The Middle School English Language Arts test measures whether prospective middle school English language arts teachers have the knowledge, skills, and abilities believed necessary for competent professional practice. The test is aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts and informed by the Early Adolescence/English Language Arts Standards from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and by the Standards for Initial Preparation of Teachers of Secondary English Language Arts, developed by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

It measures examinees’ skills and knowledge of concepts relevant to four content categories: reading, including the study of literature (e.g., stories, drama, and poetry) and informational texts (e.g., essays, biographies, and speeches); use of the English language, including conventions of standard English and vocabulary development; writing, speaking, and listening; and English language arts instruction.

Most of the 110 selected-response questions, which will address all four of the content categories, are traditional four-option selected-response questions with one correct answer. However, some innovative question types are also used. Examples include the following:

• multiple-selection multiple-choice questions, which have five or more answer choices and one or more correct answers
• order/match questions, in which you categorize words or phrases by dragging them from a list into the appropriate boxes
• audio or video stimulus questions, in which you respond to a short audio or video clip instead of, or in addition to, a written passage
• table/grid questions, in which you click on a box or boxes in a grid to select your answer(s)
• select-in-passage questions, in which you choose your answer by clicking on a section of a passage to highlight it

The two constructed-response (CR) questions, or short essays, also address the first and fourth content categories, reading and English language arts instruction. The first CR question asks you to interpret a piece of literature or informational text; the second asks you to discuss approaches to teaching reading or writing, given a particular student writing sample or classroom context. This test may contain some questions that will not count toward your score.