Study Guide
Professional Knowledge: Middle School
Test Design and Framework
The test design below describes general assessment information. The framework that follows is a detailed outline that explains the knowledge and skills that this test measures.
Test Design
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT) and online-proctored test |
|---|---|
| Number of Questions | 100 multiple-choice questions |
| Time* | 2 hours |
| Passing Score | 220 |
*Does not include 15-minute tutorial
Test Framework
| Content Domain | Range of Competencies | Approximate Percentage of Test Score | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I. | Student Development and Learning | 0001–0003 | 30% |
| II. | Assessment, Instruction, and the Learning Environment | 0004–0008 | 50% |
| III. | The Professional Environment | 0009–0010 | 20% |
Domain I–Student Development and Learning
Competency 0001–Understand processes of human development, variations in student development, and how to apply this knowledge to provide instructional environments and experiences that promote all students' development and learning.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of major concepts, principles, theories, and processes of human development as related to young adolescents and adolescents.
- Recognize developmental milestones and developmental variation in the physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, affective, and moral domains and their significance for instructional decision making for young adolescents and adolescents.
- Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics and behaviors related to physical, cognitive, linguistic, social, affective, and moral development in young adolescents and adolescents and ways in which a student's development in one domain may affect development and performance in other domains.
- Apply knowledge of cognitive development in young adolescents and adolescents and how to plan instruction that supports students' cognitive development.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors that influence the development of young adolescents and adolescents, such as home and community environments, values, and cultures.
- Apply knowledge of the range of developmental differences in young adolescents and adolescents and the implications of this variation for instructional decision making.
- Apply knowledge of typical components and processes related to adolescent development, such as those related to peer interactions, identity formation, self-esteem, sexuality, self-direction, risk taking, goal setting, and educational decision making, and effective ways to support students' development.
- Evaluate various instructional strategies, approaches, learning goals, and assessment strategies in relation to the developmental characteristics and needs of young adolescents and adolescents.
Competency 0002–Understand learning processes, factors that can affect student learning and performance, and how to apply this knowledge to provide instructional environments and experiences that promote all students' learning and achievement.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of major theories and concepts related to the learning process and their application in educational contexts.
- Apply knowledge of processes by which young adolescent and adolescent students construct meaning and develop skills, including the use of different types of learning strategies, and techniques for making knowledge accessible and meaningful for all students, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities such as disabilities and/or giftedness.
- Identify strategies and technologies for facilitating learning for students with various characteristics (e.g., differences in prior learning experiences and in learning strengths and needs) and/or in given instructional contexts.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' development of independent thinking and learning, short- and long-term goal setting, reflection, critical and other higher-order thinking skills, organizational and time-management skills, self-advocacy skills, and sense of ownership and responsibility with regard to their own learning.
- Apply knowledge of various teacher and student roles in the learning process and how different roles may affect student learning and outcomes.
- Demonstrate awareness of factors in the home, school, and community that can affect student learning and the implications of these factors for teaching and learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various classroom practices, such as grouping practices and teacher-student interactions, and their significance for student learning.
Competency 0003–Understand student diversity and how to provide learning opportunities and environments that are responsive to diversity, promote all students' learning, and foster students' appreciation of and respect for diversity.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of different types of student diversity, such as diversity in cultural background, socioeconomic background, gender, sexual orientation, linguistic background, religion, and family structure, and the implications of diversity for teaching and learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of different types of student exceptionalities, their characteristics, and their implications for teaching and learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for enhancing one's own understanding of students' diverse backgrounds and needs, for identifying resources in the school and community that can help meet individual student needs, and for connecting students and their parents/guardians to these resources.
- Identify strategies for working and interacting effectively in various classroom contexts with students with diverse characteristics and needs, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for planning and adapting instruction that is responsive to the characteristics, skills, strengths, and needs of all students and for ensuring that all students participate to their fullest abilities in classroom life and activities.
- Demonstrate awareness of the potential for cultural/personal bias in various instructional contexts and the importance of considering and introducing students to diverse social and cultural perspectives when designing and implementing lessons.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for creating a positive, supportive classroom environment for all students and for promoting students' understanding and appreciation of and respect for diversity within the classroom and the community.
Domain II–Assessment, Instruction, and the Learning Environment
Competency 0004–Understand assessment instruments and practices, the relationship between assessment and instruction, and how to use assessment to guide instruction and monitor students' learning progress.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of important assessment concepts, such as reliability, validity, and bias, and the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of various types of formal and informal assessments, including both formative and summative assessments.
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate assessment instruments and practices for given instructional situations and needs, and how to select or construct assessment instruments for various purposes.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for integrating assessment and instruction; for aligning assessment with instructional goals; and for using assessment to monitor student understanding, critical and other higher-order thinking, and problem solving and to guide instruction.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of using multiple assessment methods to support instruction and appropriate strategies for adapting classroom assessments for students with various characteristics and needs, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities, and for preparing students for the demands of particular assessment formats.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing students with timely, accurate, and effective feedback and for helping students use teacher assessment, peer assessment, and self-assessment to set their own learning goals and guide their own learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to interpret formal (e.g., standardized) and informal assessment results and how to communicate assessment results to students and their parents/guardians.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the role of assessment in three-tiered models of intervention (e.g., Response to Intervention [RtI]) and the types of assessment that are used to support effective instructional decision making in classroom-level interventions (e.g., universal screening, diagnostic assessment, progress monitoring).
Competency 0005–Understand principles and procedures of curricular and instructional planning and how to use effective planning to design instruction that promotes all students' learning and achievement.
For example:
- Identify procedures used in curricular planning and decision making, such as engaging in a collaborative process of data analysis with colleagues at the grade, department, and school levels; defining scope and sequence; determining prerequisite knowledge and skills; and aligning the curriculum with content standards.
- Apply knowledge of effective lesson and unit plans and their characteristics, such as logical sequence, accuracy, completeness, and feasibility.
- Demonstrate knowledge of key factors to consider in instructional planning, such as alignment with local, state, and national standards; the nature of the content; and students' characteristics, including their prior knowledge and experiences, current knowledge and skills, strengths and needs, and readiness to learn.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to define appropriate short- and long-term learning goals and objectives, select effective instructional approaches, and determine the sequence of instruction.
- Apply knowledge of how to use appropriate criteria to evaluate instructional resources, including technological resources, and how to select resources to meet various instructional needs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of and strategies for integrating curricula, creating interdisciplinary units of study, and planning learning experiences that provide students with opportunities to explore content from integrated and varied perspectives.
- Demonstrate awareness of the importance of looking for appropriate ways to connect instruction to students' prior knowledge and experiences and to their personal goals, home culture, and/or local community and/or to relevant local, societal, national, and/or world issues.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for differentiating instruction to address students' strengths and needs and for making instructional accommodations or modifications to ensure the success of all students in meeting curriculum objectives, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
Competency 0006–Understand principles and practices associated with various instructional approaches and how to apply these principles and practices to promote all students' achievement of instructional goals.
For example:
- Identify the characteristics, uses, benefits, and limitations of various instructional approaches, such as direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry, and class discussion, and of various configurations for student learning, such as whole-class instruction, flexible grouping, and independent learning.
- Apply knowledge of how to organize and implement instruction that promotes the ability of all students to achieve learning goals and of how to continuously monitor instructional effectiveness in order to respond flexibly to student understanding, engagement, and feedback and to differentiate lessons, as needed.
- Demonstrate knowledge of three-tiered models of intervention (e.g., RtI) and the role of evidence-based, data-driven interventions in helping students achieve curriculum objectives.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various instructional approaches in terms of student and teacher roles and responsibilities, expected student outcomes, and effectiveness in achieving given instructional purposes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to provide instruction that promotes critical and other higher-order thinking and creativity; encourages independent thinking and learning; and enhances students' ability to synthesize knowledge, solve problems, and acquire, analyze, and organize information.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting students' abilities with respect to working cooperatively and productively in group settings.
- Demonstrate knowledge of current instructional resources, including the use of technology in instruction, and strategies for effectively integrating various instructional resources and technology into specific instructional situations to support students' learning and their development of complex thinking and technological skills.
Competency 0007–Understand principles and practices related to motivation and communication and how to apply these principles and practices effectively to promote students' active engagement and learning.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, strategies for gaining students' attention and promoting motivation to learn, and ways to use encouragement and various types of peer support to sustain student interest and promote learning.
- Apply knowledge of the relationship between direct engagement in learning and students' interest in lessons and of procedures for enhancing relevance and promoting intrinsic motivation to learn.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors and situations that tend to promote or diminish student motivation, appropriate ways to apply various motivational strategies, and the expected outcomes of different strategies in given situations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors such as age, gender, and cultural and linguistic background that can affect classroom communication.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods for interacting effectively with all students to achieve specified communication goals, such as clarifying content, communicating high expectations for learning, and promoting a climate of collaboration and support.
- Apply knowledge of verbal and nonverbal communication strategies for meeting specific instructional needs and for promoting understanding and engagement of all students in learning, including English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of skilled questioning and how to use various questioning techniques to achieve instructional goals, such as facilitating recall, stimulating curiosity, encouraging divergent thinking, and promoting critical and other higher-order thinking and creativity.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to facilitate students' ability to express themselves appropriately verbally; in writing; and when using various media, including technology, in school contexts.
Competency 0008–Understand how to structure and manage the classroom to establish a safe, inclusive, and positive environment that is organized and productive; fosters excellence; and promotes learning, appropriate student behavior, and effective work habits.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of strategies and procedures for creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment that encourages students' active engagement, risk taking, and collaboration in learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting positive student interactions; facilitating conflict resolution; and promoting students' understanding and application of ethical principles such as honesty, respect, academic and personal integrity, and civic responsibility.
- Demonstrate awareness of interrelationships between a positive classroom environment, including showing enthusiasm for the content one is teaching; classroom management; student motivation; and student engagement in learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various strategies for managing student behavior and relationships between specific classroom-management approaches and student learning, attitudes, and behaviors.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies, procedures, and routines that contribute to an organized and productive classroom environment that fosters excellence, promotes learning, optimizes students' time on task, discourages bullying, and encourages self-regulation and a sense of responsibility and accountability.
- Apply knowledge of effective strategies for organizing the physical environment of the classroom to meet instructional needs, managing class schedules and transitions, and handling routine tasks and unanticipated situations.
Domain III–The Professional Environment
Competency 0009–Understand how to establish partnerships and collaborate effectively with parents/guardians, colleagues, and members of the community to enhance and support student learning.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of strategies for developing partnerships with parents/guardians to support student learning and for encouraging and facilitating the involvement of parents/guardians in their children's education.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the importance of school-home communication, factors that facilitate or impede communication, and methods of initiating and maintaining effective communication with all students' parents/guardians.
- Identify strategies for conducting effective conferences with parents/guardians; addressing the concerns of parents/guardians in various contexts; and interacting effectively and appropriately with all families, including those with diverse characteristics, backgrounds, and needs.
- Demonstrate awareness of the importance of collegial activities in building a shared school mission, vision, values, and goals, and apply knowledge of effective strategies for establishing and maintaining supportive, collaborative relationships with professional colleagues in given school contexts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of school-based systems designed to address the individual needs of students and how to collaborate effectively with specialists and others in the larger professional community to meet individual student needs and enhance student learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to develop partnerships with individuals, businesses, and institutions in the community and how to use community resources to expand and enrich student learning.
Competency 0010–Understand roles and expectations for professional educators, legal and ethical guidelines, and strategies for continuous professional growth and self-reflection.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of students, teachers, and parents/guardians in various educational contexts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure and components of the public education system; teacher roles in various educational contexts; and appropriate teacher interactions with and responses to other professionals in the system, parents/guardians, community members, and students.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the legal and ethical requirements of teachers in given situations, such as providing instruction to students with exceptionalities, ensuring educational equity for all students, maintaining the confidentiality of student records and other personal student information, and seeking copyright permission for use of instructional resource materials.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various types of professional organizations and professional development opportunities and resources, including research; action research; and interactions with mentors, supervisors, and colleagues, and their use in enhancing professional knowledge, skills, and expertise.
- Demonstrate knowledge of important traits and behaviors associated with effective teaching (e.g., curiosity and love of learning, tolerance and open-mindedness) and strategies for using reflection and self-assessment to identify teaching strengths and challenges, improve professional practice, and promote the growth and learning of students.