Spelling Bee
Typing Test
Spelling City

Section 3: Overview and Exam Framework
English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (117)

Spelling activities that are related to the words that children are reading and writing. Guides to move children from their own temporary spellings to more standard spellings. Spelling instruction with explicit instruction in sound-letter relations and word-identification strategies. Lessons that help children attend to spelling patterns. Selected sub-tests are administered. These descriptions, adapted from the Woodcock-Johnson III examiner’s manual, include only those sub-tests commonly administered by Montgomery County Public School evaluators. Standard Battery. Letter-Word Identification. This sub-test measures a student’s word identification skills. Product Description Provides instructions on administering the Word Identification and Spelling Test (WIST). Includes general administration procedures, scoring procedures, interpreting norm-referenced results, interpreting informal analysis, normative information, test reliability, and appendices. SPECIFICATIONS: 137 pages.

Exam Overview

Table outlining the exam format, number of questions, time, and passing score.
Exam Name	English Language Arts and Reading 4–8
Exam Code	117
Time	5 hours
Number of Questions	100 selected-response questions
Format	Computer-administered test (CAT)

The TExES English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (117) exam is designed to assess whether an examinee has the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools must possess. The 100 selected-response questions are based on the English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 exam framework. Free pyramid solitaire. Questions on this exam range from grades 4–8. The exam may contain questions that do not count toward the score. Your final scaled score will be based only on scored questions.

The Standards

Standard I	Oral Language: Teachers of students in grades 4–8 understand the importance of oral language, know the developmental processes of oral language and provide a variety of instructional opportunities for students to develop listening and speaking skills.
Standard II	Foundations of Reading: Teachers of students in grades 4–8 understand the foundations of reading and early literacy development.
Standard III	Word Analysis Skills and Reading Fluency: Teachers understand the importance of word analysis skills (including decoding, blending, structural analysis, sight word vocabulary) and reading fluency and provide many opportunities for students to practice and improve their word analysis skills and reading fluency.
Standard IV	Reading Comprehension: Teachers understand the importance of reading for understanding, know the components of comprehension and teach students strategies for improving their comprehension.
Standard V	Written Language: Teachers understand that writing is a developmental process and provide instruction that helps students develop competence in written communication.
Standard VI	Study and Inquiry Skills: Teachers understand the importance of study and inquiry skills as tools for learning and promote students’ development in applying study and inquiry skills.
Standard VII	Viewing and Representing: Teachers understand how to interpret, analyze, evaluate and produce visual images and messages in various media and to provide students with opportunities to develop skills in this area.
Standard VIII	Assessment of Developing Literacy: Teachers understand the basic principles of assessment and use a variety of literacy assessment practices to plan and implement instruction.

Domains and Competencies

Table outlining exam content subject weighting by domain.
Domain	Domain Title	Approx. Percentage of Exam	Standards Assessed
I	Language Arts, Part I: Oral Language, Early Literacy Development, Word Identification Skills and Reading Fluency	33%	English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 I–III, VIII
II	Language Arts, Part II: Reading Comprehension and Assessment, Reading Applications, Written Language, Viewing and Representing and Study and Inquiry Skills	67%	English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 IV–VIII

The content covered by this exam is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:

The competency statement, which broadly defines what an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools should know and be able to do.
The descriptive statements, which describe in greater detail the knowledge and skills eligible for testing.

Domain I—Language Arts, Part I: Oral Language, Early Literacy Development, Word Identification Skills and Reading Fluency

Competency 001—(Oral Language): The teacher understands the importance of oral language, knows the developmental processes of oral language and provides a variety of instructional opportunities for students to develop listening and speaking skills.

The beginning teacher:

Knows basic linguistic concepts (e.g., phonemes, segmentation) and developmental stages in acquiring oral language, including stages in phonology, semantics, syntax and pragmatics and recognizes that individual variations occur.
Knows characteristics and uses of informal and formal oral language assessments and uses multiple, ongoing assessments to monitor and evaluate students’ oral language skills.
Provides language instruction that acknowledges students’ current oral language skills and that builds on these skills to increase students’ oral language proficiency.
Plans, implements and adapts instruction that is based on informal and formal assessment of students’ progress in oral language development and that addresses the needs, strengths and interests of individual students, including English-language learners.
Recognizes when oral language delays or differences warrant in-depth evaluation and additional help or intervention.
Knows how to provide explicit, systematic oral language instruction and supports students’ learning and use of oral language through meaningful and purposeful activities implemented one-to-one and in a group.
Selects and uses instructional materials and strategies that promote students’ oral language development; that respond to students’ individual strengths, needs and interests; that reflect cultural diversity; and that build on students’ cultural, linguistic and home backgrounds to enhance their oral language development.
Understands relationships between the development of oral language and the development of reading and provides instruction that interrelates oral and written language to promote students’ reading proficiency and learning (e.g., preview-review, discussion, questioning).
Knows similarities and differences between oral and written language and how to promote students’ awareness of these similarities and differences.
Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models to strengthen students’ oral vocabulary and narrative skills in spoken language and teaches students to connect spoken and printed language.
Selects and uses instructional strategies, materials, activities and models to teach students skills for speaking to different audiences for various purposes and for adapting spoken language for vario

Word Identification And Spelling Test Manual