Study Guide

Field 019: English Learners
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Objective 0001
Linguistics (Standard 1)

1. As part of a lesson on politeness, an EL teacher passes a brown bag full of items around in an EL class and has each student remove an item without looking in the bag. Each student then either politely accepts or refuses the item. This instructional strategy best demonstrates the teacher's understanding of how to use realia to teach:

  1. phonology.
  2. syntax.
  3. discourse.
  4. pragmatics.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of elements of English pragmatics. Using appropriate conventions to politely accept or refuse something is an example of a pragmatic speech act. The activity described here illustrates the use of real-life objects to provide students with practice using this pragmatic speech act.
Objective 0001
Linguistics (Standard 1)

2. I went to meet Roger and Eliana at the coffee shop, but they were just leaving. He had to go to work, and she was late for an appointment.

The use of pronouns in the text above best serves to give the text:

  1. conciseness.
  2. cohesion.
  3. parallelism.
  4. redundancy.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of elements of spoken and written English discourse. A cohesive text is one that flows smoothly and has clear and logical connections between ideas. Pronouns can create cohesion in a text by helping the speaker or writer avoid repetition and by linking sentences or parts of sentences. For example, in the second sentence of this text, "he" refers back to the noun "Roger" in the first sentence while allowing the speaker or writer to avoid repeating the noun in the second sentence.
Objective 0002
Language Acquisition and Development (Standard 2)

3. Research has shown that English Learners' academic performance in the content areas can decline as they enter the upper elementary and middle grades. Which of the following factors provides the best explanation for this phenomenon?

  1. a decreased level of student motivation
  2. a reduction in the availability of educational resources
  3. an increased emphasis on academic language
  4. a focus on oral production over written communication
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of processes and stages in second-language acquisition, such as differences between social and academic language development. Research has shown that it can take second-language learners a significantly longer time to develop academic-language proficiency than to develop social-language proficiency. Content-area academic language begins to be increasingly emphasized as students enter the upper elementary and middle grades, and English Learners who have not yet become proficient in academic English often struggle with these increased academic language demands.
Objective 0003
Culture (Standard 3)

4. A school that is located in a diverse community takes pride in its multicultural emphasis and actively encourages students from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds to be involved in school government and extracurricular programs. The school has achieved high academic performance ratings. This school best exemplifies which of the following cultural concepts?

  1. cultural relativism
  2. cultural assimilation
  3. cultural pluralism
  4. cultural transmission
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of major concepts about culture. In a culturally pluralistic society, minority groups are accepted by the majority culture and are able to maintain their unique cultural identities. This school demonstrates acceptance of and respect for students from minority groups by including them in the school's curriculum and activities, thereby exemplifying the concept of cultural pluralism.
Objective 0003
Culture (Standard 3)

5. A new teacher learns that several English Learners from the same home country will be joining an EL class. These students have lived most of their lives in refugee camps. The teacher could most effectively address these students' needs by taking which of the following steps first?

  1. encouraging the students to speak openly about their feelings and past experiences
  2. arranging for the students to receive intensive remedial instruction from qualified paraprofessionals
  3. speaking privately with the class about treating the students with understanding and patience
  4. creating an inviting yet structured classroom environment in which the students can feel safe
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of culturally appropriate strategies for addressing the academic, social, and emotional needs of refugees. English Learners who are refugees often have experienced a significant amount of upheaval and displacement. A teacher working with these students should be aware of their need to have a sense of safety and security and should begin by creating a classroom environment that addresses this need.
Objective 0004
Principles of English Learner (EL) Instruction (Standard 4)

6. Sheltered instruction is an instructional approach that teaches subject-area content to English Learners through:

  1. comprehensible input.
  2. natural acquisition.
  3. bilingual presentation.
  4. independent learning.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of effective program models for English Learners, such as sheltered instruction. Sheltered instruction is an approach to teaching English Learners that incorporates language instruction into content instruction. A main goal of sheltered instruction is to support students' access to grade-level content by using methods such as visual aids and verbal scaffolding to make content lessons comprehensible for English Learners.
Objective 0004
Principles of English Learner (EL) Instruction (Standard 4)

7. Which of the following statements describes the most important benefit of Indiana's Response to Instruction (RtI) model as it applies to English Learners?

  1. RtI outlines procedures that aid in the development of an English Learner's Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
  2. RtI establishes a structured system for placing English Learners in the most appropriate educational setting.
  3. RtI standardizes instructional methods to ensure that English Learners meet challenging grade-level standards.
  4. RtI provides flexibility in differentiating instruction to meet the educational needs of English Learners.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of effective program models for English Learners, such as Indiana's Response to Instruction (RtI) model. According to Indiana's RtI guidance document, in the RtI model "every student is given an opportunity to meet or exceed proficiency standards by teachers utilizing data in an effective and collaborative decision-making process, which results in differentiating instructional practices for all learners." The three-tier RtI model provides a framework for addressing English Learners' educational needs in flexible ways.
Objective 0005
Standards-Based Instruction for English Learners (Standard 5)

8. A teacher is preparing a lesson in which first-grade English Learners will listen to a story about children playing in the park and then discuss what happened in the story. The teacher could most effectively promote the students' comprehension by taking which of the following steps prior to reading the story?

  1. previewing vocabulary from the story using a picture of a park
  2. giving students a simplified version of the story to read in advance
  3. having students talk about and draw a picture of their favorite park
  4. telling students some background information about the author of the story
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based methods for developing students' listening skills and strategies for a variety of social and academic purposes. In this lesson, English Learners are participating in a listening comprehension activity. When listening to an aural text such as a story, the students are likely to have better comprehension if they are familiar with the context and vocabulary of the text.
Objective 0005
Standards-Based Instruction for English Learners (Standard 5)

9. An EL teacher has students complete the following chart in conjunction with a content-area lesson on a new topic.

This use of a graphic organizer is likely to benefit English Learners by raising their awareness of:

  1. their ability to use critical-thinking skills.
  2. the metacognitive processes involved in learning.
  3. their intrinsic motivations for learning.
  4. the underlying schema that supports learning.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based methods for developing students' content-area knowledge and academic learning strategies. Metacognition is the ability to reflect on one's own thinking processes and to plan for and monitor one's own learning. A graphic organizer like this K-W-L-H chart raises students' awareness of their metacognitive processes by helping them reflect on their background knowledge related to topic, make a plan for what they want to learn, and then reflect on what they learned and what learning strategies they used.
Objective 0006
English Learner (EL) Instructional Resources (Standard 6)

10. An EL teacher who teaches a beginning-level EL class gives each student a small colored block and a clear plastic cup. The teacher guides the students in using the block and cup to illustrate the meaning of different prepositions. For example, students place the block inside the cup for the preposition in and place the block next to the cup for the preposition by. This instructional strategy best demonstrates the teacher's understanding of how to:

  1. use color and texture to address students' diverse learning styles.
  2. use interactive games to enhance students' engagement in learning.
  3. use manipulatives to promote students' language development.
  4. use realia to make learning more authentic and meaningful for students.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of strategies for using a variety of resources for language teaching. The activity described here is an example of a teacher using hands-on materials, or manipulatives, (i.e., a colored block and plastic cup). In this case, the teacher is effectively using the manipulatives to develop students' language skills as related to prepositions.
Objective 0007
Assessment of English Learners (Standard 7)

11. An EL teacher is helping determine testing accommodations for an English Learner who will be taking a standardized reading achievement test. The student is orally fluent in English but has difficulty reading in English. Which of the following accommodations would be allowed for this student while maintaining the validity of the test results?

  1. translating the test into the student's primary language
  2. providing the student with extended time to complete the test
  3. giving the student an alternate test with easier content
  4. arranging for the test to be read aloud to the student
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of appropriate testing accommodations for English Learners. On a standardized reading test in English, certain accommodations for English Learners, such as translating the test, are not allowed because it would change the test construct and render the results of the test invalid. Other testing accommodations, such as providing extended testing time, do not change the test construct and are allowable because they do not affect the validity of the test results.
Objective 0007
Assessment of English Learners (Standard 7)

12. Which of the following types of assessments is typically used to determine whether an English Learner may be ready to exit an EL program?

  1. a formative assessment of the English Learner's content-area knowledge aligned with grade-level academic requirements
  2. a screening assessment that measures the English Learner's overall intelligence and aptitude for language learning
  3. a summative assessment of the English Learner's English proficiency level based on Indiana's English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards
  4. a self-assessment that prompts the English Learner to reflect on his or her ability to function in a general education classroom
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of procedures for using standardized assessments, such as state-adopted English language proficiency tests, appropriately with English Learners. According to state procedures for exiting English Learners from instructional services, a student must attain an overall score of Level 5 on the state standardized English proficiency assessment twice consecutively in order to be eligible to exit an EL program.
Objective 0008
Professional Knowledge and Growth (Standard 8)

13. An EL teacher could use Indiana's English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards most appropriately for which of the following purposes?

  1. developing instructional objectives for English Learners
  2. assessing an English Learner's level of English language proficiency
  3. planning assessment accommodations for a particular English Learner
  4. identifying evidence-based instructional practices to use with English Learners
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of state student learning standards as they apply to English Learners. Indiana's English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards "are intended as a working instrument for … teachers … who seek to apply meaningful standards that guide and support their daily instruction of English/language arts." An important aspect of this daily instruction of English/language arts is the development of instructional objectives, so it follows that the standards would be an especially useful tool for this purpose.
Objective 0009
Collaboration and Advocacy (Standard 9)

14. A middle school EL teacher works with a social studies teacher to teach a class that includes several English Learners. During a lesson on population patterns, the social studies teacher helps half of the class with a computer research project. The EL teacher helps the other half of the class, which includes most of the English Learners, with a map labeling activity. This arrangement is most representative of which of the following instructional models?

  1. station teaching
  2. parallel teaching
  3. alternative teaching
  4. lead and support teaching
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of effective collaborative teaching models. In a parallel teaching model of instruction, two teachers collaborate by each taking half the class and teaching the same content at the same time. An advantage of this model is that it allows the teachers to give students more individualized support and to monitor individual student progress and understanding more closely.
Objective 0009
Collaboration and Advocacy (Standard 9)

15. An EL teacher is aware that many content-area teachers have misconceptions about the languages and cultures represented by English Learners in the school. Which of the following strategies is likely to be most effective in dispelling these misconceptions and promoting acceptance and understanding of diversity?

  1. looking for opportunities in faculty meetings and informal conversations to educate colleagues about cultural and linguistic matters
  2. sponsoring schoolwide multicultural events that showcase traditional costumes, foods, and rituals from different countries around the world
  3. providing colleagues with print and online resources on how to implement a multicultural, antibias curriculum in the classroom
  4. compiling a multicultural handbook with helpful information about the history, religions, and geography of English Learners' home cultures
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting acceptance and understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity in the school community. Misconceptions about English Learners' languages and cultures often stem from differences in deeply held cultural values and beliefs rather than from surface differences in cultural customs and practices. The most effective way for an EL teacher to dispel such misconceptions would be to address them through direct interaction and dialogue with those who have the misconceptions.