Preparation Manual

Section 3: Overview and Exam Framework
English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 (231)

Exam Overview

Table outlining the test format, number of questions, time, and passing score.

Exam Name	English Language Arts and Reading 7–12
Exam Code	231
Time	5 hours
Number of Questions	100 selected-response questions and 2 constructed-response questions
Format	Computer-administered test (CAT)

The TExES English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 (231) exam is designed to assess whether an examinee has the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools must possess. The 100 selected-response questions and the two constructed-response questions are based on the English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 exam framework. Questions on this exam range from grades 7–12. Your final scaled score will be based only on scored questions.

The Standards

Domains and Competencies

Table outlining test content and subject weighting by sub area and objective.

Domain	Domain Title	Approx. Percentage of Exam	Standards Assessed
I	Integrated Language Arts, Diverse Learners and the Study of English	15%	English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 I, VII
II	Literature, Reading Processes and Skills for Reading Literary and Nonliterary Texts	40%	English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 I–IV
III	Written Communication	30%	English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 I, V–VI
IV	Oral Communication and Media Literacy	15%	English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 I, VIII–IX

The content covered by this exam is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:

• The competency statement, which broadly defines what an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools should know and be able to do.
• The descriptive statements, which describe in greater detail the knowledge and skills eligible for testing.

Domain I—Integrated Language Arts, Diverse Learners and the Study of English

Competency 001—The teacher understands and applies knowledge of relationships among the language arts and between the language arts and other aspects of students’ lives and learning.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands the continuum of language arts skills and expectations for students in grades 7–12, as specified in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
2. Understands the importance of integrating the language arts to improve students’ language and literacy.
3. Understands the interrelationship between the language arts and other areas of the curriculum and uses this knowledge to facilitate students’ learning across the curriculum.
4. Understands relationships among reading, writing, speaking, listening and complex thinking and uses instruction to make connections among them in order to improve performance in each area.
5. Understands and teaches how the expressive uses of language (speaking, representing, writing) and the receptive uses of language (listening, reading, viewing) influence one another.

Competency 002—The teacher is aware of the diversity of the student population and provides instruction that is appropriate for all students.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows how individual differences (e.g., in relation to experience, culture, language, attitude, disability) may affect students’ language skills.
2. Designs learning experiences and selects materials that respond to and show respect for student diversity.
3. Knows strategies for providing reading, writing and oral language instruction for all students, including English-language learners (in accordance with the English Language Proficiency Standards [ELPS]) and students with reading, writing or oral language difficulties and/or disabilities.
4. Understands basic processes of first- and second-language acquisition and their impact on learning in the English language arts classroom in accordance with the ELPS.
5. Understands how a first language or dialect differences may affect students’ use of English and knows strategies for promoting all students’ ability to use standard English.
6. Promotes students’ understanding of the situational nature of language use and the value of knowing and using standard English while fostering pride in their own language background and respect for the language backgrounds of other people.

Competency 003—The teacher understands the structure and development of the English language and provides students with opportunities to develop related knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts.

The beginning teacher:

1. Demonstrates knowledge of major historical, regional and cultural influences on the ongoing development of the English language (e.g., Anglo-Saxon migrations, emergence of dialects, changing technology).
2. Understands and teaches how to research word origins and analyze word formation as an aid to understanding meanings, derivations and spellings.
3. Understands and teaches relationships among words (e.g., homonyms, synonyms, antonyms) and issues related to word choice (e.g., connotative and denotative meanings, multiple-meaning words, idioms, figurative language).
4. Knows and teaches rules of grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation and capitalization in standard English and is able to identify and edit nonstandard usage in his or her own discourse and the discourse of others.
5. Knows how to provide explicit and contextual instruction that enhances students’ knowledge of and ability to use standard English.
6. Knows and teaches how purpose, audience and register affect discourse.
7. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ ability to use the English language effectively.
8. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their proficiency in using the English language effectively.

 

Domain II—Literature, Reading Processes and Skills for Reading Literary and Nonliterary Texts

Competency 004—The teacher understands reading processes and teaches students to apply these processes.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands and promotes reading as an active process of constructing meaning (e.g., knows how readers’ backgrounds and experiences influence meaning).
2. Understands reader response and promotes students’ responses to various types of text.
3. Knows how text characteristics and purposes for reading determine the selection of reading strategies and teaches students to apply skills and strategies for reading various types of texts for a variety of purposes.
4. Knows how to use, and teaches students to use, word analysis skills (e.g., graphophonics, semantics), word structure (e.g., affixes and roots), word order (syntax) and context for word identification and to confirm word meaning.
5. Demonstrates an understanding of the role of reading fluency in reading comprehension and knows how to select and use instructional strategies and materials to enhance students’ reading fluency.
6. Knows and applies strategies for enhancing students’ comprehension through vocabulary study.
7. Understands and teaches students comprehension strategies to use before reading (e.g., predicting, recalling prior knowledge), during reading (e.g., note taking, mapping, paired reading) and after reading (e.g., retelling, summarizing, responding).
8. Understands the role of visualization, metacognition, self-monitoring and social interaction in reading comprehension and promotes students’ use of these processes.
9. Understands levels of reading comprehension and strategies for teaching literal, inferential, creative and critical comprehension skills.
10. Knows how to intervene in students’ reading process to promote their comprehension and enhance their reading experience (e.g., using questioning, guiding students to make connections between their prior knowledge and texts).
11. Knows how to provide students with reading experiences that enhance their understanding of and respect for diversity and guides students to increase knowledge of cultures through reading.
12. Knows how to use technology to enhance reading instruction.
13. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ reading, such as using reading-response journals.
14. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their reading proficiency.

Competency 005—The teacher understands reading skills and strategies for various types of nonliterary texts and teaches students to apply these skills and strategies to enhance their lifelong learning.

The beginning teacher:

1. Demonstrates knowledge of types of nonliterary texts (e.g., textbooks, newspapers, manuals, electronic texts, memoranda) and their characteristics.
2. Understands purposes for reading nonliterary texts (e.g., for information, for pleasure), reading strategies associated with different purposes and ways to teach students to apply appropriate reading strategies for different purposes.
3. Knows strategies for monitoring one’s own understanding of nonliterary texts and for addressing comprehension difficulties that arise (e.g., by rereading, using other resources, questioning) and knows how to teach students to use these strategies.
4. Demonstrates knowledge of skills for comprehending nonliterary texts (e.g., identifying main ideas and supporting details, summarizing, making inferences, drawing conclusions, analyzing historical and contemporary contexts) and knows how to provide students with opportunities to apply and refine these skills.
5. Understands types of text organizers (e.g., overviews, headings, tables of contents, graphic features) and their use in locating and categorizing information.
6. Demonstrates knowledge of types of text structure (e.g., chronological order, compare/contrast, cause/effect) and strategies for promoting students’ ability to use text structure to facilitate comprehension of nonliterary texts.
7. Knows strategies for helping students increase their knowledge of specialized vocabulary in nonliterary texts and for facilitating reading comprehension (e.g., creating graphic organizers, using study strategies such as skimming and scanning, note taking and outlining).
8. Knows how to locate, retrieve and retain information from a range of texts, including interpreting information presented in various formats (e.g., maps, graphs) and uses effective instructional strategies to teach students these skills.
9. Knows how to evaluate the credibility and accuracy of information in nonliterary texts, including electronic texts, and knows how to teach students to apply these critical-reading skills.
10. Demonstrates an understanding of the characteristics and uses of various types of research tools and information sources and promotes students’ understanding of and ability to use these resources.
11. Understands steps and procedures for engaging in inquiry and research and provides students with learning experiences that promote their knowledge and skills in this area.
12. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ reading of nonliterary texts.
13. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their proficiency in reading nonliterary texts.

Competency 006—The teacher understands literary elements, genres and movements and demonstrates knowledge of a substantial body of literature.

The beginning teacher:

1. Demonstrates knowledge of genres and their characteristics through analysis of literary texts.
2. Demonstrates knowledge of literary elements and devices, including ways in which they contribute to meaning and style, through analysis of literary texts.
3. Demonstrates knowledge of major literary movements in American, British and world literature, including their characteristics, the historical contexts from which they emerged, major authors and their impact on literature and representative works and their themes.
4. Demonstrates knowledge of a substantial body of classic and contemporary American literature.
5. Demonstrates knowledge of a substantial body of classic and contemporary British literature.
6. Demonstrates knowledge of a substantial body of classic and contemporary world literature.
7. Demonstrates knowledge of a substantial body of young adult literature.
8. Demonstrates knowledge of various critical approaches to literature.

Competency 007—The teacher understands strategies for reading literary texts and provides students with opportunities to formulate, express and support responses to literature.

The beginning teacher:

1. Demonstrates knowledge of various types of responses to literary texts (e.g., experiential, aesthetic, pragmatic) and encourages a variety of responses in students.
2. Knows strategies for motivating students to read literature and for promoting their appreciation of the value of literature.
3. Knows how to draw from wide reading in American, British, world and young adult literature to guide students to explore and select independent reading based on their individual needs and interests.
4. Knows how to promote students’ interest in literature and facilitate their reading and understanding.
5. Uses technology to promote students’ engagement in and comprehension of literature.
6. Knows strategies for creating communities of readers and for promoting conversations about literature and ideas.
7. Understands and teaches students strategies to use for analyzing and evaluating a variety of literary texts, both classic and contemporary.
8. Applies effective strategies for helping students view literature as a source for exploring and interpreting human experience.
9. Applies effective strategies for engaging students in exploring and discovering the personal and societal relevance of literature.
10. Promotes students’ understanding of relationships among literary works from various times and cultures.
11. Promotes students’ ability to analyze how literary elements and devices contribute to meaning and to synthesize and evaluate interpretations of literary texts.
12. Knows effective strategies for teaching students to formulate, express and support responses to various types of literary texts.
13. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ comprehension of literary texts.
14. Knows how to use assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their proficiency in comprehending literary texts.

 

Domain III—Written Communication

Competency 008—The teacher understands and promotes writing as a recursive, developmental, integrative and ongoing process and provides students with opportunities to develop competence as writers.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands recursive stages in the writing process (e.g., prewriting, drafting, conferencing, revising, editing, publishing) and provides students with explicit instruction, meaningful practice and effective feedback as they engage in all phases of the writing process.
2. Understands writing as a process that allows students to construct meaning, examine thinking, reflect, develop perspective, acquire new learning and influence the world around them.
3. Applies writing conventions, including sentence and paragraph construction, spelling, punctuation, usage and grammatical expression, and provides students with explicit instruction in using them during the writing process.
4. Applies criteria for evaluating written work and teaches students effective strategies for evaluating their own writing and the writings of others.
5. Structures peer conference opportunities that elicit constructive, specific responses and that promote students’ writing development.
6. Understands and promotes the use of technology in all phases of the writing process and in various types of writing, including writing for research and publication.
7. Applies strategies for helping students develop voice and style in their writing.
8. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ writing competence.
9. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their writing proficiency.

Competency 009—The teacher understands effective writing and teaches students to write effectively in a variety of forms and for various audiences, purposes and contexts.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands and teaches the distinguishing features of various forms of writing (e.g., reflective essay, autobiographical narrative, editorial, report, memorandum, summary/abstract, résumé, play, short story, poem).
2. Applies and teaches skills and strategies for writing effectively in a variety of forms and for a variety of audiences, purposes and contexts.
3. Understands and teaches how a writer’s purpose and audience define appropriate language, writing style and text organization.
4. Provides students with explicit instruction, meaningful practice opportunities and effective feedback as the students create different types of written works.
5. Promotes students’ ability to compose effectively (e.g., organizing ideas to ensure coherence, logical progression and support; using precise language to communicate ideas clearly and concisely; writing in a voice and style appropriate to audience and purpose).
6. Provides students with professionally written, student-written and teacher-written models of writing.
7. Demonstrates knowledge of factors that influence student writing (e.g., writer’s experiences, situational context in which writing occurs, interactions within the learning/writing community, features of various written forms).
8. Analyzes and teaches the use of literary devices (e.g., imagery, tone, dialogue, characterization, irony, figurative language) in writing.
9. Teaches students skills and strategies for using writing as a tool for reflection, exploration, learning, problem solving and personal growth.
10. Understands and teaches writing as a tool for inquiry, research and learning.
11. Teaches students to evaluate critically the sources they use for their writing.
12. Provides instruction about plagiarism, academic honesty and integrity as applied to students’ written work and their presentation of information from different sources, including electronic sources.
13. Understands and teaches students the importance of using acceptable formats for communicating research results and documenting sources (e.g., manuals of style such as the Modern Language Association Handbook [MLA style], the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association [APA style], and The Chicago Manual of Style [Chicago style]).
14. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ writing development.
15. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their writing proficiency.

 

Domain IV—Oral Communication and Media Literacy

Competency 010—The teacher understands principles of oral communication and promotes students’ development of listening and speaking skills.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands similarities and differences between oral and written language and promotes students’ awareness of these similarities and differences.
2. Understands and helps students understand the role of cultural factors in oral communication.
3. Facilitates effective student interaction and oral communication, including group discussions and individual presentations.
4. Understands and teaches various forms of oral discourses (e.g., conversation, group discussion, formal presentation) and their characteristics and provides effective opportunities for practice.
5. Understands and teaches skills for speaking to diverse audiences for various purposes and provides students with effective opportunities to apply these skills in a variety of contexts.
6. Understands and teaches strategies for preparing, organizing and delivering different types of oral presentations, including informative and persuasive messages and literary interpretations.
7. Understands and teaches skills and strategies for using technology in oral presentations.
8. Understands and teaches strategies for evaluating the content and effectiveness of spoken messages and provides effective opportunities for practice.
9. Understands and teaches skills for active, purposeful listening in various situations (e.g., skills for note taking, for critically evaluating a speaker’s message, for appreciating an oral performance) and provides effective opportunities for practice.
10. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ oral communication skills.
11. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase proficiency in oral communication.

Competency 011—The teacher understands and teaches basic principles of media literacy and provides students with opportunities to apply these principles in interactions with media.

The beginning teacher:

1. Understands different types and purposes of media.
2. Analyzes and teaches about the influence of the media and the power of visual images.
3. Demonstrates awareness of ethical and legal factors (e.g., copyright, fair use, liability) to consider in the use and creation of media products.
4. Applies and teaches skills for responding to, interpreting, analyzing and critiquing a variety of media (e.g., advertising, visual images, propaganda, documentaries).
5. Understands and facilitates the production of media messages (e.g., illustrations, charts, graphs, videos, multimedia presentations).
6. Guides students to evaluate their own and others’ media productions.
7. Demonstrates an understanding of informal and formal procedures for monitoring and assessing students’ media literacy.
8. Uses assessment results to plan and adapt instruction that addresses students’ strengths, needs and interests and that builds on students’ current skills to increase their media literacy.

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