ILTS Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield ILTS facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which comprehension strategy involves students predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing to actively monitor understanding? → Reciprocal Teaching
2. Which text structure is characterized by explaining similarities and differences between two or more topics? → Compare and contrast
3. When a counselor suspects that a student may be suicidal, which action is the HIGHEST priority? → Conducting an immediate risk assessment and ensuring student safety
4. Which evidence-based intervention framework tiers students into increasing levels of support based on assessment data? → Response to Intervention (RTI) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
5. Which term describes a child's ability to regulate their own emotions, attention, and behavior — a key predictor of school readiness? → Self-regulation
6. A novel written from the perspective of a character who participates in the story's events and uses 'I' throughout is written in which point of view? → First person
7. Illinois school counselors must complete how many semester hours of supervised school counseling practicum or internship as part of licensure requirements? → 400 hours minimum (including 240 hours of direct service)
8. A teacher wants students to identify the author's purpose in a persuasive editorial. Which question should guide students FIRST? → What claim is the author making and what evidence supports it?
9. Which ILTS test is required for the School Counselor endorsement in Illinois? → ILTS School Counselor test 181
10. A Reading Specialist is coaching a new teacher on guided reading. What is the MAIN purpose of the introduction in a guided reading lesson? → To orient students to the text and activate schema before reading
11. A student writes: 'The soldiers marched silently, each boot crushing the autumn leaves underfoot.' Which technique does this sentence best demonstrate? → Imagery
12. How should an Illinois elementary teacher respond when a student's IEP specifies extended time on assessments? → Implement it on all applicable assessments as written in the IEP
13. A student discloses abuse to a school counselor. What should the counselor do regarding the student's parent who is the alleged abuser? → Report directly to DCFS without notifying the alleged abuser
14. Which attachment style, identified by Ainsworth, is associated with children who are distressed when caregivers leave but not easily comforted upon return? → Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment
15. When teaching close reading, an ELA teacher asks students to annotate a text. Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of close reading annotation? → To mark key ideas, unfamiliar words, and connections to deepen understanding
16. Which document guides curriculum alignment and instructional planning for Illinois elementary teachers? → Illinois Learning Standards
17. Illinois learning standards for elementary science emphasize which framework? → Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
18. A student uses the word 'affect' when the sentence requires 'effect.' Which type of error has the student made? → Homophone/word choice error
19. What is the primary purpose of progress monitoring in special education? → Tracking student growth toward IEP goals to inform instructional decisions
20. A child who can count objects by pointing to each one while saying the number names in order is demonstrating which counting principle? → One-to-one correspondence
21. Which assistive technology device is MOST appropriate to support a nonverbal student with autism in expressing basic needs? → An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device
22. A Grade 3 teacher wants to assess reading fluency. Which measure is MOST appropriate? → Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) probe
23. Which Illinois resource provides grade-level literacy benchmarks and assessment guidance for reading specialists? → Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Literacy Plan
24. Which of the following is least likely to result in an abrupt fall in academic performance: → Participation in a school sports team
25. Which instructional practice involves breaking a complex skill into smaller sequential steps taught one at a time? → Task analysis
26. Which approach to phonics instruction teaches letter-sound correspondences explicitly and systematically from simple to complex patterns? → Systematic synthetic phonics
27. Which Illinois Social Studies standard area focuses on civics and government for elementary students? → Standard 14 — Political Systems
28. A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is conducted PRIMARILY to determine what? → The function or purpose of a student's challenging behavior
29. What is the passing score required for most ILTS tests in Illinois? → 240
30. What does 'reading stamina' refer to in literacy development? → The capacity to sustain focused, independent reading over an extended period