TExES Science of Teaching Reading (293) Practice Test Explanation

[@gracesurmion]

I have a question about number 4. I think the answer is phonological. In the question, it mentioned, spelling, which involves letters, then blending which involves sounds. And both are under the umbrella of phonological awareness. Can you please explain more why it's not the correct answer? Thanks in advance.

[@courtneydeering5549]

I agree with @gracesurmion as phonemic awareness is the ability to consciously manipulate the phonemes in a word; once you add writing graphemes, I believe you have moved into phonological awareness, specifically phonics.

[@daneyfoster5030]

Yes! The correct answer is phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness only applies to manipulating individual sounds in words. And it falls under the phonological awareness umbrella.

[@oliviabird1118]

From the Texas certification website: Option C (phonemic awareness) is correct because in this assessment students are representing phonemes (sounds) with graphemes (letters). The number of graphemes a student writes and the sequence of the graphemes provides insight into the students' phonemic awareness, specifically their phonemic segmentation skills. If a student spells a CVC word with one letter that represents the beginning sound, it indicates that the student most likely perceives only the initial or most salient sound in a word. If the student spells a CVC word with both the beginning and ending consonants, this suggests that the student can perceive the initial and final phoneme of a word. If the student spells a target word with a beginning and an ending consonant along with a vowel in the middle, even if it is the wrong vowel, this indicates the ability to perceive three sounds. Likewise, if a student spells a target word that contains a blend (e.g., slug) using only three letters (e.g., sug), this suggests that the student likely can perceive words with up to three phonemes but not four phonemes. Thus, by analyzing students' spellings in this brief screening assessment, a teacher can draw some conclusions about a student's ability to perceive phonemes in words (i.e., phonemic awareness). This information can help inform instruction in phonemic awareness to support students' spelling and decoding development. Option A is incorrect because the assessment is not measuring students' knowledge of word meaning. Option B is incorrect because phonological awareness skills include the ability to perceive and manipulate many types of linguistic units (e.g., word, rhyme, syllable, onset/rime), while the narrower skill of phonemic awareness specifically relates to perceiving and manipulating individual phonemes in words. Option D is incorrect because spelling at this stage of literacy development relates exclusively to the phonological structure of language-the rendering of phonemes as graphemes. Whereas, listening comprehension relates to the meaning of language, typically at the sentence or discourse levels (discourse being a text or utterance longer than a single sentence [e.g., a paragraph, a story, an article, a chapter, a conversation, a lecture]). Additionally, phonics and phonological awareness are different - The sequence is as follows: phonological awareness (syllables, rhyming, alliteration) leads to phonemic awareness (awareness of individual sounds in words, I.e. c/a/t), which is a precursor to phonics (learning the graphemes that relate to the sounds or phonemes).

[@mj369lucky7]

I notice you only did 27 questions will you finish the rest since it’s 50 questions in the Pearson website?

[@iaeshamacon9901]

the actual test is 90 multiple choice questions and one essay.

[@lisaritter4319]

How many questions were on this practice test?

[@mj369lucky7]

50