Navigating the New Terrain: Preparing Texas Teacher Candidates for the Science of Teaching Reading Constructed Response
Keywords:
science of teaching reading, teacher certification, undergraduate writing, teacher candidatesAbstract
The Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has implemented new certification requirements, significantly affecting the path for aspiring Pre-K through 8th-grade educators. As of 2022, candidates must pass three exams: the pedagogy and professional responsibility (PPR) exam, a Core Subjects exam, and the newly mandated Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam. Effective January 1, 2021, the STR exam includes a constructed response component alongside traditional multiple-choice questions, raising proficiency standards by assessing both content knowledge and writing skills. This enhanced focus on writing presents challenges, especially for undergraduate candidates. The current article offers guidance on preparing for the STR exam's constructed response segment, analyzing its requirements, and providing recommendations to develop the necessary skills. The goal is to equip teacher candidates to navigate this demanding aspect of the certification process successfully.
References
Armbruster, B. B., Anderson, T. H., & Ostertag, J. (1987). Does text structure/summarization instruction facilitate learning from expository text?. Reading Research Quarterly, 331-346. https://doi.org/10.2307/747972
Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (2001). Text talk: Capturing the benefits of read-aloud experiences for young children. The Reading Teacher, 55(1), 10-20.
Benjamin, R. G., & Schwanenflugel, P. J. (2010). Text complexity and oral reading prosody in young readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 388-404. https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.45.4.2
Bialystok, E., Shenfield, T., & Codd, J. (2000). Languages, scripts, and the environment: Factors in developing concepts of print. Developmental psychology, 36(1), 66. https://doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.36.1.66
Bogaerds-Hazenberg, S. T., Evers-Vermeul, J., & van den Bergh, H. (2021). A meta‐analysis on the effects of text structure instruction on reading comprehension in the upper elementary grades. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(3), 435-462. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.311
Bos, C., Mather, N., Dickson, S. (2001). Perceptions and knowledge of preservice and inservice educators about early reading instruction. Annuals of Dyslexia, 51, 97-120. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-001-0007-0
Brady, S., Gillis, M., Smith, T., Lavalette, M., Liss-Bronstein, L., Lowe, E., North, W., Russo, W., & Wilder, T.D. (2009). First grade teachers’ knowledge of phonological awareness and code concepts: Examining grains from an intensive form of professional development and corresponding teacher attitudes. Reading and Writing, 22, 425-455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-009-9166-x
Brown, K. J., Patrick, K. C., Fields, M. K., & Craig, G. T. (2021). Phonological materials in Utah kindergartens: A case study in the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(S1), S249-S272. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.386
Cabell, S. Q., Zucker, T. A., DeCoster, J., Melo, C., Forston, L., & Hamre B. (2019). Prekindergarten interactive book reading quality and children’s language and literacy development: Classroom organization as a moderator. Early Education and Development, 30(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2018.1514845
Carlisle, J. F. (2010). Effects of instruction in morphological awareness on literacy achievement: An integrative review. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 464-487. https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.45.4.5
Cheesman, E. A., McGuire, J. M., Shankweiler, D., & Coyne, M. (2009). First-year teacher knowledge of phonemic awareness and its instruction. Teacher Education and Special Education, 32(3), 270-289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406409339685
Clay, M. M. (1991). Becoming literate. Heinemann.
Clay, M. M. (2016). Literacy lessons designed for individuals (2nd ed.). Heinemann.
DeGroff, L. (1987). The influence of prior knowledge on writing, conferencing, and revising. Elementary School Journal, 88, 105–118. https://doi.org/10.1086/461527
Dickinson, D. K., Golinkoff, R. M., & Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2010). Speaking out for language: Why language is central to reading development. Educational Researcher, 39(4), 305-310. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X10370204
Duke, N., Caughlan, S., Juzwik, M., & Martin, N. (2012). Teaching genre with purpose. Educational Leadership, 69(6).
Ehri, L. C. (2015). How children learn to read words. The Oxford handbook of reading. 293. In Polletsek, A. & Treiman, R. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of reading (pp. 293-325). Oxford Library of Psychology.
Ehri, L. C. (2020). The science of learning to read words: A case for systematic phonics instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 55, S45-S60. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.334
Ehri, L. C. (2022). What teachers need to know and do to teach letter-sounds, phonemic awareness, word reading, and phonics. The Reading Teacher, 76(1), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2095
Elkonin, D. B. (1963). The psychology of mastering the elements of reading. Educational Psychology in the USSR, 165-179.
Ganske, K. (2020). Mindful of words: Spelling and vocabulary explorations, grades 4-8. Guilford.
Georgiou, G. K., Torppa, M., Manolitsis, G., Lyytinen, H., & Parrila, R. (2012). Longitudinal predictors of reading and spelling across languages varying in orthographic consistency. Reading and Writing, 25, 321-346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-010-9271-x
Goodwin, A. P., & Ahn, S. (2013). A meta-analysis of morphological interventions in English: Effects on literacy outcomes for school-age children. Scientific Studies of Reading, 17(4), 257-285. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-010-0041-x
Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/074193258600700104
Hall, A. H. (2019). Preschool Interactive Writing Instruction. YC Young Children, 74(5), 78-83.
Hiebert, E. H., Samuels, S. J., & Rasinski, T. (2012). Comprehension-based silent reading rates: What do we know? What do we need to know?. Literacy Research and Instruction, 51(2), 110-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2010.531887
Hindman, A. H., Morrison, F. J., Connor, C. M., & Connor, J. A. (2020). Bringing the science of reading to preservice elementary teachers: Tools that bridge research and practice. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S197-S206. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.345
Hodges, T. S., Wright, K. L., McTigue, E. M. (2021). The preservice teacher self-efficacy for writing inventory (PTSWI): A tool for measuring beliefs about writing. Assessing Writing, 49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100545
Hudson, A. K., Lambright, K., Zhang, S., Wijekumar, K., Owens, J., & McKeown, D. (2023). Professional development in a pandemic: Transforming teacher knowledge of reading comprehension instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 71, 1965-1991. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10267-4
Hwang, H., Orcutt, E., Reno, E. A., Kim, J., Harsch, R. M., McMaster, K. L., Kendeou, P. & Slater, S. (2023). Making the Most of Read‐Alouds to Support Primary‐Grade Students' Inference‐Making. The Reading Teacher, 77(2), 167-177. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2226
Konza, D. (2014). Teaching reading: Why the “Fab Five” should be the “Big Six.” Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(12), 153-169. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n12.10
Kucan, L., & Beck, I. L. (1997). Thinking aloud and reading comprehension research: Inquiry, instruction, and social interaction. Review of Educational Research, 67(3), 271-299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1170566
Kuhn, K. E., Rausch, C. M., McCarty, T. G., Montgomery, S. E., & Rule, A. C. (2017). Utilizing nonfiction texts to enhance reading comprehension and vocabulary in primary grades. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45, 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0763-9
Lepola, J., Lynch, J., Kiuru, N., Laakkonen, E., & Niemi, P. (2016). Early oral language comprehension, task orientation, and foundational reading skills as predictors of grade 3 reading comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 51(4), 373-390. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.145
Lindsey, J. B., Kuehl, R., & Mesmer, H. A., (2020). What’s hot in literacy? Phonics and phonemic awareness. In E. Ortlieb, S. Grote-Garcia, J. Cassidy, & E. H. Cheek, Jr. (Eds.), What’s hot in literacy: Exemplar models of effective practice (Vol. 11, pp. 159-180). Emerald Publishing Limited.
Mason, S., & Atkin, C. (2021). Capturing the struggle: Adult learners and academic writing. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45(8), 1048-1060. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1851663
Miles, K. P., Rubin, G. B., & Gonzalez‐Frey, S. (2018). Rethinking sight words. The Reading Teacher, 71(6), 715-726. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1658
Olinghouse, N. G., & Graham, S. (2009). The relationship between the discourse knowledge and the writing performance of elementary-grade students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(1), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013462
Paige, D. D., Young, C., Rasinski, T. V., Rupley, W. H., Nichols, W. D., & Valerio, M. (2021). Teaching reading is more than a science: It’s also an art. Reading Research Quarterly, 56, S339-S350. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.388
Pressley, G. M. (1976). Mental imagery helps eight-year-olds remember what they read. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68(3), 355. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.68.3.355
Ricketts, J., Nation, K., & Bishop, D. V. M. (2007). Vocabulary is important for some, but not all reading skills. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(3), 235–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888430701344306
SBEC. (2022). 2021-2022 required test chart for Texas certification. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/required-and-replacement-test-chart.pdf
Samuels, S. J. (2006). Toward a model of reading fluency. In S. J. Samuels & A. E. Farstrup (Eds.), What research has to say about fluency instruction (pp. 24-46). International Reading Association.
Sargiani, R. D. A., Ehri, L. C., & Maluf, M. R. (2022). Teaching beginners to decode consonant–vowel syllables using grapheme–phoneme subunits facilitates reading and spelling as compared with teaching whole‐syllable decoding. Reading Research Quarterly, 57(2), 629-648. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.432
Scarborough, H. S. (1998). Predicting the future achievement of second graders with reading disabilities: Contributions of phonemic awareness, verbal memory, rapid naming, and IQ. Annals of Dyslexia, 48, 115-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-998-0006-5
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis) abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97-110). The Guilford Press.
Schwartz, R. M., & Raphael, T. E. (1985). Concept of definition: A key to improving students' vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 39(2), 198-205.
Sénéchal, M., Ouellette, G., & Rodney, D. (2006). The misunderstood giant: On the predictive role of early vocabulary to future reading. In D.K. Dickinson & S.B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (Vol. 2, pp. 173–182). Guilford.
Spear-Swerling, L., Brucker, P.O., & Alfano, M. P. (2005). Teachers’ literacy-related knowledge and self-perceptions in relation to preparation and experience. Annuals of Dyslexia, 55, 266-296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-005-0014-7
Staal, L. A. (2000). The story face: An adaptation of story mapping that incorporates visualization and discovery learning to enhance reading and writing. The Reading Teacher, 54(1), 26-31.
Stahl, S. A., Hare, V. C., Sinatra, R., & Gregory, J. F. (1991). Defining the role of prior knowledge and vocabulary in reading comprehension: The retiring of number 41. Journal of Reading Behavior, 23(4), 487-508
Texas Education Agency. (2017). Texas administrative code. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=110&sch=A&rl=Y
Texas Education Agency. (2021). The dyslexia handbook. https://tea.texas.gov/academics/special-student-populations/texas-dyslexia-handbook-2021.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2022a). Preparation manual science of teaching reading: (293). https://www.tx.nesinc.com/content/docs/TX293_SciOfTeachingReading_PrepManual.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2022b). The science of teaching Reading exam. https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-testing/the-science-of-teaching-reading-str-exam
Williams, C. (2018). Learning to write with interactive writing instruction. The Reading Teacher, 71(5), 523-532. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1643
Young, C., Durham, P., & Rosenbaum-Martinez, C. (2018). A stacked approach to reading intervention: Increasing 2nd-and 3rd-graders’ independent reading levels with an intervention program. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 32(2), 181-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/0268543.2017.14
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
All copyright remains with the author.
