TExES Science of Teaching Reading (STR) (293) — Questions and Answers

Question 1: A student is in Tier 2 intervention. Progress monitoring shows no growth after 8 weeks. The BEST next step is to:

Refer immediately for special education evaluation without changes
Continue the same intervention for 8 more weeks
Move student back to Tier 1 only
Intensify intervention and consider diagnostic evaluation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Intensify intervention and consider diagnostic evaluation

Lack of response after 8 weeks indicates a need to intensify or change the intervention and potentially pursue diagnostic evaluation.

Question 2: A student reads 'phone' correctly as the /f/ sound word. Which type of phonics knowledge is the student applying?

A vowel team rule for 'oe'
A grapheme-phoneme correspondence for 'ph' representing /f/ (Correct answer)
A silent letter rule for 'h'
A consonant blend rule

Correct answer: A grapheme-phoneme correspondence for 'ph' representing /f/

The digraph 'ph' is a grapheme that represents the phoneme /f/. Correctly reading 'phone' demonstrates knowledge of this ph to /f/ correspondence.

Question 3: A student reads 90 words per minute with 95% accuracy. What does this indicate about her fluency?

Her accuracy is too low to build comprehension
She is reading above grade level
Her rate is the only concern
She is at benchmark for most 2nd grade norms (Correct answer)

Correct answer: She is at benchmark for most 2nd grade norms

90 WCPM with 95% accuracy is near the typical benchmark for 2nd grade readers according to common fluency norms.

Question 4: Why should phonological awareness instruction include letters once students have basic phoneme awareness?

Letters make tasks easier and eliminate the need for oral-only instruction
Connecting phonemes to graphemes accelerates decoding and reading acquisition (Correct answer)
Letters help students bypass phonemic awareness and move directly to comprehension
Letter use is required by state reading standards regardless of research

Correct answer: Connecting phonemes to graphemes accelerates decoding and reading acquisition

Research shows that phonemic awareness instruction that incorporates letters produces stronger gains in reading and spelling because it bridges phonemic awareness to the alphabetic principle.

Question 5: Which of the following is a hallmark of a structured literacy intervention program?

Student-led learning without scope and sequence
Whole-language emphasis on meaning
Explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction with multisensory techniques (Correct answer)
Implicit phonics instruction embedded in reading

Correct answer: Explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction with multisensory techniques

Structured literacy interventions are explicit, systematic, and cumulative, often incorporating multisensory techniques (Orton-Gillingham approach).

Question 6: Which instructional practice best supports students in reading multisyllabic words?

Teaching students to guess based on the first letter and surrounding context clues
Teaching syllabication strategies to break long words into decodable parts (Correct answer)
Encouraging students to skip difficult words and focus on overall passage meaning
Having students memorize multisyllabic words as unanalyzed sight words

Correct answer: Teaching syllabication strategies to break long words into decodable parts

Teaching syllabication strategies gives students a systematic, transferable approach to decoding longer multisyllabic words they encounter across texts.

Question 7: Which type of question asks students to use information from the text combined with their own knowledge?

Think and search question
Author and me question (Correct answer)
On my own question
Right there question

Correct answer: Author and me question

Author and Me questions (from QAR) require students to combine textual evidence with personal knowledge to answer.

Question 8: Text-dependent questions require students to:

Use evidence directly from the text to support answers (Correct answer)
Draw on personal experience only
Predict what will happen next based on guessing
Define words without context

Correct answer: Use evidence directly from the text to support answers

Text-dependent questions cannot be answered from personal experience alone — they require citing specific evidence from the passage.

Question 9: A teacher introduces the word 'persistent' by providing its definition, showing it used in two different sentences, asking students to compare a persistent person to a lazy one, and then having students rate their own persistence. This approach exemplifies:

Tier 3 technical vocabulary instruction
Incidental vocabulary learning through context
Direct phonics instruction applied to multisyllabic words
Rich, robust vocabulary instruction with deep processing (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Rich, robust vocabulary instruction with deep processing

This multi-faceted approach combining definition, contextual examples, comparison, and personal connection characterizes the rich, robust vocabulary instruction recommended by Beck and colleagues.

Question 10: According to the Simple View of Reading, vocabulary knowledge contributes primarily to which component?

Language comprehension (Correct answer)
Print concepts
Decoding and word recognition
Phonological awareness

Correct answer: Language comprehension

In the Simple View of Reading, reading comprehension equals decoding times language comprehension. Vocabulary is a key component of language comprehension.

Question 11: Dynamic assessment differs from static assessment in that it:

Uses only standardized norms
Measures only fluency rates
Includes mediated learning to assess a student's response to instruction (Correct answer)
Is given only once a year

Correct answer: Includes mediated learning to assess a student's response to instruction

Dynamic assessment includes a test-teach-retest cycle to see how a student responds to targeted instruction, revealing learning potential.

Question 12: Decodable texts are primarily designed to:

Introduce as many new vocabulary words as possible across multiple genres
Contain words that primarily use phonics patterns students have already been taught (Correct answer)
Present rich literary language that motivates reluctant readers
Feature predictable, repetitive language patterns for whole-word memorization

Correct answer: Contain words that primarily use phonics patterns students have already been taught

Decodable texts are constructed to contain words made up of letter-sound patterns that have already been explicitly taught, giving students practice applying their phonics knowledge.

Question 13: What is the primary purpose of 'word sorting' activities in phonics instruction?

To develop phonemic awareness through purely auditory listening tasks
To build reading fluency through timed reading of high-frequency word lists
To help students discover and internalize spelling patterns by categorizing words (Correct answer)
To practice alphabetical ordering and dictionary reference skills

Correct answer: To help students discover and internalize spelling patterns by categorizing words

Word sorting activities have students compare and categorize words by their spelling patterns, deepening their understanding of orthographic patterns and phonics principles.

Question 14: Which comprehension skill involves identifying the most important ideas and restating them in one's own words?

Predicting
Summarizing (Correct answer)
Visualizing
Inferencing

Correct answer: Summarizing

Summarizing requires selecting the most important information and paraphrasing it concisely in the reader's own words.

Question 15: Narrative text structure typically includes which elements?

Setting, characters, problem, events, resolution (Correct answer)
Thesis, evidence, conclusion
Introduction, body, summary
Cause, effect, solution

Correct answer: Setting, characters, problem, events, resolution

Story grammar — setting, characters, problem, events, and resolution — describes the structure of narrative texts.

Question 16: Which characteristic differentiates dyslexia from a general reading difficulty caused by inadequate instruction?

Dyslexia students refuse to read; instructionally caused difficulties involve effort
Dyslexia only affects males; instructional gaps affect students of all genders
Dyslexia persists with appropriate instruction; instructionally caused difficulty resolves with quality teaching (Correct answer)
Dyslexia is always identified before kindergarten; instructional gaps appear later

Correct answer: Dyslexia persists with appropriate instruction; instructionally caused difficulty resolves with quality teaching

A key diagnostic feature of dyslexia is that it persists despite adequate, high-quality instruction, whereas a student whose reading difficulty stemmed from poor instruction typically responds to quality teaching.

Question 17: Which sequence correctly arranges phonemic awareness tasks from least to most complex?

Deletion, Rhyme recognition, Blending, Segmentation
Manipulation, Segmentation, Blending, Rhyme recognition
Segmentation, Blending, Deletion, Substitution
Rhyme recognition, Blending, Segmentation, Manipulation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Rhyme recognition, Blending, Segmentation, Manipulation

Research shows rhyme recognition is earliest, followed by blending, then segmentation, with manipulation (deletion/substitution) being most complex.

Question 18: Structured Literacy instruction is characterized by which set of principles?

Flexible grouping with student-selected texts as the main instructional driver
Explicit, systematic, sequential, cumulative, diagnostic, and multisensory (Correct answer)
Implicit, discovery-based, mixed with whole-language approaches
Primarily visual and sight-word based with minimal phonics

Correct answer: Explicit, systematic, sequential, cumulative, diagnostic, and multisensory

Structured Literacy as defined by the IDA is explicit, systematic, cumulative, sequential, diagnostic, and often multisensory, ensuring all skills are directly taught in a planned progression.

Question 19: Which type of spelling instruction is MOST consistent with structured literacy principles?

Copying words from the board
Random writing practice
Memorizing weekly word lists
Systematic study of sound-symbol correspondences and orthographic patterns (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Systematic study of sound-symbol correspondences and orthographic patterns

Structured literacy-aligned spelling instruction explicitly and systematically teaches phoneme-grapheme relationships and orthographic rules.

Question 20: According to the National Reading Panel, phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when it focuses on:

Whole-class instruction exclusively
One or two types of phonemic manipulation rather than many at once (Correct answer)
All phonemic awareness skills simultaneously across an extended period
Only auditory activities with no letter connections

Correct answer: One or two types of phonemic manipulation rather than many at once

The National Reading Panel found instruction focused on one or two types of manipulation, especially blending and segmentation, was more effective than teaching many skills simultaneously.

Question 21: Which of the following classroom practices best develops oral language skills in early elementary students?

Worksheets requiring students to circle correct answers silently
Independent silent reading of leveled books
Structured academic conversations with sentence frames and partner talk (Correct answer)
Teacher read-alouds with no discussion

Correct answer: Structured academic conversations with sentence frames and partner talk

Structured academic conversations with sentence frames and partner talk give students practice using complex oral language in meaningful contexts, directly building the oral language foundation for reading comprehension.

Question 22: Which informal assessment allows teachers to observe a student's reading behaviors, errors, and self-corrections in real time?

Standardized reading test
Running record (Correct answer)
End-of-unit test
Maze probe

Correct answer: Running record

Running records capture a student's oral reading behaviors — including errors, substitutions, and self-corrections — during live reading.

Question 23: How does phonemic awareness differ from phonological awareness?

Phonemic awareness involves working with letters, while phonological awareness does not
Phonemic awareness involves understanding word meanings, while phonological awareness does not
Phonemic awareness is a broad skill encompassing various sound-related skills, while phonological awareness is more specific to phonemes
Phonemic awareness is specific to phonemes, while phonological awareness includes a range of sound-related skills (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Phonemic awareness is specific to phonemes, while phonological awareness includes a range of sound-related skills

Phonemic awareness is a specific subset of phonological awareness, focusing exclusively on the individual sounds (phonemes) within spoken words. Phonological awareness is a broader skill that encompasses a range of sound-related abilities, including recognizing and manipulating words, syllables, and rhymes, in addition to phonemes. Therefore, phonemic awareness is a more refined and advanced skill within the larger domain of phonological awareness.

Question 24: Inferencing in reading comprehension requires students to:

Use text clues and prior knowledge to draw conclusions (Correct answer)
Identify the main idea only
Define unfamiliar vocabulary
Recall details stated explicitly in the text

Correct answer: Use text clues and prior knowledge to draw conclusions

Inferencing involves using implicit text evidence combined with background knowledge to derive meaning not directly stated.

Question 25: Which vocabulary strategy helps students use context clues to infer word meaning?

Teaching students to examine surrounding sentences and signal words for meaning clues (Correct answer)
Using a word wall to display high-frequency words
Semantic mapping of related words
Pre-teaching vocabulary before reading

Correct answer: Teaching students to examine surrounding sentences and signal words for meaning clues

Context clue strategies teach students to use the words and ideas surrounding an unknown word, such as definitions, examples, and contrast signal words, to infer meaning during reading.

Question 26: Why does the letter 'c' make a /s/ sound in 'city' but a /k/ sound in 'cat'?

The vowel length principle governing adjacent sounds
The position of the consonant within the syllable structure
The consonant digraph rule for letter combinations
The soft/hard consonant rule based on the vowel that follows (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The soft/hard consonant rule based on the vowel that follows

The soft/hard consonant rule states that 'c' (and 'g') typically make their soft sounds before 'e,' 'i,' or 'y,' and their hard sounds before other letters.

Question 27: What is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can change meaning?

Grapheme
Syllable
Phoneme (Correct answer)
Morpheme

Correct answer: Phoneme

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another, thereby changing its meaning. For example, the words 'cat' and 'bat' differ by only one phoneme (/k/ vs. /b/), which completely alters their meaning. Understanding phonemes is crucial for developing phonemic awareness and ultimately for decoding words in reading.

Question 28: Which component of reading fluency refers to reading at an appropriate speed without sacrificing accuracy?

Prosody
Automaticity
Decoding
Rate (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Rate

Rate refers to how quickly a reader reads, and an appropriate rate supports comprehension without sacrificing accuracy.

Question 29: Which model uses a tiered framework of increasingly intensive instruction based on student response to intervention?

Balanced literacy
Whole-language approach
Literature circles model
Response to Intervention (RTI) / MTSS (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Response to Intervention (RTI) / MTSS

RTI/MTSS uses tiered instruction (Tier 1 core, Tier 2 small group, Tier 3 intensive) with progress monitoring to guide decision-making.

Question 30: Reciprocal Teaching incorporates which four comprehension strategies?

Connect, visualize, infer, evaluate
Predict, question, clarify, summarize (Correct answer)
Scan, skim, read, review
Preview, read, recite, review

Correct answer: Predict, question, clarify, summarize

Reciprocal Teaching uses predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing — strategies students apply in rotating teacher roles.

Question 31: Which definition of dyslexia is used by the International Dyslexia Association?

A specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, poor decoding and spelling, rooted in a phonological processing deficit (Correct answer)
A behavioral disorder resulting from inadequate reading instruction
A general intelligence deficit that impairs reading acquisition across all subjects
A vision disorder causing letters to reverse or appear backwards

Correct answer: A specific learning disability characterized by difficulties with accurate and fluent word recognition, poor decoding and spelling, rooted in a phonological processing deficit

The IDA defines dyslexia as a specific, neurobiological learning disability rooted in a phonological processing deficit, affecting word recognition and decoding despite adequate instruction.

Question 32: Which of these is an example of a phonemic awareness task?

Naming the letters in the word "dog"
Reading the word "dog" aloud
Writing the word "dog"
Identifying the first sound in the word "dog" (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Identifying the first sound in the word "dog"

Identifying the first sound in a word, such as /d/ in "dog," is a classic phonemic awareness task. Phonemic awareness is a specific subset of phonological awareness that focuses on the individual sounds (phonemes) within words. This activity requires a child to isolate and recognize a single phoneme, demonstrating their ability to manipulate the smallest units of sound in spoken language.

Question 33: An Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) establishes a student's independent level as the level at which the student reads with:

90% accuracy
75% accuracy
80% accuracy
95–100% accuracy (Correct answer)

Correct answer: 95–100% accuracy

The independent level is where a student reads with 95–100% accuracy with minimal support, allowing for enjoyable, self-directed reading.

Question 34: Which of the following components is NOT typically involved in word analysis?

Prefixes
Suffixes
Root words
Phonemes (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Phonemes

Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in a language and are primarily associated with phonological and phonemic awareness. Word analysis, on the other hand, typically involves morphological components like prefixes, suffixes, and root words, which are the smallest meaningful units. While phonemes are crucial for sounding out words, they are not structural components of word analysis in the same way as morphemes.

Question 35: Which instructional approach builds morphological awareness to support vocabulary development?

Using pictures and gestures to teach all new vocabulary words
Providing a class glossary of technical terms at the start of each unit
Having students memorize 20 vocabulary words per week using flashcards
Teaching common prefixes, suffixes, and roots so students can analyze unfamiliar words (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Teaching common prefixes, suffixes, and roots so students can analyze unfamiliar words

Morphological awareness instruction teaches students the building blocks of words, empowering them to analyze and infer the meaning of tens of thousands of derived words.

Question 36: What is a tiered vocabulary?

A list of vocabulary words grouped by difficulty level
Vocabulary used only in academic settings
A set of words that students must memorize each week
Vocabulary divided into categories: Tier 1 (basic words), Tier 2 (high-frequency words), and Tier 3 (subject-specific words) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Vocabulary divided into categories: Tier 1 (basic words), Tier 2 (high-frequency words), and Tier 3 (subject-specific words)

Tiered vocabulary is a framework that categorizes words to guide instruction, typically into three tiers. Tier 1 consists of basic, everyday words; Tier 2 includes high-frequency words that appear across various subjects and are crucial for comprehension; and Tier 3 comprises low-frequency, subject-specific words. This system helps educators prioritize which words to teach explicitly to maximize impact on student learning.

Question 37: Which listening comprehension skill is most directly targeted when a teacher asks: 'What was the author's main message in the passage we just heard?'

Sequencing events in chronological order
Literal recall of stated facts
Identification of the main idea from an oral text (Correct answer)
Evaluation of the author's writing style

Correct answer: Identification of the main idea from an oral text

Identifying the main idea, which is the central message or point of a passage, when the text is delivered orally targets listening comprehension at the inferential and interpretive level.

Question 38: A teacher asks students to listen to two words and decide if they rhyme: 'cat' and 'bat.' This activity develops which component of phonological awareness?

Rhyme recognition (Correct answer)
Syllable counting
Phoneme isolation
Onset-rime blending

Correct answer: Rhyme recognition

Deciding whether two words rhyme is rhyme recognition, one of the earliest-developing phonological awareness skills.

Question 39: The double deficit hypothesis proposes that the most severe reading difficulties result from deficits in:

Listening comprehension and reading fluency
Vocabulary knowledge and syntactic awareness
Phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming (Correct answer)
Working memory and processing speed

Correct answer: Phonological awareness and rapid automatized naming

The double deficit hypothesis identifies two independent predictors of reading difficulty, phonological awareness and RAN, and proposes that deficits in both produce the most severe and intervention-resistant reading difficulties.

Question 40: Reader's Theater supports fluency PRIMARILY because it:

Focuses on comprehension strategies
Introduces new vocabulary
Builds phonemic awareness
Motivates repeated reading of a text with a purpose (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Motivates repeated reading of a text with a purpose

Reader's Theater provides an authentic, motivating reason to reread a text multiple times, which builds fluency through repeated practice.

Question 41: A student's listening comprehension is strong but reading comprehension is weak. According to the Simple View, the primary deficit is likely in:

Vocabulary
Language comprehension
Background knowledge
Decoding/word recognition (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Decoding/word recognition

Strong listening comprehension but weak reading comprehension points to a decoding problem, not a language comprehension problem.

Question 42: What is the primary goal of vocabulary development in early reading instruction?

To enhance students' understanding and use of words in context (Correct answer)
To teach students to memorize lists of words
To improve students' handwriting skills
To ensure students can read quickly

Correct answer: To enhance students' understanding and use of words in context

The primary goal of vocabulary development in early reading instruction is to enhance students' understanding and effective use of words in context. Beyond simply knowing definitions, it aims for deep comprehension of word meanings and how they function in sentences and texts. A rich vocabulary is fundamental for reading comprehension and effective communication.

Question 43: Which text structure signals are associated with compare/contrast organization?

Similarly, however, on the other hand (Correct answer)
For example, such as, including
Because, therefore, as a result
First, next, then, finally

Correct answer: Similarly, however, on the other hand

Compare/contrast texts use signal words like similarly, however, and on the other hand to show likenesses and differences.

Question 44: A student can clap syllables in words but struggles to identify the first sound in a word. This suggests the student needs practice with:

Syllable segmentation
Onset blending
Phoneme isolation (Correct answer)
Rime identification

Correct answer: Phoneme isolation

Phoneme isolation, which is identifying a single phoneme in a specific position, is the skill the student is struggling with despite having syllable-level awareness.

Question 45: A kindergartner can identify rhymes but cannot segment the word 'dog' into its individual sounds. Based on the phonological awareness continuum, the teacher should next focus on:

Syllable blending
Phoneme deletion
Phoneme substitution
Phoneme isolation (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Phoneme isolation

Between rhyme recognition and full segmentation, phoneme isolation (identifying the first, last, or middle sound) is the appropriate intermediate step.

Question 46: Which syllable type contains a vowel immediately followed by the letter 'r,' which modifies the vowel sound?

R-controlled syllable (Correct answer)
Consonant-le syllable
Open syllable
Closed syllable

Correct answer: R-controlled syllable

R-controlled syllables (ar, er, ir, or, ur) contain a vowel followed by 'r,' which changes the vowel sound so it is neither clearly short nor long.

Question 47: Which strategy MOST effectively builds academic vocabulary through oral language for English Language Learners?

Using comprehensible input with visual supports, repetition, and structured discussion (Correct answer)
Requiring ELL students to read academic texts without scaffolding to accelerate exposure
Separating ELL students to work on vocabulary worksheets independently
Providing ELL students with a glossary to memorize before each lesson

Correct answer: Using comprehensible input with visual supports, repetition, and structured discussion

Comprehensible input with visual supports and structured discussion provides ELLs with accessible meaning-making opportunities while exposing them to academic language in context.

Question 48: A teacher provides a student with extended time on tests, audiobooks for assignments, and a reader for state assessments. These accommodations are appropriate for a student with dyslexia because:

They provide access to grade-level content while the student continues to develop decoding skills (Correct answer)
They fulfill all legal obligations and no reading instruction is needed
They eliminate the need for direct reading intervention
They serve as substitutes for teaching phonics

Correct answer: They provide access to grade-level content while the student continues to develop decoding skills

Accommodations allow the student with dyslexia to access content using their strong language comprehension while reading intervention continues to develop their decoding skills.

Question 49: According to research on language comprehension development, which factor MOST strongly predicts reading comprehension in upper elementary grades?

Phonemic awareness scores in first grade
Oral language comprehension including vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge developed in early childhood (Correct answer)
The level of decodable text read in second grade
The number of sight words memorized in kindergarten

Correct answer: Oral language comprehension including vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge developed in early childhood

Research shows that oral language comprehension skills, particularly vocabulary, syntactic understanding, and background knowledge, are the strongest predictors of reading comprehension in upper elementary and beyond.

Question 50: A teacher listens to a student read and marks mispronunciations, substitutions, and omissions. This is part of:

A fluency probe
A running record (Correct answer)
A phonemic awareness assessment
A vocabulary screen

Correct answer: A running record

A running record documents error types (substitutions, omissions, mispronunciations) during oral reading to inform instruction.

Question 51: Which activity BEST integrates spelling and reading instruction?

Using dictation with targeted words that match current phonics patterns (Correct answer)
Only using worksheets
Asking students to memorize a word list
Having students copy words without analysis

Correct answer: Using dictation with targeted words that match current phonics patterns

Dictation with words that match taught phonics patterns integrates spelling and reading by reinforcing the same sound-symbol relationships.

Question 52: What are the five common informational text structures?

Introduction, thesis, body, conclusion, summary
Description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution (Correct answer)
Narrative, persuasive, expository, descriptive, procedural
Setting, plot, character, theme, conflict

Correct answer: Description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, problem/solution

The five common informational text structures are description, sequence, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and problem/solution.

Question 53: Which statement about the Simple View of Reading is TRUE as it relates to dyslexia intervention?

Students with dyslexia should focus only on language comprehension strategies
Students with dyslexia typically have a decoding deficit; intervention must target word recognition directly (Correct answer)
Comprehension-first strategies are the most effective intervention for dyslexia
The Simple View is not relevant to dyslexia because dyslexia affects overall comprehension

Correct answer: Students with dyslexia typically have a decoding deficit; intervention must target word recognition directly

Dyslexia is characterized by a word recognition and decoding deficit; the Simple View shows that strengthening decoding directly improves the reading comprehension product.

Question 54: Which fluency measure specifically counts the number of correct words read per minute (WCPM)?

Maze probe
Vocabulary probe
ORF probe (Correct answer)
Phoneme segmentation fluency

Correct answer: ORF probe

The Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) probe measures words read correctly per minute from a grade-level passage.

Question 55: What does automaticity in word recognition mean, and why is it important?

Reading at a fast rate regardless of accuracy
The ability to recognize a word's meaning automatically without using context
The ability to recognize words accurately and rapidly without conscious attention, freeing cognitive resources for comprehension (Correct answer)
Memorizing sight words in isolation without phonics knowledge

Correct answer: The ability to recognize words accurately and rapidly without conscious attention, freeing cognitive resources for comprehension

Automaticity means words are recognized instantly and effortlessly, freeing working memory for comprehension, which is the ultimate goal of decoding instruction.

Question 56: Which task requires a student to say 'cat' without the /k/ sound?

Phoneme blending
Phoneme deletion (Correct answer)
Phoneme segmentation
Phoneme substitution

Correct answer: Phoneme deletion

Phoneme deletion involves removing a specific sound from a word and saying what remains. Removing /k/ from 'cat' leaves 'at'.

Question 57: According to the Simple View of Reading, reading comprehension is the product of:

Vocabulary × Background knowledge
Phonics × Fluency
Fluency × Vocabulary
Decoding × Language comprehension (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Decoding × Language comprehension

The Simple View of Reading states that RC = Decoding × Language Comprehension, meaning both are necessary for skilled reading.

Question 58: How does phonemic awareness differ from phonics?

They are interchangeable terms for the same skill
Phonics precedes phonemic awareness in literacy development
Phonemic awareness uses written letters; phonics is purely auditory
Phonemic awareness involves spoken sounds only; phonics connects sounds to written letters (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Phonemic awareness involves spoken sounds only; phonics connects sounds to written letters

Phonemic awareness is an oral and auditory skill involving spoken phonemes; phonics instruction maps those phonemes to graphemes (written letters).

Question 59: Which instructional approach asks students to sort words into categories based on spelling patterns?

Cloze activities
Word sorts (Correct answer)
Dictation only
Speed drills

Correct answer: Word sorts

Word sorts have students categorize words by shared patterns (e.g., vowel sounds or prefixes), actively building orthographic knowledge.

Question 60: What is the alphabetic principle?

The sequence in which letters of the alphabet are introduced to students
The ability to hear individual sounds in spoken words
The understanding that print carries meaning from left to right
The concept that letters and letter combinations represent sounds in a systematic way (Correct answer)

Correct answer: The concept that letters and letter combinations represent sounds in a systematic way

The alphabetic principle is the foundational understanding that written letters and letter combinations systematically represent the sounds of spoken language.

Question 61: Isabel Beck's Tier 2 words are best described as:

Words found only in literary texts and rarely encountered in speech
Domain-specific technical vocabulary unique to one subject, such as photosynthesis or polygon
Basic words known by most young children, such as table and run
High-frequency academic words useful across many contexts, such as analyze and fortunate (Correct answer)

Correct answer: High-frequency academic words useful across many contexts, such as analyze and fortunate

Tier 2 words are high-frequency, high-utility words that appear across many content areas and academic texts but are not typically part of everyday conversational vocabulary.

Question 62: A first-grade teacher notices students consistently mispronounce 'spaghetti' as 'pasketti.' This error suggests difficulty with:

Phoneme deletion
Onset-rime blending
Phoneme substitution
Syllable structure and phoneme sequencing (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Syllable structure and phoneme sequencing

Transposing phonemes and altering syllable structure reflects difficulty with the syllable structure and ordering of phonemes within words.

Question 63: Which comprehension approach uses gradual release ('I do, We do, You do') to teach strategies explicitly?

Independent reading practice
Guided reading
Literature circles
Direct instruction of comprehension strategies (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Direct instruction of comprehension strategies

Explicit comprehension strategy instruction uses a gradual release model where the teacher models, guides practice, then releases responsibility to students.

Question 64: An English Language Learner struggles with academic language despite strong conversational English. This is BEST explained by:

The difference between BICS and CALP (Correct answer)
A learning disability
Lack of reading instruction
Poor phonological awareness

Correct answer: The difference between BICS and CALP

BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) develops faster than CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency), which takes 5–7 years to develop.

Question 65: Which of the following skills is NOT part of phonological awareness?

Identifying letter names and sounds (Correct answer)
Segmenting words into syllables
Rhyming words
Blending phonemes to form words

Correct answer: Identifying letter names and sounds

Identifying letter names and sounds is a skill related to phonics and alphabet knowledge, not phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is purely auditory, focusing on the sounds of spoken language without reference to print. Skills like segmenting words into syllables, blending phonemes, and rhyming words all involve manipulating spoken sounds, whereas letter identification connects sounds to written symbols.

Question 66: Sentence-level writing instruction that helps students combine ideas is called:

Text structure analysis
Story grammar
Narrative mapping
Sentence combining (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Sentence combining

Sentence combining instruction explicitly teaches students how to merge simple sentences into more complex, syntactically varied sentences.

Question 67: Which of the following activities best supports the development of phonological awareness in young children?

Reciting the alphabet
Clapping out syllables in words (Correct answer)
Writing sentences
Reading silently

Correct answer: Clapping out syllables in words

Clapping out syllables in words is an excellent activity for developing phonological awareness because it directly involves segmenting spoken words into their component sound units. This task helps children recognize the distinct rhythmic beats within words, improving their auditory discrimination and manipulation of sound structures. It's a hands-on way to make abstract sound concepts concrete and understandable for young learners.

Question 68: Phonological awareness assessments should be administered:

Only at the end of the school year as a summative measure
As universal screeners at the beginning of the year and progress-monitored throughout (Correct answer)
Exclusively in written format to standardize conditions
Only when a student is referred for special education evaluation

Correct answer: As universal screeners at the beginning of the year and progress-monitored throughout

Research-based practice calls for universal screening of phonological awareness at the start of the year followed by ongoing progress monitoring to identify at-risk students early.

Question 69: A student in third grade has age-appropriate phonemic awareness and phonics skills but reads very slowly and laboriously. This profile MOST suggests a deficit in:

Reading fluency and automaticity (Correct answer)
Phonological awareness
Language comprehension
Print concepts

Correct answer: Reading fluency and automaticity

When decoding accuracy is adequate but reading is slow and laborious, the deficit is in reading fluency, specifically the automaticity and rate of word recognition.

Question 70: Which type of words should receive the MOST direct instructional time according to Beck's tiered vocabulary framework?

Tier 2 words such as high-utility academic vocabulary (Correct answer)
All three tiers equally
Tier 1 words such as basic, conversational words
Tier 3 words such as specialized domain content words

Correct answer: Tier 2 words such as high-utility academic vocabulary

Tier 2 words warrant the most direct instructional time because they appear frequently across texts and content areas and are less likely to be learned through everyday conversation.

Question 71: Academic vocabulary (Tier 2 words) differs from Tier 3 words in that Tier 2 words:

Are technical terms specific to one subject area
Are high-frequency basic sight words
Appear across multiple subject areas and academic contexts (Correct answer)
Are only found in fiction texts

Correct answer: Appear across multiple subject areas and academic contexts

Tier 2 words (e.g., analyze, significant, compare) appear across academic disciplines and are central to academic language proficiency.

Question 72: Which of the following accommodations is specifically listed in the Texas Dyslexia Handbook as appropriate for students with dyslexia?

Elimination of all written assignments
Placement in a substantially separate classroom
Grade retention in place of intervention
Oral testing and extended time on assessments (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Oral testing and extended time on assessments

The Texas Dyslexia Handbook specifies accommodations including oral testing, extended time, and use of assistive technology to provide access without modifying standards.

Question 73: Which type of text structure is most commonly found in informational texts in science?

Narrative chronology
Persuasive argumentation
Cause-effect and compare-contrast (Correct answer)
Problem-solution

Correct answer: Cause-effect and compare-contrast

Science informational texts frequently use cause-effect to explain phenomena and their causes, and compare-contrast to compare organisms, processes, or conditions.

Question 74: Which of the following describes the orthographic mapping process in skilled reading?

Using visual memory to remember the overall shape of a word
Mapping new vocabulary words onto a graphic organizer
The process by which words are stored as instant sight vocabulary through connections between phonemes, graphemes, and meaning (Correct answer)
Decoding an unfamiliar word by applying phonics rules each time it is encountered

Correct answer: The process by which words are stored as instant sight vocabulary through connections between phonemes, graphemes, and meaning

Orthographic mapping is the process by which readers permanently bond a word's pronunciation, spelling, and meaning, allowing immediate sight word recognition after only a few exposures.

Question 75: Which of the following BEST supports students in understanding compare/contrast text structure?

Story map
Venn diagram or T-chart (Correct answer)
Cause-effect chain diagram
Timeline graphic organizer

Correct answer: Venn diagram or T-chart

Venn diagrams and T-charts visually represent similarities and differences, making them ideal organizers for compare/contrast text structure.

Question 76: Which word contains a derivational morpheme?

teacher (teach plus agent -er) (Correct answer)
they're (they plus are)
cats (cat plus plural -s)
walked (walk plus past tense -ed)

Correct answer: teacher (teach plus agent -er)

The suffix -er in 'teacher' is a derivational morpheme: it changes the verb 'teach' into the noun 'teacher,' altering the word's part of speech.

Question 77: Which comprehension strategy involves making connections between new text and prior knowledge, other texts, or the world?

Summarizing
Making connections (Correct answer)
Questioning
Visualizing

Correct answer: Making connections

Making connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, text-to-world) helps readers integrate new information with existing knowledge.

Question 78: Which of the following is a hallmark early indicator of dyslexia risk in kindergarten?

Slow silent reading rate in second grade
Difficulty with reading comprehension of complex texts
Persistent difficulty with phonological awareness tasks such as rhyming and blending (Correct answer)
Poor handwriting and fine motor skills

Correct answer: Persistent difficulty with phonological awareness tasks such as rhyming and blending

Phonological awareness difficulties, particularly with rhyming, blending, and segmentation, are among the earliest and strongest predictors of dyslexia risk.

Question 79: Which instructional strategy explicitly develops students' syntactic awareness?

Reading high-frequency word flashcards daily
Sentence combining exercises that teach students to join simple sentences into complex ones (Correct answer)
Vocabulary sorting activities using semantic categories
Asking students to clap syllables in words

Correct answer: Sentence combining exercises that teach students to join simple sentences into complex ones

Sentence combining directly develops syntactic awareness by requiring students to understand and manipulate grammatical structures to create more complex sentences.

Question 80: Which statement best describes how Structured Literacy differs from a balanced literacy approach for students with dyslexia?

Both approaches are equivalent in effectiveness for students with dyslexia
Structured Literacy ignores comprehension; balanced literacy addresses both decoding and comprehension equally
Structured Literacy provides explicit, systematic phonics and phonological instruction; balanced literacy relies more on implicit learning and meaning-based cuing strategies (Correct answer)
Balanced literacy is more evidence-based for dyslexia; Structured Literacy lacks research support

Correct answer: Structured Literacy provides explicit, systematic phonics and phonological instruction; balanced literacy relies more on implicit learning and meaning-based cuing strategies

Structured Literacy is explicit and systematic in phonics instruction, whereas balanced literacy relies more on meaning-based cues, implicit phonics learning, and leveled text, which research shows are insufficient for students with dyslexia.

Question 81: A teacher uses the sentence 'Even though she was tired, Maria finished her homework' to teach a grammar concept. Which concept is being illustrated?

A complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction (Correct answer)
A compound-complex sentence with two independent clauses
A compound sentence using a coordinating conjunction
A simple sentence with an appositive phrase

Correct answer: A complex sentence with a subordinating conjunction

'Even though' is a subordinating conjunction that introduces a dependent clause, making this a complex sentence with one independent and one dependent clause.

Question 82: Which pair of words are antonyms that could be used to teach the concept of word relationships?

Enormous and gigantic
Melancholy and cheerful (Correct answer)
Habitat and ecosystem
Rapid and swift

Correct answer: Melancholy and cheerful

Antonyms are words with opposite meanings. Melancholy (sadness) and cheerful (happiness) are opposites; the others are synonyms or related terms.

Question 83: A student can blend phonemes into words but struggles with segmenting words into phonemes. Which instructional strategy would be MOST effective?

Move directly to phonics instruction since blending is sufficient
Focus on syllable-level activities to build confidence before returning to phonemes
Practice more blending to strengthen phonological memory before teaching segmentation
Use Elkonin boxes or counters to make segmentation concrete and systematic (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Use Elkonin boxes or counters to make segmentation concrete and systematic

Elkonin boxes provide a concrete, kinesthetic scaffold that helps students physically separate phonemes, directly targeting the segmentation skill gap.

Question 84: Word consciousness refers to:

The ability to decode multisyllabic words quickly and accurately
Awareness of a word's phonological properties only
An interest in and awareness of words, their meanings, and their uses (Correct answer)
Memorizing definitions of Tier 3 academic words

Correct answer: An interest in and awareness of words, their meanings, and their uses

Word consciousness is a disposition toward noticing, appreciating, and being curious about words, including their origins, nuances, and power, which motivates vocabulary growth.

Question 85: A graphic organizer showing a main idea and supporting details in a web format BEST supports which text structure?

Descriptive/main idea with details (Correct answer)
Problem and solution
Cause and effect
Chronological sequence

Correct answer: Descriptive/main idea with details

A web organizer with a central idea and branching details supports descriptive or main idea + details text structure.

Question 86: Which of the following is an example of a literal comprehension question?

What did the author say the character's name was? (Correct answer)
How does this story connect to your life?
What lesson does this story teach us?
Why do you think the character felt sad?

Correct answer: What did the author say the character's name was?

Literal comprehension questions have answers explicitly stated in the text, such as factual details like a character's name.

Question 87: The Discourse Comprehension model suggests comprehension occurs at multiple levels. Which level deals with understanding words and sentences?

Text base
Surface code (Correct answer)
Situation model
Macrostructure

Correct answer: Surface code

The surface code level involves understanding the exact words and sentence structures as written in the text.

Question 88: Which assessment tool is most commonly used to measure oral reading fluency (ORF) in the STR framework?

Informal Reading Inventory
Cloze procedure
Running record
CBMR (Curriculum-Based Measure of Reading) (Correct answer)

Correct answer: CBMR (Curriculum-Based Measure of Reading)

Curriculum-Based Measures of Reading (CBMR) are standardized, timed probes used to measure oral reading fluency.

Question 89: A student says the word 'flap' has three sounds rather than four. What error is the student likely making?

Treating the consonant blend /fl/ as a single phoneme instead of two (Correct answer)
Treating a digraph as a single phoneme
Confusing a rime with an onset
Conflating a syllable with a phoneme

Correct answer: Treating the consonant blend /fl/ as a single phoneme instead of two

The student is treating the consonant blend /fl/ as one sound instead of two separate phonemes /f/ and /l/, resulting in an undercount of phonemes.

Question 90: Which approach to phonics instruction is most strongly supported by research for students at risk for reading difficulties?

Analogy-based phonics using known word families
Systematic, explicit phonics instruction following a defined scope and sequence (Correct answer)
Incidental phonics when students ask about specific words
Embedded phonics within trade book reading

Correct answer: Systematic, explicit phonics instruction following a defined scope and sequence

The National Reading Panel and subsequent research consistently find that systematic, explicit phonics instruction with a defined scope and sequence produces the strongest outcomes, especially for at-risk students.

Question 91: When students apply letter-sound knowledge to read unfamiliar words, they are using which skill?

Contextual guessing
Whole-word recognition
Semantic cueing
Phonological decoding (Correct answer)

Correct answer: Phonological decoding

Phonological decoding is the process of using letter-sound correspondences to systematically sound out and read unfamiliar words.

TExES Science of Teaching Reading (STR) (293)

The TExES STR (293) is a Texas certification exam assessing educator knowledge in the science of reading, including foundational literacy skills, reading comprehension, and evidence-based instructional strategies required for Texas teacher certification.

Questions

285 min

Time Limit

70%

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These practice questions were written with AI tools. They are not real exam questions. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy

Sources & references

Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy

tea.texas.gov — Eligibility · verified Oct 2026
tx.nesinc.com — Registration deadline, test delivery, fees, passing score, test dates, retake policy, score release, exam information · verified Nov 2026