Total Physical Response technique with

beginning ELs?

• What instructional approaches reﬂect the

behaviorist theory of second-language

acquisition?

• What diﬀerent supplementary materials are

appropriate for each proﬁciency level of ESL?

• How does the Direct Method of language

instruction diﬀer from the Audiolingual

Method?

• What is one lesson that could teach

beginning-level ELs about the diﬀerent

sounds that the letter combination “th” can

have?

• What is a lesson for beginning-level ELs that

could foster interaction in English with

English-speaking peers?

• What is one lesson that could teach an aspect

of CALP to intermediate-level middle school

ELs?

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

• What are the advantages and disadvantages

of ESL pull-out and push-in programs?

• What are some appropriate language-

learning resources that could be included in a

classroom to create a print-rich environment?

• What are the basic principles of content-

based instruction?

• What is the role of English-language skill

development in content-area classes?

• What are some ways to adapt grade-level

content-area teaching materials for diﬀerent

proﬁciency levels?

• What modiﬁcations can ESOL and general

educators use to make a fourth-grade lesson

on colonial life in the United States more

accessible to beginning-level ELs?

• What are appropriate materials for making a

unit on the American Revolution more

accessible to ELs?

• What are various pre- and postactivities that

could be incorporated into eﬀective content-

area instruction for ELs?

• How can content and language standards be

incorporated into a lesson?

• What is an ongoing classroom activity that

could help intermediate-level ELs learn to

improve their reading ﬂuency?

• What is an activity or series of activities that

could help intermediate-level ELs understand

a guest speaker’s talk on the rain forest?

• What speciﬁc activities help ELs activate their

prior knowledge?

• What is one practice that a high school ESOL

teacher could introduce to improve the

written composition abilities of advanced-

level ELs?

• What types of activities help ESOL students

monitor and improve their proﬁciency in

English pronunciation?

• What is an activity that could help ELs identify

word stress patterns in English?

• What types of activities best assist ESOL

students in their development of English

syntax?

• What types of activities are most eﬀective in

teaching receptive skills and productive skills?

• What are the elements of the following kinds

of essays? Compare/contrast and

classiﬁcation deﬁnition.

• What are the common genres of writing in

English?

• What are the components of a successful

literacy program?

• How can morphological knowledge be used

to build students’ vocabulary level?

• What are strategies that teachers could use to

help students focus on speciﬁc language

needs, such as improving their pronunciation

or grammatical accuracy?

• What are some strategies for strengthening

students’ oral comprehension?

• What kinds of activities help students use

their knowledge of words to understand

unfamiliar vocabulary?

• How might a lesson on preﬁxes and suﬃxes

help improve a student’s ability to derive

meaning from newly encountered words?

• What are some ways in which a teacher could

lead students to analyze diﬀerences or

similarities in vocabulary, sentence structure,

spelling, and pronunciation between English

and their native languages?

• What is one lesson that could teach students

how to monitor their own understanding as

they read?

• What kinds of activities help students

comprehend nonﬁction texts?

• What kinds of skills are most beneﬁcial for a

teacher to focus on with a group of ESOL

students who are almost ready to transition

into mainstream English classes?

• What is an activity that incorporates task-

based learning?

• How is a jigsaw activity implemented?

• How do diﬀerent techniques maximize

student interaction?

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

• What are the diﬀerences in techniques for

teaching a second language to students who

are literate and students who are illiterate in

their native language?

• What types of instructional techniques are

most eﬀective with newcomers?

• What are some speciﬁc guidelines for student

interaction and appropriate behavior in the

classroom?

• From a classroom management perspective,

why is it important that students respect

diﬀerences among their peers?

• How does the establishment of classroom

routines help ELs learn both language and

proper school behaviors?

• What is the value of collaborative learning?

• What are some strategies that teachers could

use to help students become independent

learners?

• How do appropriate methods of correction

vary when a teacher is dealing with beginner

ESOL students compared with advanced

ESOL students?

IV. Assessment and Evaluation

A. Is familiar with the role of assessment in the

identication, placement, and exit from

language-support programs

1. Uses the United States Department of

Education (DOE) compliance guidelines for

identiﬁcation, placement, and exit criteria of

ELs

B. Understands a variety of formal and informal

methods to assess receptive and productive

language skills

1. Informal methods—running records, SOLOM,

checklists, anecdotal notes, rubrics, reading

inventories, subject area interest and attitude

inventories, portfolios, worksheets, homework

assignments, etc.

2. Formal methods—statewide standardized

assessments, EOCs, teacher-generated formal

assessments (portfolio, unit test, reading

inventory, projects)

C. Knows how to develop and administer

formative and summative classroom

assessments to determine ELs’ language skills,

inform instruction, and document student

growth

1. Through ﬁeld placement experiences, teachers

working with ELs would need to document

daily and/or weekly student performance on

selected skills and be able to take that

information to inform subsequent lessons and

reteach as needed; this includes teacher-made

or commercially produced summative unit

tests and/or daily worksheets, textbook

assignments, etc.

2. Identiﬁes tests that can be used for formative

and summative assessments

3. Takes information from instruction/objectives

to inform additional planning

D. Knows there are a variety of accommodations

for state-mandated content-area testing for

ELs

1. Knows that teachers can read exam questions

aloud to a student, (re)write and/or translate

exams/assignments for students, provides

extended time, allow use of word-for-word

language dictionaries, use of translation for

test directions (in student’s native language),

use DOE compliance guidelines, and make

sure that these questions are not state speciﬁc

E. Knows ways to adapt classroom assessments

for ELs

1. Appropriately adapts assessments by giving

ELs alternatives in responding, such as

illustrating, oral response, fewer test questions,

diﬀerent formatting, and scaﬀolding the

content-area testing

F. Knows that some ELs may be eligible for

special education and/or gifted and talented

services and is familiar with how to provide

feedback and input about assessment data

1. Documentation can be laws such as OCR; for

example, providing a scenario with pieces of

data and posing the question “What data is

missing/not evident?”

2. Considers rewriting for clariﬁcation: knows that

some ELs may be eligible for additional

services (e.g., special education and gifted and

talented) and is familiar with how to provide

feedback and input about assessment data of

said services

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Step 1: Learn About Your Test

G. Is familiar with assessment-related issues such

as validity, reliability, and language and

cultural bias

1. Can identify cultural bias in test questions,

recognizes how validity and reliability can be

compromised and have most likely been ﬁeld

tested with proﬁcient English speakers, thereby

skewing test results

H. Knows the dierence between norm-

referenced and criterion-referenced

assessments and how they are used with ELs

1. Recognizes that norm-referenced tests

compare ELs with proﬁcient English speakers

(and that population of test takers may not

reﬂect ELs’ level of English proﬁciency) and

how that has consequences for ELs in terms of

teacher perceptions of ELs’ level of intelligence

and grading, placement remedial, regular or

advanced class as well as possibly failing

classes

2. Recognizes that criterion-referenced tests

provide teachers with speciﬁc information

about whether an EL has mastered particular

skills tested and whether teachers can group

students accordingly and reteach speciﬁc skills

I. Knows how to interpret assessment data and

use it to assist in planning and dierentiating

instruction for ELs

1. If given a student proﬁle with data, can identify

skills not mastered and determine what group

with similar challenges the student can be

placed into, and reteach

J. Is familiar with strategies for communicating

assessment data to English learners and their

guardians

1. Can use graphics to convey test data, provide

speciﬁc examples from the ELs’ work samples,

modify “teacher jargon” when speaking with

parents of ELs, uses interpreters to help convey

test data; if sending information home, uses

DOE compliance guidelines

Discussion Questions: Assessment and

Evaluation

• What are the primary uses of individual and

group literacy assessments?

• What are the advantages and disadvantages

of each?

• What are national requirements for exit from

a language-support program?

• When and how is a home-language survey

used?

• What kinds of assessments best focus on

ESOL students’ comprehension skills in all four

domains of language acquisition?

• What types of formative and summative

assessments are eﬀective for measuring ELs’

knowledge and/or skills?

• What is one test task that could be used to

assess productive language skills?

• How can a portfolio assessment be an

eﬀective tool to evaluate ELs’ progress?

• What criteria should be taken into account

when selecting the appropriate assessment

instrument for EL skills?

• What is the diﬀerence between a needs

assessment and a diagnostic assessment?

• What diﬀerent means of evaluation can

teachers use to measure their students’

progress toward meeting state and national

standards?

• How do state and national requirements

aﬀect the reporting of ESOL students’ scores

on standardized tests?

• What are some formal and informal

techniques that could be used to assess how

well students are progressing in content-area

learning?

• What is one assessment on the Industrial

Revolution that is appropriate for an

intermediate-level EL?

• Why is it important for teachers to model

techniques for self-assessment?

• What is the value of peer assessment?

• How can language-proﬁciency skills aﬀect the

outcome of an assessment of cognitive

achievement?

• What accommodations can be given to ESOL

students to accurately measure their linguistic

and academic proﬁciencies?

• How do special education needs factor into

decisions about ESOL student placement?

The Praxis® Study Companion 14

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

• What kind of evidence can indicate that an EL

might be a candidate for a gifted program?

• What are examples of concrete evidence that

indicate that an EL has cognitive diﬃculties in

addition to language-learning diﬃculties?

• How might vastly diﬀerent scores achieved

by the same ESOL student on the same test

material be explained?

• How can cultural bias aﬀect the scores of

ESOL students on standardized tests?

• What are the characteristics of a criterion-

referenced assessment?

• For what purposes are norm-referenced

assessments used?

• How can assessment results be used to

modify classroom instruction to meet

students’ needs?

• What are some factors that determine a

student’s candidacy for an ESOL program?

• What criteria should be used to determine

whether an ESOL student is ready to be

exited from an ESOL program?

• What important factors contribute to the

decision to advance an ESOL student to the

next level of instruction or retain the student

for further instruction at the current level?

• How can assessment results be

communicated to parents who are not

proﬁcient in English?

V. Culture

A. Understands the interrelationship between

language and culture

1. Nativists, nature versus nurture, decision to use

native language or not in the classroom, oral

traditions, how language aﬀects behavior,

identifying cultural mistakes and scenarios, eye

contact, culture of gender/ethnicity/

socioeconomic background, grouping

students who communicate diﬀerently based

on their cultural backgrounds, variationist

perspective on sociolinguistics,

miscommunications/misconceptions based

on culture, participation (or lack of

participation) based on cultural backgrounds,

and topics that could be oﬀensive in the

classroom

B. Understands the ways cultural variables aect

second-language acquisition and teaching

1. ELs’ usage of nonstandard English(es) in the

school setting and its implications on their

academic performance, inductive versus

deductive, and rhetorical/logical patterns of

thought

C. Understands the ways students’ identities will

vary widely across and within cultures

1. Partnering students together based on

identities (gender, ethnicity, regional, etc.)

D. Understands the implications of cultural

stereotyping, cultural bias, and cultural

bullying in the school setting

1. Dangers of ethnocentric mentalities

E. Knows that cultural experiences inuence

student language development, disposition,

and learning

1. Neighborhoods/communities that students

are coming from, exposure to community, and

culture shock

F. Understands that the teacher’s personal and

cultural experiences inuence teaching style

1. Understands that the teacher’s personal and

cultural experiences inﬂuence teaching style

G. Understands the dierence between

acculturation and assimilation

1. Understands the varied origins of ELs in

schools in the United States

The Praxis® Study Companion 15

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

Discussion Questions: Culture

• What are some examples of cultural norms

that aﬀect communication?

• Why is it important for language learners to

also learn the cultural norms associated with

a language?

• How do cultures vary in terms of norms

concerning eye contact?

• How does the student-teacher relationship

vary between cultures, and what kinds of

misunderstandings might the diﬀerences

create?

• What are the primary diﬀerences between

individualist cultures and collectivist cultures?

• What is one example of nonverbal behavior

that diﬀers from one culture to another

related to demonstrations of respect?

• What are some approaches to learning that

may vary from one culture to another?

• How might diﬀerent experiences with prior

schooling aﬀect an EL’s academic success in a

new country?

• What is one example of a cultural expectation

that explains why teachers may approach

teaching diﬀerently in two diﬀerent cultures?

• What is one way that a student’s behavior

varies from one culture to another?

• What are some ways in which a teacher could

incorporate aspects of diverse cultures into a

lesson?

• How could a teacher help build positive

relationships between students from diﬀerent

cultural backgrounds?

• What are some potential eﬀects of

stereotyping on students?

• What are some ways that a teacher could

introduce a discussion about the negative

eﬀects of stereotyping?

• Why is it important for ESOL teachers to serve

as role models for other teachers regarding

their interaction with ELs?

• How does the role of family vary between

cultures, and how might that aﬀect language

acquisition?

• How can a teacher eﬀectively work with a

newly arrived EL who does not view formal

education as a priority?

• What is one strategy a teacher could use to

work with ELs whose views on gender roles in

their culture heavily aﬀect their educational

experiences?

• What is ethnocentrism?

• What are several strategies that could appeal

to learners from diverse cultural

backgrounds?

• How have changes to immigration patterns in

the United States aﬀected ESOL education?

• What constitutes an eﬀective program model

for ESOL students based on evaluation criteria

from the United States Department of

Education?

• What is the legal basis for initial identiﬁcation

for an ESL program, advancement through

the program, exit criteria, and Adequate

Yearly Progress (AYP)?

• What are some school and community

resources that could be of assistance to ELs

and their families?

• What information about cultural diﬀerences

might be useful to a general education

teacher who is teaching ESOL students?

• What is one situation in which an ESOL

teacher could facilitate eﬀective

communication between ELs, their families,

and school staﬀ?

• What types of curricula are most likely to

beneﬁt ELs with speciﬁc career goals?

VI. Professionalism and Advocacy

A. Knows the possible dierences between

disabilities and typical language prociency

development

1. Able to identify a scenario in which a student

might have a possibly disability, as opposed to

demonstrating typical development in

language proﬁciency

The Praxis® Study Companion 16

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

B. Knows how to value and incorporate diverse

cultures of students into instruction

1. Able to apply knowledge of culturally relevant

pedagogy to scenarios in which the student

population base is diverse

C. Understands the legal provisions and ethical

implications of laws and federal court

decisions related to the education of ELs

1. Has knowledge of various relevant laws (e.g.,

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Plyler v.

Doe, Castañeda v. Pickard)

D. Understands the need to serve as a

professional resource and advocate for ELs

and families

1. Understands possible roles of EL teacher

E. Understands the need to communicate with

school personnel about the characteristics

and emotional, social, and physical needs of

ELs

1. Can identify a scenario in which EL teachers

appropriately respond to emotional, social, and

physical needs of their students

F. Knows how to identify appropriate strategies

for planning and collaborating with ELs, their

families, and school and community members

1. Can identify scenarios in which appropriate

strategies can be matched or ranked (e.g., by

their order in importance) in relation to a

particular stakeholder (e.g., relative of student,

community member, etc.)

G. Understands ways to collaborate with other

school personnel regarding the academic

needs of ELs

1. Can identify optimum scenarios in which

successful collaboration occurs between

school personnel (e.g., teachers and guidance

counselor) with regard to the academic needs

of the ELs

H. Is familiar with ways that ELs and their

families may benet from a variety of outside

resources (e.g., services, networks,

organizations)

1. Can identify a variety of resources outside of

the school context that can help ELs and their

families thrive in their community

I. Knows a variety of strategies for consulting

with guardians and communicating with

them about each student’s progress and

needs

1. Understands a variety of ways to consult and

communicate with students’ progress and

needs

J. Knows the importance of engaging in

professional development by continually

researching relevant and reliable resources

and organizations in the eld of teaching

ESOL

1. Can identify various acronyms/initialisms by

their names and functions (e.g., NABE, TESOL,

NIEA, TOEFL, ESL, EFL, SIOP)

Discussion Questions: Professionalism and

Advocacy

• How can ESL teachers stay up-to-date on

relevant developments in their ﬁeld?

• What kind of information can various

organization oﬀer ESOL teachers (e.g., TESOL,

CAL, ACTFL, and NABE)?

• What are some relevant and reliable resources

that report on current research pertaining to

the education of ELs, and where can they be

found?

• What is TESOL, and what types of

requirements are included in the TESOL

standards for ESOL students?

• Why is it important for ESOL teachers to

pursue opportunities for growth in their ﬁeld?

• What is one way that ESOL teachers in a

district could collaborate on professional

development activities?

• What are some strategies for including

various members of the school community in

meeting with ELs and their families?

• What are some examples of supplementary

materials that could provide parents of ELs

with important information about their

children?

• How can an ESL teacher eﬀectively integrate

community resources into instruction?

• How might a teacher help an EL who

becomes frustrated when learning English?

• What are some ways that paraprofessionals

contribute to the ESL classroom?

• What are the integral factors for ESL and

content-area teachers to consider when

collaborating on planning instruction for ELs?

The Praxis® Study Companion 17

Step 1: Learn About Your Test

• What are some diﬀerent ways that an ESL

teacher could advocate for ELs within the

school community?

• How can an ESL teacher eﬀectively provide

information about available community

resources to ELs and their families?

• What are some reasons that ELs and their

families might have a need for resources

provided by the community?

• Why is it important to provide feedback to

parents/caregivers regarding their children’s

linguistic and academic progress?

• What are several factors that could inﬂuence

instructional planning based on feedback

from ELs’ parents/caregivers?

• What are some ways in which teachers could

communicate with parents of ELs?

• What are some factors that might hinder the

parent of an EL from being more involved in a

child’s education?

• What might a teacher do to ensure that a

student from a country at war feels supported

in the classroom?

• What is one type of extra support that could

assist ELs who have experienced previous

traumatic events in their lives, such as family

separation or life as a refugee?

The Praxis® Study Companion 18

Step 2: Understanding Question Types

2. Understanding Question Types

Become comfortable with the types of questions you’ll nd on the Praxis tests

The Praxis® assessments include a variety of question types: constructed response (for which you write a

response of your own); selected response, for which you select one or more answers from a list of choices or

make another kind of selection (e.g., by selecting a sentence in a text or by selecting part of a graphic); and

numeric entry, for which you enter a numeric value in an answer ﬁeld. You may be familiar with these question

formats from taking other standardized tests. If not, familiarize yourself with them so you don’t spend time

during the test ﬁguring out how to answer them.

Understanding Selected-Response and Numeric-Entry Questions

For most questions, you respond by selecting an oval to select a single answer from a list of answer choices.

However, interactive question types may also ask you to respond by:

• Selecting more than one choice from a list of choices.

• Typing in a numeric-entry box. When the answer is a number, you may be asked to enter a numerical answer. Some

questions may have more than one entry box to enter a response. Numeric-entry questions typically appear on

mathematics-related tests.

• Selecting parts of a graphic. In some questions, you will select your answers by selecting a location (or locations) on

a graphic such as a map or chart, as opposed to choosing your answer from a list.

• Selecting sentences. In questions with reading passages, you may be asked to choose your answers by selecting a

sentence (or sentences) within the reading passage.

• Dragging and dropping answer choices into targets on the screen. You may be asked to select answers from a list

of choices and to drag your answers to the appropriate location in a table, paragraph of text or graphic.

• Selecting answer choices from a drop-down menu. You may be asked to choose answers by selecting choices from

a drop-down menu (e.g., to complete a sentence).

Remember that with every question you will get clear instructions.

Understanding Constructed-Response Questions

Some tests include constructed-response questions, which require you to demonstrate your knowledge

in a subject area by writing your own response to topics. Essays and short-answer questions are types of

constructed-response questions.

For example, an essay question might present you with a topic and ask you to discuss the extent to which you

agree or disagree with the opinion stated. You must support your position with speciﬁc reasons and examples

from your own experience, observations, or reading.

The Praxis® Study Companion 19

Step 2: Understanding Question Types

Review a few sample essay topics:

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka

“We come then to the question presented: Does segregation of children in public schools solely on the

basis of race, even though the physical facilities and other ‘tangible’ factors may be equal, deprive the

children of the minority group of equal educational opportunities? We believe that it does.”

A. What legal doctrine or principle, established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), did the Supreme Court

reverse when it issued the 1954 ruling quoted above?

B. What was the rationale given by the justices for their 1954 ruling?

• In his self-analysis, Mr. Payton says that the better-performing students say small-group work is boring and that

they learn more working alone or only with students like themselves. Assume that Mr. Payton wants to continue

using cooperative learning groups because he believes they have value for all students.

o Describe TWO strategies he could use to address the concerns of the students who have

complained.

o Explain how each strategy suggested could provide an opportunity to improve the functioning

of cooperative learning groups. Base your response on principles of eﬀective instructional

strategies.

• “Minimum-wage jobs are a ticket to nowhere. They are boring and repetitive and teach employees little or nothing

of value. Minimum-wage employers take advantage of people because they need a job.”

o Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with this opinion. Support your views with

speciﬁc reasons and examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Keep these things in mind when you respond to a constructed-response question:

1. Answer the question accurately. Analyze what each part of the question is asking you to do. If the question asks

you to describe or discuss, you should provide more than just a list.

2. Answer the question completely. If a question asks you to do three distinct things in your response, you should

cover all three things for the best score. Otherwise, no matter how well you write, you will not be awarded full

credit.

3. Answer the question that is asked. Do not change the question or challenge the basis of the question. You will

receive no credit or a low score if you answer another question or if you state, for example, that there is no

possible answer.

4. Give a thorough and detailed response. You must demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the

subject matter. However, your response should be straightforward and not ﬁlled with unnecessary information.

5. Take notes on scratch paper so that you don’t miss any details. Then you’ll be sure to have all the information you

need to answer the question.

6. Reread your response. Check that you have written what you thought you wrote. Be sure not to leave sentences

unﬁnished or omit clarifying information.

The Praxis® Study Companion 20

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

3. Practice with Sample Test Questions

Answer practice questions and nd explanations for correct answers

Computer Delivery

This test is available via computer delivery. The following sample question provides a preview of an actual

screen used in a computer-delivered test. For the purposes of this Study Companion, the sample questions are

shown as they would appear in a paper-delivered test.

The Praxis® Study Companion 21

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

Sample Test Questions

The sample questions that follow illustrate the kinds of

questions on the test. They are not, however, representative

of the entire scope of the test in either content or diﬃculty.

The answers and their explanations are provided later in

this chapter.

Terminology: In this test, the following terminology

may appear as described.

• English to Speakers of Other Languages may be

referred to as ESOL.

• English as a Second Language may be referred to

as ESL.

• English as a Foreign Language may be referred to

as EFL

• An English-language learner may be referred to as

an EL

• Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

may be referred to as TESOL.

• The National Association for Bilingual Education may be

referred to as NABE.

• The Center for Applied Linguistics may be referred to

as CAL.

• Basic interpersonal communication skills may be

referred to as BICS.

• Cognitive academic language proﬁciency may be

referred to as CALP.

• The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach

may be referred to as CALLA.

• The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model

may be referred to as the SIOP Model.

• A ﬁrst language may be referred to as the L1.

• A second language may be referred to as the L2.

• Total Physical Response may be referred to as TPR.

• A parent or legal guardian may be referred to as

a parent.

• Second Language Acquisition may be referred to as

SLA.

Directions: Each of the questions or statements below

is followed by four suggested answers or completions.

Select the one that is best in each case.

1. An EL approaches the ESOL teacher and

says, “Give me a piece of paper.” The EL’s

utterance is best characterized as an error in

(A) article usage

(B) word order

(D) conjugation

2. Which of the following terms refers to how the

level of a language learner’s negative feelings

and motivation correlates to his or her ability

to acquire new language skills?

(A) Deductive reasoning

(B) Extrinsic reinforce

(D) Self-regulated learning

3. Mr. Lewis, a new ESL teacher, is evaluating

several assessments that were used by the

previous ESL teacher. Because of the diverse

cultural backgrounds of his students, Mr.

Lewis wants to ensure that the assessments

he chooses to incorporate into the curriculum

do not exhibit any cultural bias. Which of the

following is the most appropriate question for

Mr. Lewis to use as a guideline when

screening the assessments for cultural bias?

(A) Was the ESL teacher who designed the

assessments uent in more than one

language?

(B) Will the students need a high level of

sociopragmatic competence to complete

the assessments?

the assessments in the past reliable?

(D) Do the assessments separate content-

area learning from language learning?

The Praxis® Study Companion 22

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

4. A high school ESOL teacher gives students

the following work sheet.

The primary purpose of the work sheet is to

provide instruction on

(A) morphology

(B) stress

(D) syllabication

5. Which of the following court cases resulted in

a ruling that district-implemented programs

for ELs must be evaluated for effectiveness?

(A) Lau v. Nichols

(B) Brown v. Board of Education

(D) Castañeda v. Pickard

6. An ESL teacher plans to evaluate the

students’ midyear progress by referencing

various examples of their work taken from the

current semester. Which of the following will

most accurately assist the teacher in

assessing the students’ English-language

development?

(A) Standardized test scores that

demonstrate ESL students’ academic

performance in specic content areas

(B) Report card grades and comments from

all content area classroom teachers

essays, presentation rubrics, and tests

(D) A norm-referenced midterm exam that

was recently administered to ESL

students

7. Subtractive bilingualism is most likely to occur

in second-language learners who

(A) have difculty understanding content-

area vocabulary

(B) have little opportunity to continue using

their rst language

home cultures

(D) had limited formal schooling in their

home countries

8. Which of the following makes the greatest use

of active participation, including gestures and

body movement?

(A) Grammar Translation

(B) Total Physical Response

(D) The Direct Method

9. The following is based on an excerpt from an

EL’s essay about a summer job.

The errors in the second sentence primarily

involve

(A) word choice

(B) word structure

(D) word spelling

10. Listen to an ESOL student read the following

sentence aloud.

(Recorded excerpt)

He nally went to bed.

(Student pronounces “bed” as [bεt])

The error in pronunciation in the word “bed”

indicates a problem with

(A) nal intonation patterns

(B) places of articulation

(D) word stress patterns

The Praxis® Study Companion 23

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

11. Mr. Abbott notices that a few of his ESL

students have not been doing classwork or

homework assignments because they lack

motivation to learn about certain topics. Mr.

Abbott can best increase his students’

intrinsic motivation to learn by

(A) offering them verbal praise after they

complete an assignment properly

(B) rewarding them with a small prize after

they successfully complete a certain

number of assignments

incorporating those interests into

classroom lessons

(D) calling their parents to inform them of the

missing assignments

12. Which of the following behaviors is most

consistent with culture shock?

(A) An EL prefers learning activities that

feature pictures, graphic organizers, and

lm clips to present content-area topics.

(B) An EL appears nervous and frustrated in

his or her new surroundings and

expresses a desire to return to the home

country.

feature bodily movement and

manipulatives that reinforce academic

content.

(D) An EL appears to emphasize the context

of a conversation, including gestures,

facial expressions, and tone of voice,

when communicating.

13. Which of the following best summarizes the

critical period hypothesis?

(A) Assimilation to a new culture usually

occurs during a small window of time.

(B) The ease with which one acquires native-

like prociency correlates to a biological

timetable that is connected to age.

when learners are exposed to the L2 for

at least 50 percent of their day.

(D) L2 grammar is taught most effectively

when learners participate in a series of

translation activities for the rst six

months of study.

14. An ESL teacher is conducting a lesson on the

woolly mammoth. Sandra, an intermediate-

level EL, is having trouble taking notes on the

characteristics of the animal during the

lesson. Based on Sandra’s needs, the ESL

teacher should provide her with a

(A) graphic organizer with a word bank

about the woolly mammoth

(B) collection of photographs of the woolly

mammoth

woolly mammoth

(D) textbook passage on the woolly

mammoth from a lower grade level

15. Mr. Jenkins, an ESL teacher, recently took his

students on a eld trip to a museum. The

following day, Mr. Jenkins asks the class to

recount their trip to the museum as he

transcribes their dictated speech. Next, Mr.

Jenkins distributes copies of the

transcriptions and has students work in

groups to nd and correct errors. Finally, he

has the students expand the corrected

transcriptions into a narrative essay as a

homework assignment. Which of the following

best describes the instructional approach

being utilized by Mr. Jenkins?

(A) Language experience approach

(B) Multisensory approach

(D) Phonics approach

16. The following conversation takes place

between an EL and an ESOL teacher.

Student: He read frequently the newspaper.

Teacher: Oh, he frequently reads the

newspaper? So, what sections of the

newspaper does he prefer?

The response that the teacher gives to the EL

can most accurately be described as

(A) metalinguistic feedback

(B) positive feedback

(D) a recast

The Praxis® Study Companion 24

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

17. Which THREE of the following strategies can

an ESOL teacher use to most effectively

create a culturally responsive classroom?

(A) Reecting on the inuence that their

personal bias has on student

expectations

(B) Devising ways to reward student

participation to encourage speaking

content

(D) Becoming familiar with students’ prior

knowledge

18. Which of the following is the best example of

an error in sociolinguistic competence?

(A) An EL wants to borrow a pen from the

teacher’s desk and says, “I need this”

while taking it.

(B) An EL doesn’t know the word for

“highway” and describes it as “the big

road where there are a lot of cars.”

where the EL was born, and the EL

responds “I am come from Europe.”

(D) An EL wants to say “Watch out for the

curb” but produces the sentence “Watch

out for the curve.”

19. A middle school English teacher has selected

a reading passage on the history, rules, and

importance of baseball in the United States

for an upcoming reading comprehension test.

The English teacher is worried that the ELs in

the class may have difculty reading and

understanding the passage and consults the

ESL teacher for feedback. To best address the

English teacher’s concern, the ESL teacher

should advise the English teacher to closely

examine the passage for which of the

following?

(A) Statistics that may be too complex for

the ELs with a limited math background

(B) Cultural content that may bias the test

against the ELs

confusion for the ELs

(D) Abundant usage of gurative language

that the ELs may not recognize

20. A rst grade teacher recently welcomed a new

EL named Hassan into the classroom.

Hassan’s records show that he had limited

exposure to English classes in his home

country and is currently functioning at the

beginning level of English-language

prociency. Which of the following

instructional strategies would most

appropriately assist Hassan in increasing his

communication skills?

(A) Providing Hassan with a study guide that

includes all topics discussed in class

(B) Supplying Hassan with an English

dictionary and a thesaurus to use during

activities

gestures when interacting with others

(D) Setting the expectation that Hassan

must respond in English when called on

in class

The Praxis® Study Companion 25

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

21. In contrast to collectivist cultures, individualist

cultures are more likely to

(A) emphasize the importance of learning a

second language

(B) maintain their traditional customs as

globalization becomes more pervasive

in their society

(D) regard personal ambition and initiative

favorably

22. Listen to an ESOL student talk about her

experience upon arriving in the United States.

(Recorded excerpt)

When I arrive in the United States, the rst

three months for me here were the most

dicult experience in my life . . .

The verb “arrive” in the rst line is incorrect

with respect to

(A) tense

(B) gender

(D) number

23. Which of the following situations most likely

indicates that an EL may require testing for

special education services?

(A) The EL often shifts from one language to

another when speaking.

(B) The EL exhibits an English-language

pattern that is highly unusual compared

to that of others who speak the same L1.

ideas in English is impeded by a heavy

accent.

(D) The EL is hesitant to speak and does not

participate in most classroom

discussions.

24. A social studies teacher plans to administer a

chapter test that includes multiple-choice and

short-answer questions. Which of the

following testing accommodations would be

most appropriate for the intermediate-level

ELs in the class?

(A) Permitting the ELs to use the test study

guide during the test

(B) Allowing the ELs to take the test in their

native languages

the test

(D) Reducing the number of questions on

the ELs’ version of the test

25. People across the United States use a variety

of terms to refer to sugary, avored

carbonated beverages, including “soda,”

“pop,” and “soft drink.” Which of the following

best identies this occurrence?

(A) Code-switching

(B) Dialect variation

(D) Jargon

26. Ms. Yamamoto teaches an introductory

writing class composed of learners from a

variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.

Her primary objective is to encourage her

students to brainstorm ideas on a given topic

and develop their English writing skills as a

result of brainstorming. Which of the following

is the most effective strategy Ms. Yamamoto

can use to benet the ELs in the class during

the brainstorming process?

(A) Encouraging ELs to use their rst

languages and cultural knowledge in

brainstorming discussions

(B) Providing ELs with a detailed outline

where they can summarize the

beginning, middle, and end of future

essays during brainstorming discussions

dictionary for all necessary words during

brainstorming discussions

(D) Advising the ELs to look for relevant

outside references prior to their

brainstorming discussions

The Praxis® Study Companion 26

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

27. Which of the following activities most

effectively helps beginning-level ELs develop

decoding skills?

(A) Presenting predictable spelling patterns

in word families to the ELs

(B) Asking the ELs to describe the events of

a story after the teacher has read it aloud

reading materials from the school’s

library

(D) Having the ELs work in small groups to

categorize nouns and verbs on chart

paper

Questions 2829 refer to the following visual

Mr. Lambert, an elementary ESOL teacher,

provides his students with the following work

sheet and a handful of plastic tokens

First, Mr. Lambert says the word that names

the rst picture on the work sheet, “bee.”

Then, he instructs students to quietly repeat

the word to themselves and segment the

word into its distinct sounds. Once the

students have identied the distinct sounds in

the word, they move one token for each

sound into a box above the picture. Finally,

Mr. Lambert asks the class to share which

sounds they recognize in the word “bee,” and

he moves on to the next picture on the work

sheet.

28. Which of the following best describes the

primary focus of the activity?

(A) It introduces the concept of

onomatopoeia.

(B) It connects phonemes and graphemes.

(D) It improves translation skills.

29. The activity is most appropriate for students

in which of the following stages of second

language acquisition?

(A) Early production

(B) Speech emergence

(D) Advanced uency

The Praxis® Study Companion 27

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

Answers to Sample Questions

1. Option (C) is correct. In this example, the EL has

addressed the teacher in a manner that is too informal

for their relationship, making it an error in the

appropriate use of register (formal vs. informal).

2. Option (C) is correct. Krashen refers to the aﬀective

ﬁlter hypothesis as a critical factor that can aﬀect

language learning positively or negatively.

3. Option (B) is correct. If students need a high level of

sociopragmatic competence to understand the

assessments, it means that there could be a heavy

degree of culturally-speciﬁc material on the

assessments, which could lead to cultural bias.

4. Option (B) is correct. The work sheet asks students to

identify which part of the sentence they would

emphasize when answering a series of questions. This

illustrates how the way certain words in a sentence are

emphasized can inﬂuence the meaning of the

sentence. Thus, the work sheet is primarily providing

instruction on stress.

5. Option (D) is correct. Castañeda v. Pickard ruled that

district programs for ELs must be evaluated for

eﬀectiveness using a set of established criteria.

6. Option (C) is correct. A portfolio that spans the work

completed over the semester and includes a wide

representation of assessment that addresses all four

modes of language learning would be the best tool to

use when evaluating ESL students’ English-language

development.

7. Option (B) is correct. Subtractive bilingualism refers

to the phenomenon in which ﬁrst-language attrition

occurs in learners as a result of acquiring a new

language. This phenomenon typically occurs in learners

of a second language who no longer have or have

fewer opportunities to use their ﬁrst language in a new

environment.

8. Option (B) is correct. Total Physical Response (TPR) is

a language-teaching method built around the

coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach

language through physical (motor) activity.

9. Option (A) is correct. The second sentence contains

instances of incorrect lexical collocations. That is,

certain words in English cannot idiomatically and

customarily be used to modify certain other words

even though the overall meaning is decipherable (to

speak a language ﬂuently versus to speak a language

greatly). Hence, errors in word choice were made.

10. Option (C) is correct. Stress and intonation do not

determine ﬁnal consonant forms, and [t] and [d] have

the same place of articulation. However, [t] is a voiceless

sound and [d] is a voiced sound.

11. Option (C) is correct. By incorporating the students’

interests into future lessons, the teacher will help

students gain a sense of personal value from doing

schoolwork. As a result, they may begin to enjoy what

they are learning and develop a sense of personal,

intrinsic motivation to continue learning.

12. Option (B) is correct. Culture shock is a stage that

some ELs may experience upon arrival in the United

States. Typically, an EL going through culture shock may

feel overwhelmed by his or her new environment and

experience homesickness.

13. Option (B) is correct. The critical period hypothesis

states that there is a period of time in childhood when

language can be easily acquired. According to the

hypothesis, language becomes increasingly more

diﬃcult to learn after the onset of puberty.

14. Option (A) is correct. The student is having trouble

taking notes on the woolly mammoth during class

discussions. Based on her needs and proﬁciency level, a

graphic organizer with a word bank would most likely

assist the student while taking notes on the topic.

15. Option (A) is correct. The language experience

approach uses students’ spoken language to develop

materials for reading and writing instruction. This

approach incorporates students’ oral language

proﬁciency levels and personal experiences.

16. Option (D) is correct. A recast focuses on the

meaning. The teacher casts back the learner’s utterance

in the correct form but continues with a focus on

meaning. Recast is deﬁned as the reformulation of a

learner’s utterance minus the error(s).

17. Options (A), (C), and (D) are correct. For (A), this

approach guides teachers to understand that student

behavior is inﬂuenced by culture. For (C) and (D), both

strategies guide teachers to understand that student

behavior can be inﬂuenced by factors related to settings

that resemble their own communities.

The Praxis® Study Companion 28

Step 3: Practice with Sample Test Questions

18. Option (A) is correct. The appropriate level of

politeness and register contribute to a learner’s

sociolinguistic competence. In this example, the EL

does not ask to use the pen before taking it. In addition,

because the EL is taking the pen from a teacher

(someone of a diﬀerent power structure), a more polite

choice of words would typically be used. Sociolinguistic

competence is the knowledge of the sociocultural rules

of language and of discourse. This type of competence

requires an understanding of the social context in

which language is used: the role of the participants, the

information they share, and the function of the

interaction. It is an individual’s knowledge of ways of

speaking and interacting through language, e.g.

politeness, taboos, etc. These diﬀerent competencies

are used in any given act of communication.

19. Option (B) is correct. Bias in testing may stem from

any one of three characteristics of the tests themselves,

including the cultural content embedded in any given

test. Baseball is considered a sport that is highly speciﬁc

to American culture and the ELs may be unfamiliar with

the vocabulary, rules, etc., associated with it. This could

contribute to a lower test score, which is unrelated to

their language proﬁciency.

20. Option (C) is correct. The instructional goal is to

increase the student’s communication skills. Using

visuals and gestures will help the student communicate

given his current level of language proﬁciency and his

educational background.

21. Option (D) is correct. Individualist cultures typically

emphasize the needs and wants of the individual over

those of a group or social institution as a whole.

22. Option (A) is correct. In the transcription of the

recorded excerpt, the verb “arrive” is in the present

tense. The context is the student’s experience, and the

rest of the sentence is in the past (“the ﬁrst three

months were”). “Arrive” should be in the past tense

(“arrived”).

23. Option (B) is correct. A unique pattern of usage is a

common indicator that a student may have diﬀerent

cognitive abilities from his peers, which might signal a

need for further investigation.

24. Option (C) is correct. Allotting more time is a

commonly used accommodation with ELs on high-

stakes achievement tests and content-area exams. This

accommodation will not compromise learning

standards and will help the ELs display their

knowledge.

25. Option (B) is correct. A dialect is a form of language

that is speciﬁc to a particular region or social group. The

terms presented in the question are indicative of

dialect variation.

26. Option (A) is correct. ELs’ ﬁrst language and culture

are rich sources of knowledge for the brainstorming

process and will help facilitate the L1-L2 connection.

27. Option (A) is correct. Teaching predictable spelling

patterns in word families will most eﬀectively assist the

ELs in developing their decoding skills, especially if they

are at the beginning level of language proﬁciency and

are unfamiliar with English spelling conventions/

sound/symbol relationships. A word family is a group of

words sharing a common phonetic element. Children

learn that words often contain these recognizable

chunks. The cracking of this code provides predictable

patterns and is a help in decoding new words. With

practice, children learn to use these chunks instead of

sounding out one letter at a time.

28. Option (C) is correct. The teacher is asking the

students to determine the individual sounds in the

words that the teacher says aloud by moving tokens

into Elkonin boxes. Because the activity focuses on the

sounds that make up each word, it is primarily building

phonemic awareness.

29. Option (A) is correct. In the early production stage

of second language acquisition, students should build

prereading skills that will assist them with future

literacy development. A phonemic awareness activity

that focuses on building knowledge of the sounds in

diﬀerent English words is most appropriate for students

in this stage.

The Praxis® Study Companion 29

Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success

4. Determine Your Strategy for Success

Set clear goals and deadlines so your test preparation is focused and ecient

Eﬀective Praxis test preparation doesn’t just happen. You’ll want to set clear goals and deadlines for yourself

along the way. Otherwise, you may not feel ready and conﬁdent on test day.

1) Learn what the test covers.

You may have heard that there are several diﬀerent versions of the same test. It’s true. You may take one

version of the test and your friend may take a diﬀerent version a few months later. Each test has diﬀerent

questions covering the same subject area, but both versions of the test measure the same skills and

content knowledge.

You’ll ﬁnd speciﬁc information on the test you’re taking on page 5, which outlines the content categories

that the test measures and what percentage of the test covers each topic. Visit www.ets.org/praxis/

testprep for information on other Praxis tests.

2) Assess how well you know the content.

Research shows that test takers tend to overestimate their preparedness—this is why some test takers

assume they did well and then ﬁnd out they did not pass.

The Praxis tests are demanding enough to require serious review of likely content, and the longer you’ve

been away from the content, the more preparation you will most likely need. If it has been longer than a few

months since you’ve studied your content area, make a concerted eﬀort to prepare.

3) Collect study materials.

Gathering and organizing your materials for review are critical steps in preparing for the Praxis tests. Consider

the following reference sources as you plan your study:

• Did you take a course in which the content area was covered? If yes, do you still have your books or

your notes?

• Does your local library have a high school-level textbook in this area? Does your college library have a

good introductory college-level textbook in this area?

Practice materials are available for purchase for many Praxis tests at www.ets.org/praxis/testprep. Test

preparation materials include sample questions and answers with explanations.

4) Plan and organize your time.

You can begin to plan and organize your time while you are still collecting materials. Allow yourself plenty of

review time to avoid cramming new material at the end. Here are a few tips:

• Choose a test date far enough in the future to leave you plenty of preparation time. Test dates can be

found at www.ets.org/praxis/register/dates_centers.

• Work backward from that date to ﬁgure out how much time you will need for review.

• Set a realistic schedule—and stick to it.

The Praxis® Study Companion 30

Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success

5) Practice explaining the key concepts.

Praxis tests with constructed-response questions assess your ability to explain material eﬀectively. As a

teacher, you’ll need to be able to explain concepts and processes to students in a clear, understandable

way. What are the major concepts you will be required to teach? Can you explain them in your own words

accurately, completely, and clearly? Practice explaining these concepts to test your ability to eﬀectively

explain what you know.

6) Understand how questions will be scored.

Scoring information can be found on page 41.

7) Develop a study plan.

A study plan provides a road map to prepare for the Praxis tests. It can help you understand what skills and

knowledge are covered on the test and where to focus your attention. Use the study plan template on page

34 to organize your eﬀorts.

And most important—get started!

Would a Study Group Work for You?

Using this guide as part of a study group

People who have a lot of studying to do sometimes ﬁnd it helpful to form a study group with others who are

working toward the same goal. Study groups give members opportunities to ask questions and get detailed

answers. In a group, some members usually have a better understanding of certain topics, while others in the

group may be better at other topics. As members take turns explaining concepts to one another, everyone

builds self-conﬁdence.

If the group encounters a question that none of the members can answer well, the group can go to a teacher or

other expert and get answers eﬃciently. Because study groups schedule regular meetings, members study in a

more disciplined fashion. They also gain emotional support. The group should be large enough so that multiple

people can contribute diﬀerent kinds of knowledge, but small enough so that it stays focused. Often, three to

six members is a good size.

Here are some ways to use this guide as part of a study group:

• Plan the group’s study program. Parts of the study plan template, beginning on page 34, can help

to structure your group’s study program. By ﬁlling out the ﬁrst ﬁve columns and sharing the worksheets,

everyone will learn more about your group’s mix of abilities and about the resources, such as textbooks, that

members can share with the group. In the sixth column (“Dates I will study the content”), you can create an

overall schedule for your group’s study program.

• Plan individual group sessions. At the end of each session, the group should decide what speciﬁc

topics will be covered at the next meeting and who will present each topic. Use the topic headings and

subheadings in the Test at a Glance table on page 5 to select topics, and then select practice questions,

beginning on page 21.

• Prepare your presentation for the group. When it’s your turn to present, prepare something that is

more than a lecture. Write two or three original questions to pose to the group. Practicing writing actual

questions can help you better understand the topics covered on the test as well as the types of questions

you will encounter on the test. It will also give other members of the group extra practice at answering

questions.

The Praxis® Study Companion 31

Step 4: Determine Your Strategy for Success

• Take a practice test together. The idea of a practice test is to simulate an actual administration of the

test, so scheduling a test session with the group will add to the realism and may also help boost everyone’s

conﬁdence. Remember, complete the practice test using only the time that will be allotted for that test on

your administration day.

• Learn from the results of the practice test. Review the results of the practice test, including the

number of questions answered correctly in each content category. For tests that contain constructed-

response questions, look at the Sample Test Questions section, which also contain sample responses to

those questions and shows how they were scored. Then try to follow the same guidelines that the test

scorers use.

• Be as critical as you can. You’re not doing your study partner(s) any favors by letting them get away with

an answer that does not cover all parts of the question adequately.

• Be specic. Write comments that are as detailed as the comments about the sample responses. Indicate

where and how your study partner(s) are doing an inadequate job of answering the question. Writing notes

in the margins of the answer sheet may also help.

• Be supportive. Include comments that point out what your study partner(s) got right.

Then plan one or more study sessions based on aspects of the questions on which group members performed

poorly. For example, each group member might be responsible for rewriting one paragraph of a response in

which someone else did an inadequate job.

Whether you decide to study alone or with a group, remember that the best way to prepare is to have an

organized plan. The plan should set goals based on speciﬁc topics and skills that you need to learn, and it

should commit you to a realistic set of deadlines for meeting those goals. Then you need to discipline yourself

to stick with your plan and accomplish your goals on schedule.

The Praxis® Study Companion 32

Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan

5. Develop Your Study Plan

Develop a personalized study plan and schedule

Planning your study time is important because it will help ensure that you review all content areas covered on the

test. Use the sample study plan below as a guide. It shows a plan for the Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading

test. Following that is a study plan template that you can ﬁll out to create your own plan. Use the “About This Test” and

“Content Topics" information beginning on page 5 to help complete it.

Use this worksheet to:

1. Dene Content Areas: List the most important content areas for your test as deﬁned in chapter 1.

2. Determine Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each content area.

3. Identify Resources: Identify the books, courses, and other resources you plan to use for each content area.

4. Study: Create and commit to a schedule that provides for regular study periods.

Praxis Test Name (Test Code): Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading (5713)

Test Date: 9/15/21

Content covered

Description

of content

How well do

I know the

content?

(scale 1–5)

What

resources do I

have/need for

the content?

Where can I

nd the

resources I

need?

Dates I will

study the

content

Date

completed

Key Ideas and Details

Close reading

Draw inferences and

implications from the

directly stated content

of a reading selection

Middle school

English

textbook

College library,

middle school

teacher

7/15/21 7/15/21

Determining Ideas

Identify summaries or

paraphrases of the main

idea or primary purpose

of a reading selection

Middle school

English

textbook

College library,

middle school

teacher

7/17/21 7/17/21

Determining Ideas

Identify summaries

or paraphrases of the

supporting ideas and

speciﬁc details in a

reading selection

Middle and

high school

English

textbook

College library,

middle and

high school

teachers

7/20/21 7/21/21

Craft, Structure, and Language Skills

Interpreting tone

Determine the author’s

attitude toward material

discussed in a reading

selection

Middle and

high school

English

textbook

College library,

middle and

high school

teachers

7/25/21 7/26/21

Analysis of

structure

Identify key transition

words and phrases in a

reading selection and

how they are used

Middle and

high school

English

textbook,

dictionary

College library,

middle and

high school

teachers

7/25/21 7/27/21

Analysis of

structure

Identify how a reading

selection is organized

in terms of cause/eﬀect,

compare/contrast,

problem/solution, etc.

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/1/21 8/1/21

Author’s purpose

Determine the role that

an idea, reference, or

piece of information

plays in an author’s

discussion or argument

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/1/21 8/1/21

(continued on next page)

The Praxis® Study Companion 33

Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan

Content covered

Description

of content

How well do

I know the

content?

(scale 1–5)

What

resources do I

have/need for

the content?

Where can I

nd the

resources I

need?

Dates

I will

study the

content

Date

completed

Language in

diﬀerent contexts

Determine whether

information presented

in a reading selection

is presented as fact or

opinion

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/1/21 8/1/21

Contextual

meaning

Identify the meanings of

words as they are used in

the context of a reading

selection

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/1/21 8/1/21

Figurative

Language

Understand ﬁgurative

language and nuances in

word meanings

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/8/21 8/8/21

Vocabulary range

Understand a range

of words and phrases

suﬃcient for reading at

the college and career

readiness level

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/15/21 8/17/21

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Diverse media and

formats

Analyze content

presented in diverse

media and formats,

including visually and

quantitatively, as well as

in words

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/22/21 8/24/21

Evaluation of

arguments

Identify the relationship

among ideas presented

in a reading selection

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/24/21 8/24/21

Evaluation of

arguments

Determine whether

evidence strengthens,

weakens, or is relevant

to the arguments in a

reading selection

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/27/21 8/27/21

Evaluation of

arguments

Determine the logical

assumptions upon

which an argument or

conclusion is based

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/28/21 8/30/21

Evaluation of

arguments

Draw conclusions from

material presented in a

reading selection

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

8/30/21 8/31/21

Comparison of

texts

Recognize or predict

ideas or situations that

are extensions of or

similar to what has been

presented in a reading

selection

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

9/3/21 9/4/21

Comparison of

texts

Apply ideas presented

in a reading selection to

other situations

High school

textbook,

college course

notes

College library,

course notes,

high school

teacher, college

professor

9/5/21 9/6/21

The Praxis® Study Companion 34

Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan

My Study Plan

Use this worksheet to:

1. Dene Content Areas: List the most important content areas for your test as deﬁned in chapter 1.

2. Determine Strengths and Weaknesses: Identify your strengths and weaknesses in each content area.

3. Identify Resources: Identify the books, courses, and other resources you plan to use for each content area.

4. Study: Create and commit to a schedule that provides for regular study periods.

Praxis Test Name (Test Code): ____________________________________________________________

Test Date: _____________

Content covered

Description

of content

How well do

I know the

content?

(scale 1–5)

What

resources do I

have/need for

this content?

Where can I

nd the

resources I

need?

Dates I will

study this

content

Date

completed

(continued on next page)

The Praxis® Study Companion 35

Step 5: Develop Your Study Plan

Content covered

Description

of content

How well do

I know the

content?

(scale 1–5)

What

resources do I

have/need for

the content?

Where can I

nd the

resources I

need?

Dates I will

study the

content

Date

completed

The Praxis® Study Companion 36

Step 6: Review Smart Tips for Success

6. Review Smart Tips for Success

Follow test-taking tips developed by experts

Learn from the experts. Take advantage of the following answers to questions you may have and practical tips

to help you navigate the Praxis test and make the best use of your time.

Should I guess?

Yes. Your score is based on the number of questions you answer correctly, with no penalty or subtraction for an

incorrect answer. When you don’t know the answer to a question, try to eliminate any obviously wrong answers

and then guess at the correct one. Try to pace yourself so that you have enough time to carefully consider

every question.

Can I answer the questions in any order?

You can answer the questions in order or skip questions and come back to them later. If you skip a question,

you can also mark it so that you can remember to return and answer it later. Remember that questions left

unanswered are treated the same as questions answered incorrectly, so it is to your advantage to answer every

question.

Are there trick questions on the test?

No. There are no hidden meanings or trick questions. All of the questions on the test ask about subject matter

knowledge in a straightforward manner.

Are there answer patterns on the test?

No. You might have heard this myth: the answers on tests follow patterns. Another myth is that there will never

be more than two questions in a row with the correct answer in the same position among the choices. Neither

myth is true. Select the answer you think is correct based on your knowledge of the subject.

Can I write on the scratch paper I am given?

Yes. You can work out problems on the scratch paper, make notes to yourself, or write anything at all. Your

scratch paper will be destroyed after you are ﬁnished with it, so use it in any way that is helpful to you. But make

sure to select or enter your answers on the computer.

Smart Tips for Taking the Test

1. Skip the questions you nd extremely dicult. Rather than trying to answer these on your ﬁrst pass

through the test, you may want to leave them blank and mark them so that you can return to them later.

Pay attention to the time as you answer the rest of the questions on the test, and try to ﬁnish with 10 or

15 minutes remaining so that you can go back over the questions you left blank. Even if you don’t know

the answer the second time you read the questions, see if you can narrow down the possible answers, and

then guess. Your score is based on the number of right answers, so it is to your advantage to answer every

question.

The Praxis® Study Companion 37

Step 6: Review Smart Tips for Success

2. Keep track of the time. The on-screen clock will tell you how much time you have left. You will probably

have plenty of time to answer all of the questions, but if you ﬁnd yourself becoming bogged down, you

might decide to move on and come back to any unanswered questions later.

3. Read all of the possible answers before selecting one. For questions that require you to select more

than one answer, or to make another kind of selection, consider the most likely answers given what the

question is asking. Then reread the question to be sure the answer(s) you have given really answer the

question.

Check your answers. If you have extra time left over at the end of the test, look over each question and

make sure that you have answered it as you intended. Many test takers make careless mistakes that they

could have corrected if they had checked their answers.

5. Don’t worry about your score when you are taking the test. No one is expected to answer all of the

questions correctly. Your score on this test is not analogous to your score on the GRE® or other tests. It doesn’t

matter on the Praxis tests whether you score very high or barely pass. If you meet the minimum passing

scores for your state and you meet the state’s other requirements for obtaining a teaching license, you will

receive a license. In other words, what matters is meeting the minimum passing score. You can ﬁnd passing

scores for all states that use the Praxis tests at https://www.ets.org/praxis/institutions/scores/passing/ or

on the web site of the state for which you are seeking certiﬁcation/licensure.

6. Use your energy to take the test, not to get frustrated by it. Getting frustrated only increases stress

and decreases the likelihood that you will do your best. Highly qualiﬁed educators and test development

professionals, all with backgrounds in teaching, worked diligently to make the test a fair and valid measure

of your knowledge and skills. Your state painstakingly reviewed the test before adopting it as a licensure

requirement. The best thing to do is concentrate on answering the questions.

The Praxis® Study Companion 38

Step 7: Check on Testing Accommodations

7. Check on Testing Accommodations

See if you qualify for accommodations to take the Praxis test

What if English is not my primary language?

Praxis tests are given only in English. If your primary language is not English (PLNE), you may be eligible for

extended testing time. For more details, visit https://www.ets.org/praxis/register/plne_accommodations/.

What if I have a disability or other health-related need?

The following accommodations are available for Praxis test takers who meet the Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA) Amendments Act disability requirements:

• Extended testing time

• Additional rest breaks

• Separate testing room

• Writer/recorder of answers

• Test reader

• Sign language interpreter for spoken directions only

• Perkins Brailler

• Braille slate and stylus

• Printed copy of spoken directions

• Oral interpreter

• Audio test

• Braille test

• Large print test book

• Large print answer sheet

• Listening section omitted

For more information on these accommodations, visit www.ets.org/praxis/register/disabilities.

Note: Test takers who have health-related needs requiring them to bring equipment, beverages, or snacks

into the testing room or to take extra or extended breaks must request these accommodations by following

the procedures described in the Bulletin Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities or Health-Related Needs

(PDF), which can be found at https://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/bulletin_supplement_test_takers_with_

disabilities_health_needs.pdf.

You can ﬁnd additional information on available resources for test takers with disabilities or health-related needs

at www.ets.org/disabilities.

The Praxis® Study Companion 39

Step 8: Do Your Best on Test Day

8. Do Your Best on Test Day

Get ready for test day so you will be calm and condent

You followed your study plan. You prepared for the test. Now it’s time to prepare for test day.

Plan to end your review a day or two before the actual test date so you avoid cramming. Take a dry run to the

test center so you’re sure of the route, traﬃc conditions, and parking. Most of all, you want to eliminate any

unexpected factors that could distract you from your ultimate goal—passing the Praxis test!

On the day of the test, you should:

• be well rested

• wear comfortable clothes and dress in layers

• eat before you take the test

• bring an acceptable and valid photo identiﬁcation with you

• bring an approved calculator only if one is speciﬁcally permitted for the test you are taking (see Calculator

Use, at http://www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/policies/calculators)

• be prepared to stand in line to check in or to wait while other test takers check in

You can’t control the testing situation, but you can control yourself. Stay calm. The supervisors are well trained

and make every eﬀort to provide uniform testing conditions, but don’t let it bother you if the test doesn’t start

exactly on time. You will have the allotted amount of time once it does start.

You can think of preparing for this test as training for an athletic event. Once you’ve trained, prepared, and

rested, give it everything you’ve got.

What items am I restricted from bringing into the test center?

You cannot bring into the test center personal items such as:

• handbags, knapsacks, or briefcases

• water bottles or canned or bottled beverages

• study materials, books, or notes

• pens, pencils, scrap paper, or calculators, unless speciﬁcally permitted for the test you are taking (see

Calculator Use, at http://www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/policies/calculators)

• any electronic, photographic, recording, or listening devices

Personal items are not allowed in the testing room and will not be available to you during the test or during

breaks. You may also be asked to empty your pockets. At some centers, you will be assigned a space to store

your belongings, such as handbags and study materials. Some centers do not have secure storage space

available, so please plan accordingly.

Test centers assume no responsibility for your personal items.

The Praxis® Study Companion 40

Step 8: Do Your Best on Test Day

If you have health-related needs requiring you to bring equipment, beverages or snacks into the testing

room or to take extra or extended breaks, you need to request accommodations in advance. Procedures for

requesting accommodations are described in the Bulletin Supplement for Test Takers with Disabilities or

Health-related Needs (PDF).

Note: All cell phones, smart phones (e.g., Android® devices, iPhones®, etc.), and other electronic, photographic,

recording, or listening devices are strictly prohibited from the test center. If you are seen with such a device, you

will be dismissed from the test, your test scores will be canceled, and you will forfeit your test fees. If you are

seen using such a device, the device will be conﬁscated and inspected. For more information on what you can

bring to the test center, visit www.ets.org/praxis/test_day/bring.

Are You Ready?

Complete this checklist to determine whether you are ready to take your test.

❒ Do you know the testing requirements for the license or certiﬁcation you are seeking in the state(s) where

you plan to teach?

❒ Have you followed all of the test registration procedures?

❒ Do you know the topics that will be covered in each test you plan to take?

❒ Have you reviewed any textbooks, class notes, and course readings that relate to the topics covered?

❒ Do you know how long the test will take and the number of questions it contains?

❒ Have you considered how you will pace your work?

❒ Are you familiar with the types of questions for your test?

❒ Are you familiar with the recommended test-taking strategies?

❒ Have you practiced by working through the practice questions in this study companion or in a study

guide or practice test?

❒ If constructed-response questions are part of your test, do you understand the scoring criteria for

these questions?

❒ If you are repeating a Praxis test, have you analyzed your previous score report to determine areas where

additional study and test preparation could be useful?

If you answered “yes” to the questions above, your preparation has paid oﬀ. Now take the Praxis test, do your

best, pass it—and begin your teaching career!

The Praxis® Study Companion 41

Step 9: Understand Your Scores

9. Understand Your Scores

Understand how tests are scored and how to interpret your test scores

Of course, passing the Praxis test is important to you so you need to understand what your scores mean and

what your state requirements are.

What are the score requirements for my state?

States, institutions, and associations that require the tests set their own passing scores. Visit

www.ets.org/praxis/states for the most up-to-date information.

If I move to another state, will my new state accept my scores?

The Praxis tests are part of a national testing program, meaning that they are required in many states for

licensure. The advantage of a national program is that if you move to another state that also requires Praxis tests,

you can transfer your scores. Each state has speciﬁc test requirements and passing scores, which you can ﬁnd at

www.ets.org/praxis/states.

How do I know whether I passed the test?

Your score report will include information on passing scores for the states you identiﬁed as recipients of your

test results. If you test in a state with automatic score reporting, you will also receive passing score information

for that state.

A list of states and their passing scores for each test are available online at www.ets.org/praxis/states.

What your Praxis scores mean

You received your score report. Now what does it mean? It’s important to interpret your score report correctly

and to know what to do if you have questions about your scores.

Visit http://www.ets.org/s/praxis/pdf/sample_score_report.pdf to see a sample score report.

To access Understanding Your Praxis Scores, a document that provides additional information on how to read

your score report, visit www.ets.org/praxis/scores/understand.

Put your scores in perspective

Your score report indicates:

• Your score and whether you passed

• The range of possible scores

• The raw points available in each content category

• The range of the middle 50 percent of scores on the test

If you have taken the same test or other Praxis tests over the last 10 years, your score report also lists the highest

score you earned on each test taken.

The Praxis® Study Companion 42

Step 9: Understand Your Scores

Content category scores and score interpretation

Questions on the Praxis tests are categorized by content. To help you in future study or in preparing to retake

the test, your score report shows how many raw points you earned in each content category. Compare your

“raw points earned” with the maximum points you could have earned (“raw points available”). The greater the

diﬀerence, the greater the opportunity to improve your score by further study.

Score scale changes

E T S updates Praxis tests on a regular basis to ensure they accurately measure the knowledge and skills that are

required for licensure. When tests are updated, the meaning of the score scale may change, so requirements

may vary between the new and previous versions. All scores for previous, discontinued tests are valid and

reportable for 10 years, provided that your state or licensing agency still accepts them.

These resources may also help you interpret your scores:

• Understanding Your Praxis Scores (PDF), found at www.ets.org/praxis/scores/understand

• Praxis passing scores, found at https://www.ets.org/praxis/institutions/scores/passing/

• State requirements, found at www.ets.org/praxis/states

The Praxis® Study Companion 43

Appendix: Other Questions You May Have

Here is some supplemental information that can give you a better understanding of the Praxis tests.

What do the Praxis tests measure?

The Praxis tests measure the speciﬁc knowledge and skills that beginning teachers need. The tests do not

measure an individual’s disposition toward teaching or potential for success, nor do they measure your actual

teaching ability. The assessments are designed to be comprehensive and inclusive but are limited to what can

be covered in a ﬁnite number of questions and question types. Teaching requires many complex skills that are

typically measured in other ways, including classroom observation, video recordings, and portfolios.

Ranging from Agriculture to World Languages, there are more than 80 Praxis tests, which contain selected-

response questions or constructed-response questions, or a combination of both.

Who takes the tests and why?

Some colleges and universities use the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests (Reading, Writing, and

Mathematics) to evaluate individuals for entry into teacher education programs. The assessments are generally

taken early in your college career. Many states also require Core Academic Skills test scores as part of their

teacher licensing process.

Individuals entering the teaching profession take the Praxis content and pedagogy tests as part of the teacher

licensing and certiﬁcation process required by many states. In addition, some professional associations and

organizations require the Praxis Subject Assessments for professional licensing.

Do all states require these tests?

The Praxis tests are currently required for teacher licensure in approximately 40 states and United States

territories. These tests are also used by several professional licensing agencies and by several hundred colleges

and universities. Teacher candidates can test in one state and submit their scores in any other state that requires

Praxis testing for licensure. You can ﬁnd details at www.ets.org/praxis/states.

What is licensure/certication?

Licensure in any area—medicine, law, architecture, accounting, cosmetology—is an assurance to the public that

the person holding the license possesses suﬃcient knowledge and skills to perform important occupational

activities safely and eﬀectively. In the case of teacher licensing, a license tells the public that the individual has

met predeﬁned competency standards for beginning teaching practice.

Because a license makes such a serious claim about its holder, licensure tests are usually quite demanding. In

some ﬁelds, licensure tests have more than one part and last for more than one day. Candidates for licensure

in all ﬁelds plan intensive study as part of their professional preparation. Some join study groups, others study

alone. But preparing to take a licensure test is, in all cases, a professional activity. Because a licensure exam

surveys a broad body of knowledge, preparing for a licensure exam takes planning, discipline, and sustained

eﬀort.

Why does my state require the Praxis tests?

Your state chose the Praxis tests because they assess the breadth and depth of content—called the “domain”—

that your state wants its teachers to possess before they begin to teach. The level of content knowledge,

reﬂected in the passing score, is based on recommendations of panels of teachers and teacher educators in

The Praxis® Study Companion 44

Appendix: Other Questions You May Have

each subject area. The state licensing agency and, in some states, the state legislature ratify the passing scores

that have been recommended by panels of teachers.

How were the tests developed?

E T S consulted with practicing teachers and teacher educators around the country during every step of

the Praxis test development process. First, E T S asked them what knowledge and skills a beginning teacher

needs to be eﬀective. Their responses were then ranked in order of importance and reviewed by hundreds of

teachers.

After the results were analyzed and consensus was reached, guidelines, or speciﬁcations, for the selected-

response and constructed-response tests were developed by teachers and teacher educators. Following these

guidelines, teachers and professional test developers created test questions that met content requirements and

E T S Standards for Quality and Fairness.*

When your state adopted the research-based Praxis tests, local panels of teachers and teacher educators

evaluated each question for its relevance to beginning teachers in your state. During this “validity study,” the

panel also provided a passing-score recommendation based on how many of the test questions a beginning

teacher in your state would be able to answer correctly. Your state’s licensing agency determined the ﬁnal

passing-score requirement.

E T S follows well-established industry procedures and standards designed to ensure that the tests measure what

they are intended to measure. When you pass the Praxis tests your state requires, you are proving that you have

the knowledge and skills you need to begin your teaching career.

How are the tests updated to ensure the content remains current?

Praxis tests are reviewed regularly. During the ﬁrst phase of review, E T S conducts an analysis of relevant state

and association standards and of the current test content. State licensure titles and the results of relevant

job analyses are also considered. Revised test questions are then produced following the standard test

development methodology. National advisory committees may also be convened to review and revise existing

test speciﬁcations and to evaluate test forms for alignment with the speciﬁcations.

How long will it take to receive my scores?

Scores for tests that do not include constructed-response questions are available on screen immediately after

the test. Scores for tests that contain constructed-response questions or essays aren’t available immediately after

the test because of the scoring process involved. Oﬃcial score reports are available to you and your designated

score recipients approximately two to three weeks after the test date for tests delivered continuously, or two to

three weeks after the testing window closes for other tests. See the test dates and deadlines calendar at www.

ets.org/praxis/register/dates_centers for exact score reporting dates.

Can I access my scores on the web?

All test takers can access their test scores via My Praxis Account free of charge for one year from the posting

date. This online access replaces the mailing of a paper score report.

The process is easy—simply log into My Praxis Account at www.ets.org/praxis and click on your score report. If

you do not already have a Praxis account, you must create one to view your scores.

Note: You must create a Praxis account to access your scores, even if you registered by mail or phone.

* E T S Standards for Quality and Fairness (2014, Princeton, N.J.) are consistent with the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing,

industry standards issued jointly by the American Educational Research Association, the American Psychological Association, and the

National Council on Measurement in Education (2014, Washington, D.C.).

To search for the Praxis test prep resources

that meet your speciﬁc needs, visit:

www.ets.org/praxis/testprep

To purchase oﬃcial test prep made by the creators

of the Praxis tests, visit the ETS Store:

www.ets.org/praxis/store

are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). 449059763