RICA Subtest 3

1. If a student has difficulty completing their reading assignments, which of the following strategies would be best to help address this student's difficulty?

• reducing the student's reading assignment complexity and level of difficulty

• reminding the student that his grades are dependent upon his performance

• working with the student to chunk the student's assignments into smaller, more manageable reading tasks

• organizing the student's work for him, so he only has one assignment to complete at a time

Answer explanation

For students who struggle to complete their reading assignments, teachers should work with the student to help them breakdown their assignments into smaller, more manageable bits. The best answer for this problem is the 3rd choice.

2. A key fundamental aspect of creating and designing reading lessons is that we teachers must make sure that our reading lesson designs:

• every reading lesson must aim to improve at least two specific reading skills

• focus on skills that in the order of appropriate instructional progression which provide support based on their students' needs

• each planned activity connects students' reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills

• the targeted reading skills are grade-appropriate and taught to all students using the same instructional methods

Answer explanation

The importance of the reading lessons that we design are they support student's needs and come in a logical order based on the skills they've previously learned to continue supporting their reading development. The best solution here is the second choice.

3. Early childhood elementary teachers can best support their student's reading at home by:

• sending a weekly newsletter to the parents or guardians

• sending a list of recommended book titles for that student to the parents or guardians

• sending a list of recommended book titles for that student to the parents or guardians

• sharing the student's latest reading progress with the parents or guardians

4. In order to make your classroom a print-rich, reading environment for you students, which of the following strategies would be most effective?

• having the most easy books on display in the classroom to allow English learnings and struggling readers the best support to increase their confidence

• having the most challenging books on display in the classroom to optimize student's vocabulary

• having a variety of books on display in the classroom to meet the needs of all of your students

• creating a fun, comfortable reading space in the classroom, where students can read quietly

Answer explanation

It is important to always make sure that all of your learners are being supported. Having a variety of books on display in the classroom will help cater to all your students' reading levels. The best answer is choice number 3.

5. Which of the following questions is the best for a teacher to ask after providing a student with a reading assessment?

• how does this student's reading assessment compare with the whole-class reading performance?

• which grade should this student receive based on this reading assessment?

• how does this reading assessment relate to and build from the students' previous reading assessments?

• how does this student's reading assessment compare with the national reading level?

6. Having students in your classroom with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) means that prior to giving an assessment, the teacher should:

• reserve a quiet space in the library for the students with IEPs to take their assessment

• read the California Public Schools website to determine the general outline for IEPs and how to give the assessment

• rovide each student with an IEP extra time to complete their assessment

• determine if the individual students' IEPs state any specific testing accommodations

7. A class of 5th grade students will take a standardized test next week. This class has one student with a Section 504 Plan, and the teacher feels like receiving breaks during the test will help the student perform better. Before implementing changes to the testing schedule, this teacher needs to:

• consult the guidelines for this student's Section 504 Plan

• let the principal of the school know ahead of time

• reserve a space in the library for the student to complete the assessment

• use the teacher's best judgement for how long and frequent the breaks should be

8. When developing an improvement plan for a student, a teacher will often reach out to people, such as the principal, student support specialist, and the parents of the student. When organizing a time to meet, which of the following would be most important for the teacher or prepare prior to meeting?

• a report comparing this student's performance to another student's performance at the same grade level

• there's no need to prepare physical papers because the meeting at this time is simply a discussion

• the records of all of the student's past reading assessments

• a report showcasing the students social and academic strengths and weaknesses

9. What is the goal of standards-based reading instruction?

• every student will meet the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education

• at least 95% of students will meet the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education

• at least 90% of students will meet the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education

• at least 80% of students will meet the content standards adopted by the California State Board of Education

10. What is the best definition of a standard?

• a standard is a general outline for providing a certain level of education to students

• a standard states what every student should know and be able to do at each grade level

• a standard lays the groundwork for needs to be taught on a daily basis for the students to succeed

• a standard is used by education administrators to find more funding for their schools