NYSTCE ATAS Applying Reading Instructional Support 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with dyslexia benefits MOST from which type of phonics instruction?
- Implicit phonics embedded in whole-language activities
- Systematic and explicit multisensory phonics instruction (Correct answer)
- Incidental phonics taught only when errors occur
- Silent reading with phonics worksheets for homework
Correct answer: Systematic and explicit multisensory phonics instruction
Research consistently shows that students with dyslexia respond best to structured, explicit, multisensory phonics programs that follow a systematic sequence.
Question 2: Which questioning technique encourages students to make inferences while reading fiction?
- 'What does this word mean?'
- 'What page did we read that on?'
- 'Why do you think the character made that choice?' (Correct answer)
- 'Can you point to where it says that?'
Correct answer: 'Why do you think the character made that choice?'
Questions about character motivation require students to use text evidence combined with reasoning, which is the foundation of inferential thinking.
Question 3: A student consistently skips punctuation when reading aloud, running sentences together. The BEST intervention is to:
- Have the student read faster to build fluency
- Use echo reading to model how punctuation signals pausing and phrasing (Correct answer)
- Mark all punctuation in the text with a highlighter and have the student copy the page
- Stop the student after every error and have them reread the entire paragraph
Correct answer: Use echo reading to model how punctuation signals pausing and phrasing
Echo reading allows the teaching assistant to model fluent, punctuation-aware reading so the student can hear and then replicate appropriate prosody.
Question 4: When a student has difficulty with reading comprehension but strong decoding skills, the teaching assistant should prioritize:
- Intensive phonics drills
- Building vocabulary and teaching comprehension strategies explicitly (Correct answer)
- Reducing the reading level of all assigned texts
- Assigning more independent silent reading without guidance
Correct answer: Building vocabulary and teaching comprehension strategies explicitly
A student who can decode but not comprehend needs explicit instruction in meaning-making strategies and vocabulary, not phonics remediation.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a 'picture walk' before reading a new text with early readers?
- To assess whether the student has mastered sight words
- To activate prior knowledge and build prediction skills before reading (Correct answer)
- To replace the need to read the text independently
- To check if the student can identify all characters by appearance
Correct answer: To activate prior knowledge and build prediction skills before reading
A picture walk previews illustrations to build background knowledge, generate predictions, and introduce key vocabulary before the student encounters the text.
Question 6: A teaching assistant is asked to support a small group using leveled readers. What is the PRIMARY purpose of using texts at a student's instructional level?
- To ensure the student only reads texts they find interesting
- To provide texts that are challenging enough to grow skills with support (Correct answer)
- To avoid any frustration during the reading session
- To match books to the student's favorite topics
Correct answer: To provide texts that are challenging enough to grow skills with support
Instructional-level texts offer the right level of challenge — not too easy, not too hard — so growth occurs with guided support.
Question 7: A student says 'I don't know any words on this page' when encountering a difficult text. Which response BEST builds reading independence?
- Read the page aloud to the student so they can follow along
- Tell the student the meaning of every unknown word
- Guide the student to use context clues and word parts to figure out meaning (Correct answer)
- Replace the text with a much easier one immediately
Correct answer: Guide the student to use context clues and word parts to figure out meaning
Teaching students to use context clues and morphological analysis builds independent word-solving strategies rather than dependence on others.
NYSTCE ATAS Applying Reading Instructional Support 3
A student with dyslexia benefits MOST from which type of phonics instruction?