TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291)

by Luis A. Rosado Ed.D., Ann M.L. Cavallo Ph.D. (Contribution by), Mary D. Curtis Ph.D. (Contribution by), Diane M. Lange Ph.D. (Contribution by), Larry P. Nelson Ph.D. (Contribution by)

Overview

REA's TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291) Test Prep Gets You Certified and in the Classroom!

Texas teacher candidates seeking a generalist certificate for early childhood and elementary school are required to take the TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291) test. REA's all-new test prep offers extensive coverage of the five subject areas assessed on the Core Subjects EC-6 exam:

* English Language Arts and Reading & the Science of Teaching Reading (801)
* Mathematics (802)
* Social Studies (803)
* Science (804)
* Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education (805)

The Core Subjects (291) test was launched in January 2015; it replaced the TExES Generalist (191) test.

Whether you are a traditional college student or a career-changing professional, REA's TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291) prep is designed to help you pass the test so you can get certified and start your teaching career.

Written by a team of noted teaching experts led by award-winning Texas-based author Dr. Luis Rosado, this test prep is relevant, up-to-date, and practical. This is focused prep custom-built for the TExES Core Subjects exam EC-6. It's for candidates who want all their prep conveniently packaged in a printed book.

The book contains five targeted subject reviews that align with each Core Subjects subtest and one full-length practice test featuring over 250 questions and detailed explanations that cover every domain and competency.

REA's TExES Subjects EC-6 (291) test prep is a must-have for anyone who wants to teach early childhood and elementary school.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738611990
Publisher:	Research & Education Association
Publication date:	03/14/2016
Series:	TExES Teacher Certification Test Prep Series
Edition description:	Third Edition, Revised
Pages:	528
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.70(h) x 1.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Dr. Luis A. Rosado is a Professor of Bilingual Education and the Director of the Center for Bilingual and ESL Education in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Texas at Arlington. He holds degrees from the University of Puerto Rico, Boston State College, and Texas A&I University, now Texas A&M–Kingsville. Dr. Rosado has more than three decades of teaching experience at the elementary, high school, and college levels. He has taught in Puerto Rico, Massachusetts, and Texas.

Dr. Rosado has written extensively in the areas of pedagogy and professional responsibilities, parental involvement, cross-cultural communication, preparation for teacher certification exams, and Spanish for bilingual teachers. Among his publications are a series of books to prepare pre-service teachers for certification tests, including REA’s best-selling TExES Bilingual Generalist EC-6 (192), and Desarrollo del Español para Maestros en Programas de Educación Bilingüe (Spanish Development for Teachers in Bilingual Education Programs), for which, with co-author Lidia Morris, he earned first place in the 2014 International Latino Book Awards in the category of Best Reference Book—Spanish or Bilingual. The book, which is intended, Dr. Rosado says, “to polish the Spanish proficiency of current and future bilingual teachers,” is being used by several universities and a number of Texas school districts.

Read an Excerpt

Congratulations! By taking the TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291) test, you’re on your way to a rewarding career as a teacher of young students in Texas. Our book gives you everything you need to succeed on this important exam, bringing you one step closer to being certified to teach in Texas.

This TExES Core Subjects test prep includes:

• Complete overview of the TExES Core Subjects EC-6 (291) test

• Comprehensive review for all five subject tests in the TExES Core Subjects test battery

• Full-length practice test based on the official exam, complete with detailed answer explanations

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
About Our Review
The review chapters in this book are designed to help you sharpen your command of all the skills you’ll need to pass the Core Subjects EC-6 test. The test is composed of five domains and 47 competencies. Each of the skills required for all five domains is discussed at length to optimize your understanding of what the test covers.

Keep in mind that your schooling has taught you most of what you need to know to answer the questions on the test. Our content review is designed to reinforce what you have learned and show you how to relate the information you have acquired to the specific competencies on the test.Studying your class notes and textbooks together with our review will give you an excellent foundation for passing the test.

About Our Practice Test
The best way to personalize your study plan is to get feedback on what you know and what you don’t. This book gives you a full-length practice test based on the official TExES Core Subjects EC-6 exam, along with detailed answer explanations. After reviewing with the book, take the practice test to ensure that you have mastered the material and are ready for test day. Review the detailed answer explanations to identify any areas where you need extra study, and read those sections of the review chapters again.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE TEST
What is assessed on the Core Subjects EC-6 Test?
The TExES Core Subjects EC-6 test is a criterion-referenced examination constructed to measure the knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in Texas public schools must have. The test is a requirement for candidates seeking a Core Subjects EC-6 certificate. Because it’s a computer- administered test, the Core Subjects EC-6 exam is available throughout the year at numerous locations across the state and at select locations nationally. To find the test center near you, visit www.texes.ets.org.

Candidates are limited to five attempts to take any of Texas’s teacher certification tests, but in the event you don’t pass the Core Subjects EC-6 test, you need to retake only the individual subtest(s) where your score falls short.

What is the format of the TExES Core Subjects EC-6 test?
The test includes a total of 267 items, with 230 scorable multiple-choice items, and 37 nonscorable items used for field testing. You won’t know which is which, so they surely aren’t worth worrying about. Your final scaled score will be based only on the scorable items. The test is organized into five subject tests.

Multiple-Choice Questions
Though all the questions on the test are multiple-choice, they may not all be the type of multiple- choice question with which you’re familiar. The majority of questions on the Core Subjects test are standard multiple-choice items. The questions are not intended merely to test your command of facts but also your critical-thinking skills. For example, you may be asked to analyze information and compare it with knowledge you have, or make a judgment about it. To acquaint yourself with all the standards and competencies covered on the test, be sure to download Educational Testing Service’s test framework at www.texes.ets.org.

Some multiple-choice questions are self-contained while others are clustered, branching off a common stimulus. Each question will generally have four choices: A, B, C, and D. (Some questions may have five options.) In most cases, the correct answer will require you to identify the single best response. Some questions, however, will require you to select all the responses that answer the question correctly. In such instances, you will click check boxes instead of ovals. Also be aware that this test occasionally presents non-traditional formats for multiple-choice items, both to present the information and to allow you to select the best answer.

When should the test be taken?
Traditionally, teacher preparation programs determine when their candidates take the required tests for teacher certification. These programs will also clear you to take the examinations and make final recommendations for certification to the Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).

A candidate seeking EC-6 certification may take the appropriate Core Subjects test at such time as his or her Educator Preparation Program (EPP) determines the candidate’s readiness to take the test, or upon successful completion of the EPP, whichever comes first. The EPP will determine readiness through benchmarks and structured assessments of the candidates’ progress throughout the preparation program.

For those seeking certification right out of college, the TExES 291 Core Subjects EC–6 is generally taken just before graduation. Taking all TExES examinations is a requirement to teach in Texas, so if you are planning on being an educator, you must take and pass these tests.

How do I register for the test?
To register for the TExES 291 test, you must create an account in the ETS online registration system. Registration will then be available to you online, 24/7, during the regular, late, and emergency registration periods. Visit ETS’s TExES website at www.texes.ets.org and follow the instructions.

The TExES Registration Bulletin provides information about test dates and locations, as well as information on registration and testing accommodations for those with special needs. The registration bulletin is available at http://cms.texes-ets.org/registrationbulletin/. Registration bulletins are also available at the education departments of Texas colleges and universities. To address issues that cannot be solved at the teacher preparation program level, you can contact the offices of SBEC at [phone] or [phone]. You can also find information about the test and registration on the ETS website at http://cms.texes-ets.org/.

You must pay a registration fee to take the TExES tests, and you will also incur additional late fees if registering after the scheduled date.

What’s the passing score?
There are 267 multiple-choice questions on the TExES 291 test. Your score on each of the TExES 291’s subtests (test codes 801 to 805) will be reported on a 100-300 scale. A scaled score of 240 is set as the minimum passing score. To put this in context, you want to be confident you can answer between 70% and 80% of the questions correctly. To achieve the 70% level, you must get 190 questions correct; to reach the 80% level, you need to get 214 questions correct. As you work your way through our practice tests, scores in this range will suggest that you are sufficiently absorbing the test content. On the actual test, 32 of the 267 questions are being field-tested and thus will not be scored. There is no holistic score for the full Core Subjects EC-6 battery; overall results are reported as “pass” or “not pass” because, as ETS puts it, “there is no total scaled score for the overall exam.”

If you do not get a passing score on the practice test, study the detailed explanations for the questions you answered incorrectly. Note which types of questions you answered wrong, and reexamine the corresponding review content. After further review, you may want to retake the practice test.

When will I receive my score report?
As part of the registration process to take TExES examinations, test candidates set up an account with ETS in which they are assigned a username and password. Use this account to access your score report information on ETS’s TExES website. Score reports will be posted by 5 p.m. CT on the score reporting date and will be available for 90 days.

What if I don’t pass each subject area subtest?
You must pass all parts of the Core Subjects EC-6 test in order to meet the examination requirement for Texas’s Core Subjects EC-6 certificate. If you don’t do well on every part of the Core Subjects test, don’t panic. You can retake the entire test or any individual subject area subtests up to four times. Both options require a 45-day waiting period after the first and subsequent attempts. You are given four attempts to retake all portions of the Core Subjects exams. On your first retake, the Texas Education Agency requires that you attempt the entire Core Subjects exam. After the first attempt, each testing session counts as another try, regardless of whether the session includes the entire exam or one of the subject area subtests. Candidates retaking the entire Core Subjects battery must literally view (but not answer) all of the test questions in each subtest.

Table of Contents

About the Author
About the Contributing Authors
About REA
Publisher’s Acknowledgments

Chapter 1
Getting Started
How to Use This Book
An Overview of the Test
TExES Core Subjects EC–6 Study Schedule

Chapter 2
Proven Test-Taking Strategies for TExES Core Subjects

Chapter 3
Subject Test I: English Language Arts and Reading & the Science of Teaching Reading (801)
ELA/Reading Diagnostic Test
Competency 001: Oral Language
Competency 002: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness
Competency 003: Alphabetic Principle
Competency 004: Literacy Development
Competency 005: Word Analysis and Identification Skills
Competency 006: Reading Fluency
Competency 007: Reading Comprehension and Applications
Competency 008: Vocabulary Development
Competency 009: Reading, Inquiry, and Research
Competency 010: Writing Conventions
Competency 011: Written Communication
Competency 012: Viewing and Representing
Competency 013: Assessment of Developing Literacy
References

Chapter 4
Subject Test II: Mathematics (802)
Mathematics Diagnostic Test
Competency 001: Mathematics Instruction
Competency 002: Number Concepts and Operations
Competency 003: Patterns and Algebra
Competency 004: Geometry and Measurement
Competency 005: Probability and Statistics
Competency 006: Mathematical Processes
References

Chapter 5
Subject Test III: Social Studies (803)
Social Studies Diagnostic Test
Competency 001: Social Science Instruction
Competency 002: History
Competency 003: Geography and Culture
Competency 004: Economics
Competency 005: Government and Citizenship
References

Chapter 6
Subject Test IV: Science (804)
Science Diagnostic Test
Competency 001: Laboratory Processes, Equipment, and Safety
Competency 002: History and Nature of Science
Competency 003: Impact on Science
Competency 004: Concepts and Processes
Competency 005: Students as Learners and Science Instruction
Competency 006: Science Assessment
Competency 007: Forces and Motion
Competency 008: Physical and Chemical Properties
Competency 009: Energy and Interactions
Competency 010: Energy Transformations and Conservation
Competency 011: Structure and Functions of Living Things
Competency 012: Reproduction and the Mechanisms of Heredity
Competency 013: Adaptations and Evolution
Competency 014: Organisms and the Environment
Competency 015: Structure and Function of Earth Systems
Competency 016: Cycles in Earth Systems
Competency 017: Energy in Weather and Climate
Competency 018: Solar System and the Universe
References

Chapter 7
Subject Test V: Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education (805)
Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education Diagnostic Test
Competency 001: Visual Arts
Competency 002: Music
Competency 003: Health
Competency 004: Physical Education
Competency 005: Theatre
References

TExES Core Subjects Practice Test Battery
Practice Subject Test: English Language Arts and Reading & the Science of Reading
Detailed Answers
Practice Subject Test: Mathematics
Detailed Answers
Practice Subject Test: Social Studies
Detailed Answers
Practice Subject Test: Science
Detailed Answers
Practice Subject Test: Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education
Detailed Answers

Index
Self-Assessment Guides