Study Guide
Test Design and Test Objectives
Field 101: Adult Education: English Language Acquisition
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 60 selected-response questions |
| Time | 1 hour and 30 minutes (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Proportions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Foundations of Language and Language Acquisition | 1–2 | 33% |
| II | Assessment and Instruction in English Language Acquisition | 3–6 | 67% |
Subarea I–Foundations of Language and Language Acquisition
Objective 0001: Understand basic linguistic and sociolinguistic concepts and key components of the English language.
For example:- Demonstrate knowledge of ways in which languages differ in their key components (e.g., sounds, word structures, sentence structures, discourse patterns) in order to identify challenging aspects of English and support adult English learners' oral language and literacy development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of English phonology (e.g., analyzing patterns of sound, stress, rhythm, and intonation) and apply this knowledge to help adult English learners develop oral language and literacy skills.
- Demonstrate knowledge of English morphology (e.g., analyzing the structure of words, including roots, prefixes, and suffixes), how inflectional endings (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing, -er, -est) affect a word's meaning, and how derivational affixes (e.g., un-, dis-, -ly, -ment, -ion) affect a word's function and meaning; and apply this knowledge to develop adult English learners' vocabulary and literacy skills.
- Demonstrate knowledge of English syntax (e.g., analyzing the structure of phrases and sentences) and apply this knowledge to promote adult English learners' oral language and literacy development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of English semantics (e.g., analyzing relationships between the meanings of words, including synonyms and antonyms; distinguishing nuances in meaning of words and idioms in various contexts) and apply this knowledge to promote adult English learners' vocabulary, oral language, and literacy development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of discourse (e.g., analyzing the organization of language units longer than a sentence, such as paragraphs, conversations, texts, and speeches) and elements of English discourse (e.g., discourse markers, such as phrases that indicate the genre or type of a given discourse; cohesive devices, such as transition words or phrases that link ideas within a unit of discourse) and apply this knowledge to promote adult English learners' oral language and literacy development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of pragmatics (e.g., analyzing the context and participants in an act of communication, including the participants' language choices and constraints, and nonverbal cues) and apply this knowledge to help adult English learners respond appropriately and communicate effectively in a variety of formal and informal English language contexts and for a variety of audiences and purposes (e.g., engaging in class discussions, analyzing the interactions of characters in a play or novel).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of language variation, such as the development of dialects (e.g., regionally or socially specific varieties of a language [e.g., Standard American English]) and registers (varieties of a language used in particular situations or fields [e.g., social versus academic language, general-academic language versus scientific register]), and apply this knowledge to promote adult English learners' sociolinguistic competence.
Objective 0002: Understand stages and processes of new language acquisition and factors that can affect language and content learning in a new language.
For example:- Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts (e.g., social vs. academic language) and theories of second-language acquisition (e.g., comprehensible input, monitor hypothesis) in order to plan and deliver effective instruction.
- Demonstrate knowledge of adult English learners' primary language as an asset and apply understanding of language transfer and the influence of key elements of language from the primary language on adult English learners' second-language acquisition.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cognitive, metacognitive, and metalinguistic processes and strategies involved in learning a new language (e.g., use of generalization, self-monitoring, reflection, formulaic expressions, circumlocution, code-switching).
- Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics of various stages and processes of second-language development (e.g., receptive vs. productive skills), including the distinctions between the five levels of English language proficiency as defined by the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education.
- Demonstrate knowledge of adult English learners' diverse learning strengths, needs, interests, and experiences and the importance of considering these factors when planning instruction (e.g., instruction should be linguistically and culturally responsive and based on an individual adult English learner's assessed strengths and needs, prior educational experiences, and primary language and English language proficiency levels).
- Understand how the characteristics of adult English learners in the process of new language acquisition and acculturation differ from those of adult English learners with disabilities and how to provide accommodations and adaptations as needed.
- Understand affective factors (e.g., motivation, inhibition, personality, social distance, affective filter) that can affect the rate at which adult English learners acquire English proficiency.
- Understand sociocultural factors (e.g., values and beliefs, cultural identity, cultural contact, cultural stereotyping, prejudice, ethnocentrism) that can affect adult English learners' English language acquisition, including cultural differences in educational practices and experiences and culturally influenced approaches to learning (e.g., cooperative vs. competitive, individual vs. group).
- Understand how to create and maintain a safe, collaborative, and culturally responsive classroom environment that values diversity and makes use of adult English learners' foundation of life experiences and knowledge from work- and family-related activities and/or previous education, including appropriate use of the primary language, as valuable resources for promoting their engagement and motivation to meet rigorous standards.
- Demonstrate knowledge of cultural differences in communication styles and effective cross-cultural communication techniques, including communicating in a culturally respectful and linguistically appropriate and clear manner with adult English learners.
Subarea II–Assessment and Instruction in English Language Acquisition
Objective 0003: Understand assessment of adult English learners.
- Understand types and purposes of standardized assessments used with adult English learners and how to gather, interpret, and use data from standardized assessments (e.g., analyzing and applying disaggregated data to differentiate instruction, monitoring adult English learners' status and progress with respect to the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the challenges associated with assessing adult English learners, including the nature and role of cultural bias and linguistic bias in assessment.
- Understand purposes of classroom assessments (i.e., diagnostic, formative, and summative) and how to differentiate assessments for adult English learners as appropriate for the assessment purpose and English proficiency level.
- Demonstrate knowledge of types of classroom assessments (e.g., curriculum-based assessments, performance assessments, assessment portfolios, self-assessments) used with adult English learners, including the relative merits of performance-based assessments for various English proficiency levels.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of interpreting and using the results of informal assessments to inform classroom instruction.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for providing meaningful and appropriate assessment feedback to adult English learners.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for engaging adult English learners in self-assessment, reflection on their learning, and self-monitoring of progress in English language acquisition.
Objective 0004: Understand instructional practices and strategies that promote adult English learners' English language acquisition.
For example:- Demonstrate knowledge of instructional practices that support adult English learners' English language acquisition (e.g., creating a visually supportive, language-rich, and literacy-rich environment; providing comprehensible input; reducing the environmental affective filter; engaging adult English learners in meaningful and purposeful oral interactions; encouraging risk taking; providing appropriate feedback, such as discerning when to emphasize fluency and communication and when to emphasize explicit error correction).
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based instructional strategies and practices for promoting English language development and learning (e.g., activating and building background knowledge, promoting adult English learners' development of learning skills and strategies, providing opportunities for interaction).
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods and resources for supporting adult English learners' English language acquisition through instructional scaffolding, such as verbal scaffolding (e.g., questioning, elaborating), procedural scaffolding (e.g., explicit teaching, modeling, providing opportunities for guided and independent practice and application), and visual scaffolding (e.g., using graphic organizers).
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for designing English language acquisition lessons that target specific content standards, include measurable objectives, make explicit connections to prior knowledge and applications to the real world, and promote adult English learners' development of higher-level thinking skills.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for using a variety of educational resources (e.g., nonverbal, verbal, print, technology based) to support adult English learners' English language development and promote their achievement of standards and learning objectives related to language and content.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for differentiating instruction to address individual adult English learners' identified strengths and needs, including their different rates and styles of learning.
Objective 0005: Understand academic language and how to promote adult English learners' development of vocabulary and conventions of standard English grammar.
For example:- Recognize differences between social and academic language and the importance of these differences in planning and delivering effective instruction for adult English learners at various English proficiency and literacy levels.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of academic language, including vocabulary and conventions of standard English grammar, in supporting adult English learners' ability to listen, speak, read, and write effectively for academic purposes and in formal and/or workforce settings.
- Demonstrate knowledge of conventions and usage of standard English grammar, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to plan and implement effective grammar instruction for adult English learners at various English proficiency and literacy levels in order to promote their ability to understand and produce oral and written academic discourse.
- Apply knowledge of a range of vocabulary skills, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to provide adult English learners with context-embedded and explicit instruction in vocabulary.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based principles of effective vocabulary instruction, including: recognizing the three tiers of vocabulary (i.e., social, general-academic, and discipline-specific vocabulary); selecting high utility words and/or words that may pose special challenges for adult English learners (e.g., idiomatic expressions, false cognates); teaching adult English learners how to use independent word-learning strategies (e.g., structural analysis [word parts/analysis], cognate strategies, contextual analysis, use of print and online reference materials); developing students' word consciousness; preteaching content vocabulary; teaching concepts along with labels; and providing meaningful exposure to new vocabulary as well as opportunities to use new vocabulary in context.
- Demonstrate knowledge of best practices for developing adult English learners' academic language proficiency (e.g., explicit instruction in academic vocabulary, clear explanations of academic language structures, use of sentence frames, engagement of adult English learners in discussions about content and concepts, presentation of vocabulary and grammar in context [form plus function approach]).
- Apply knowledge of how to use a variety of nonverbal, verbal, print, and technology-based resources to support adult English learners' academic language development and promote their achievement of standards and learning objectives related to vocabulary and conventions of standard English grammar.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for differentiating instruction in vocabulary and conventions of standard English grammar to address individual adult English learners' identified strengths and needs.
Objective 0006: Understand evidence-based and standards-based instruction in listening, speaking, reading, and writing for adult English learners.
For example:- Understand the holistic nature of language; interrelationships between oral and written language, including the role of oral language in literacy development and how to use oral language to promote literacy and vice versa; and interrelationships between reading and writing and how to use writing to promote reading and vice versa.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of listening (receptive) and speaking (productive) development across content areas, including the significance of listening comprehension and speaking (e.g., listening for main ideas and details, responding to verbal questions, engaging in content-based discussions) on adult English learners' overall learning and academic achievement.
- Demonstrate knowledge of receptive and productive oral language skills, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to provide adult English learners with context-embedded and explicit instruction on how to listen and speak effectively for social and academic purposes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods, strategies, and practices that provide opportunities for adult English learners to engage in listening comprehension and speaking activities for a variety of purposes and that promote their ability to engage successfully in academic discourse (e.g., pre-, during-, and post-listening strategies; teacher read-alouds; text-based discussions; teacher and student questioning; collaborative learning activities; collaborative discussions; think-pair-share).
- Recognize the role of the primary language in adult English learners' literacy development, including the transfer of relevant existing native-language reading and writing skills to English, cultural differences in written discourse structures (e.g., rhetorical traditions, organizational patterns), and differences in literacy instruction for adult English learners with varying degrees of literacy in their primary language.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the range, quality, and complexity of student reading, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to identify areas that may be linguistically demanding or conceptually unfamiliar to adult English learners at different English proficiency levels and to provide exposure to and explicit instruction in a range of literary text types (e.g., stories, drama, poetry) and informational text types (e.g., literary nonfiction, historical texts, scientific texts, technical texts).
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based principles of effective reading instruction (e.g., promoting adult English learners' metacognitive and metalinguistic awareness during literacy tasks, activating and building background knowledge, preteaching key vocabulary, deconstructing complex academic language structures in texts), including understanding purposes for different types of reading (e.g., silent, oral, choral, partner) for adult English learners at various English proficiency and literacy levels.
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based methods and practices for developing adult English learners' foundational reading skills (e.g., phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and other word-identification strategies, accuracy, automaticity, fluency), including appropriate instructional practices for adult emergent readers.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods and practices (e.g., pre-, during-, and post-reading strategies; think-alouds) for promoting adult English learners' understanding and use of reading comprehension strategies (e.g., making predictions and inferences; skimming; scanning; visualizing; questioning; monitoring for understanding; summarizing; identifying main ideas, important details, and evidence that supports an author's claim; utilizing visual/graphic features of texts).
- Demonstrate knowledge of text types and genres, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to provide adult English learners with explicit instruction in how to write in a range of literary and informational text types, including helping adult English learners understand the reading-writing connection.
- Demonstrate knowledge of formal elements of written English, as described in the English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, to provide adult English learners with explicit, systematic instruction in different text structures (e.g., narrative, expository, persuasive) and conventions of standard written English (e.g., mechanics, syntax, spelling).
- Demonstrate knowledge of evidence-based principles of effective writing instruction (e.g., providing meaningful and appropriate feedback on written assignments; using scaffolded strategies for writing, such as graphic organizers, writing templates, and semantic maps; using interactive practices such as collaborative writing, facilitated writing, shared writing, process writing, and dialogue journals) and writing strategies (e.g., brainstorming and outlining, drafting, peer reviewing, editing, publishing) for adult English learners at various English proficiency and literacy levels.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to use a variety of nonverbal, verbal, print, and technology-based resources (e.g., using multicultural and high-interest materials, using computers and multimedia activities) to support adult English learners' achievement of standards and learning objectives related to listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for differentiating instruction in listening, speaking, reading, and writing to address individual adult English learners' identified strengths and needs.