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Study Guide

Field 203: Educating All Students—II (EAS–II)

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General Directions

This test consists of selected-response items and one extended constructed-response item.

Each selected-response item in this test is presented with four answer choices. Read each question and answer choice carefully and select the  start uppercase ONE end uppercase  best answer. You should answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all.

Total testing time is 135 minutes. Candidates are free to set their own pace during the test administration. The following estimates were used to determine the total test time:

Sample Selected-Response Items

Competency 0001 
Diverse Student Populations

1. Effective programming for Students with Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) primarily focuses on:

  1. using only instructional materials designated at each student's independent reading level.
  2. ensuring students are evaluated for eligibility for special education services on a regular basis.
  3. providing students access to grade-level content while promoting language development.
  4. presenting curriculum in grade-level order starting from the student's first year of interrupted schooling.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) defines Students with Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) as English Language Learners who have attended schools in the United States for less than 12 months and, upon initial enrollment in school, are two or more years below grade level in literacy in their home language and/or two or more years below grade level in mathematics, due to inconsistent or interrupted schooling prior to their arrival to the United States. Important recommendations for teaching English Language Learners who are SIFE include providing access to grade-level content while promoting language development. Evidence- and research-based strategies include explicit instruction in the five components of reading (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension) and increasing student access to literacy-rich environments and print materials that support linguistic development while unifying language and grade-level content instruction.

2. Which approach best describes the application of an enrichment strategy to support the needs of a student identified as gifted and talented?

  1. grouping the student with others who are high-achieving students to complete general class assignments
  2. designing long-range, interest-based assignments for the student that are related to the current topic of study
  3. arranging opportunities for the student to provide instructional support to other students in the class who are achieving below grade level
  4. providing the student with time to allow them to move more quickly through grade- level standards
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. Enrichment for students who are gifted and talented can include adding content and areas of learning beyond what is covered in the general education curriculum, using more advanced materials and activities to enhance the core curriculum, or expanding teaching strategies used to present instruction. Enrichment approaches often encourage students who are gifted and talented to use higher-level thinking skills in their learning. Independent study; individually chosen projects; and long-range, interest-based assignments provide a focus for students to apply their learning in these areas over time.

Competency 0002 
English Language Learners

3. A class includes several English Language Learners whose English language proficiency is at the expanding level. Students at the expanding level typically demonstrate great independence in advancing their academic language skills. The teacher is planning a lesson that will involve students reading and responding in writing to questions about a grade-level informational text. Which strategy for differentiating the lesson would be most appropriate for the teacher to use to meet the English Language Learners' language and learning needs?

  1. modifying the lesson's learning objectives to exempt the English Language Learners from having to complete assignments that require English literacy skills
  2. preteaching key vocabulary from the assigned text to the English Language Learners and providing them with a graphic organizer to support their reading and writing
  3. allowing the English Language Learners to read a home-language translation of the assigned text or a similar text and respond to the questions in the home language
  4. making the reading and writing assignment ungraded for the English Language Learners and providing them with an unrestricted amount of time to complete it
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B. The New York State Teaching Standards (2011) Element I.2.b requires teachers to "adjust instruction to include a variety of strategies that support the language acquisition needs of each student." Expanding-level English Language Learners are able to read grade-level texts in English with appropriate scaffolding. By preteaching the text's key vocabulary to the students and providing them with a graphic organizer to support their reading and writing, the teacher meets the students' language acquisition and learning needs while promoting their achievement of the same learning objectives as their peers whose home language is English.

4. A teacher regularly uses oral questioning as informal assessment to monitor students' understanding during small group or individual lessons. The teacher uses a variety of question types throughout a lesson (e.g., literal, inferential, open-ended) and phrases questions using language at different levels of complexity. The class includes English Language Learners who have various English language proficiency levels. The teacher's approach to questioning is particularly appropriate for the English Language Learners because it allows the teacher to:

  1. adjust the assessment to address the language needs of individual students.
  2. modify the scope and sequence of the curriculum to accommodate students at different language proficiency levels.
  3. embed explicit academic language instruction directly into the assessment.
  4. provide individual students with the flexibility to progress through a given lesson at their own pace.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. Planning questions that target different comprehension levels (e.g., literal, inferential, evaluative) and that vary in type (e.g., focused, open-ended) and linguistic complexity allows the teacher to differentiate for English Language Learners at various English-language-proficiency and reading-ability levels during the lesson. Individual students can then best demonstrate their understanding. The questioning strategy described also provides English Language Learners with the opportunity to be exposed to and practice a range of responses to questions, which promotes their academic language development.

Competency 0003 
Students with Disabilities and Other Special Learning Needs

5. A general education teacher has noticed that a student in the class is having difficulty using a newly implemented voice output device. The student does not feel that the voice output device includes messages that she would like to convey, and her intended thoughts are not communicated. Which action would be most appropriate for the teacher to take in supporting the student's learning?

  1. modifying classroom activities and discussions to enable the student to respond without assistive technology
  2. transitioning the student toward an alternate mode of expressive communication
  3. providing an alternative type of assistive technology that better suits the student's needs
  4. consulting with the student's special education teacher or related service provider for guidance
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D. When an individualized education program (IEP) team determines that assistive technology is necessary for a student, a special education teacher and/or related service provider who will be most directly involved in the implementation of the student's assistive technology should be designated in the student's IEP. The teachers or related service providers can instruct general education teachers, the student, and the parents/guardians in using and programming these devices. By consulting and collaborating with the special education teacher(s) and/or related service provider about the student's needs, the general education teacher can then apply appropriate strategies to support the student in the use of the assistive technology device to effectively access the curriculum.

6. The general education teacher of a student with a disability is reviewing the goals in the student's individualized education program (IEP) with the special education teacher. To support the student's goal achievement, which step would be most important for the general education teacher to take first?

  1. identifying embedded opportunities for the student to practice the goal
  2. explaining to the student why each of the goals in the IEP are important
  3. ensuring that all of the student's class activities contribute to peer interactions
  4. pairing the student with a peer to practice the goal throughout the year
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A. Embedded instruction occurs when teachers provide instruction on a student's IEP goals within activities, routines, and transitions in the classroom. Embedded instruction is intentionally inserted into daily classroom activities, increases opportunities for learning, includes built-in reinforcement, and promotes goal achievement. In order to effectively design embedded instruction for a student's specialized learning goals, the teacher should identify activities that will provide the best opportunity to teach or reinforce a targeted skill.

Competency 0004 
Educator Responsibilities and School-Home Relationships

7. For a parent-teacher conference, a teacher will be meeting with the parents of an ELL student. The parents do not speak English, and a language interpreter will also attend the meeting. Below are some topics that the teacher plans to discuss:

The parent-teacher conference is most likely to result in:

  1. delegating educational responsibilities for the student.
  2. eliminating cross-cultural differences with parents.
  3. fostering mutual and effective communication.
  4. involving the family in the school's parent-teacher organization.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. The New York State Education Department (NYSED) Commissioner's Regulations Part 154 "provides parents/guardians the right to have a qualified interpreter/translator in their preferred language for critical interactions with the school district" (e.g., parent-teacher conferences). The topics discussed at the meeting in this scenario lay a groundwork for basic and important communication about the student between the teacher and parents/guardians. Including a language interpreter supports collaboration between the parents/guardians and teacher in developing a strong understanding of what the other considers to be important strengths, needs, and next steps for the student.

8. Before the first day of school, a teacher sends a letter to the family of each student. In the letter, the teacher shares general information about the first day of school. The teacher makes a point of expressing excitement about having each student in class. At the end of the first week of school, the teacher calls each student's parents/guardians to share a positive anecdote about the student's week. This teacher's strategy is likely to be most effective in:

  1. aligning the schools' instructional goals with the goals of the students' families.
  2. encouraging the families to participate in the parent-teacher organization.
  3. initiating constructive communication between the families and the school.
  4. promoting recognition of the role of families in students' academic success.
Enter to expand or collapse answer. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C. Effective and constructive communication is essential in creating strong school-home partnerships. Teachers who communicate positive information to parents/guardians about their children promote confidence and enthusiasm in the school-home relationship. Parents/guardians who feel that they and their children are appreciated and valued are often more motivated to support and participate in their children's learning and school experiences.