Illinois Licensure Testing System Reading Specialist 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What does an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) primarily measure?
- Phonemic awareness only
- A student's independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels (Correct answer)
- Spelling accuracy
- Writing fluency
Correct answer: A student's independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels
An IRI uses graded passages to determine a student's independent (≥95% accuracy), instructional (90–94%), and frustration (<90%) reading levels.
Question 2: Which comprehension strategy involves students predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing to actively monitor understanding?
- KWL chart
- Story mapping
- Reciprocal Teaching (Correct answer)
- Semantic mapping
Correct answer: Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal Teaching is a structured strategy where students take turns leading discussions using four strategies: predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing.
Question 3: A student reads accurately but has very low comprehension. What is the MOST likely area of concern?
- Phonemic awareness deficit
- Decoding breakdown
- Language comprehension weakness (Correct answer)
- Lack of fluency
Correct answer: Language comprehension weakness
When decoding is adequate but comprehension is poor, the deficit lies in language comprehension — the ability to construct meaning from text.
Question 4: Which vocabulary instructional approach involves students learning the meaning of unfamiliar words through rich, repeated exposure in meaningful contexts?
- Incidental vocabulary learning
- Rich robust vocabulary instruction (Correct answer)
- Dictionary look-up only
- Phonics-based vocabulary
Correct answer: Rich robust vocabulary instruction
Rich robust vocabulary instruction provides multiple exposures, student-friendly definitions, and opportunities to use words in varied contexts to build deep word knowledge.
Question 5: Which evidence-based intervention framework tiers students into increasing levels of support based on assessment data?
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Response to Intervention (RTI) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) (Correct answer)
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)
- Differentiated Instruction only
Correct answer: Response to Intervention (RTI) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
RTI/MTSS provides universal screening, Tier 1 core instruction, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, and Tier 3 intensive individualized support based on ongoing data.
Question 6: What is morphology, and why is it important for reading instruction?
- The study of sentence structure; helps students understand syntax
- The study of meaningful word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots); supports decoding and vocabulary (Correct answer)
- The study of speech sounds; helps with phonemic awareness
- The study of text structure; helps with comprehension
Correct answer: The study of meaningful word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots); supports decoding and vocabulary
Morphology is the study of meaningful word parts (morphemes) such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots, which helps students decode multisyllabic words and build vocabulary.
Illinois Licensure Testing System Reading Specialist 2
What does an Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) primarily measure?