CEA CEA Literacy & Numeracy Instruction

Question 1

Which of the five pillars of reading instruction identified by the National Reading Panel focuses on understanding the relationship between letters and sounds?

Accepted Answer

Phonics

Answer

Phonics instruction teaches the systematic relationship between written letters (graphemes) and spoken sounds (phonemes) to build decoding skills.

Question 2

An educational assistant is helping a second grader who reads word by word very slowly. Which skill should be targeted FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Oral reading fluency

Answer

Slow, word-by-word reading indicates a fluency deficit; building oral reading fluency through repeated reading practice is the priority intervention.

Question 3

What does 'phonemic awareness' refer to in early literacy development?

Accepted Answer

The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words

Answer

Phonemic awareness is an oral skill involving the ability to focus on and manipulate individual phonemes in spoken language without reference to print.

Question 4

When an educational assistant uses a 'think-aloud' strategy while reading with a student, the primary goal is to:

Accepted Answer

Model metacognitive comprehension strategies by verbalizing thought processes

Answer

Think-alouds make the internal cognitive process visible, modeling how proficient readers monitor understanding and apply strategies.

Question 5

A student consistently reverses letters such as 'b' and 'd' when writing. Which intervention is MOST evidence-based for this issue?

Accepted Answer

Explicit, multisensory instruction linking letter name, sound, and formation

Answer

Multisensory approaches that connect letter names, sounds, and physical formation (e.g., Orton-Gillingham methods) are evidence-based for addressing letter reversals.

CEA - Certified Educational Assistant Practice Test

CEA - Certified Educational Assistant Practice Test

CEA CEA Literacy & Numeracy Instruction