According to Chapter 71A of the Massachusetts General Laws, which of the following statements accurately describes current state educational policy regarding the education of English learners in public schools?

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ is an English language proficiency (ELP) assessment that monitors students' progress in acquiring academic English and was designed specifically to meet federal accountability requirements for the assessment of English learners who fall into which of the following categories?

The federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes which of the following mandates with respect to English learners?

Massachusetts public school educators are required by state law to take which of the following actions with respect to the education of English learners?

In which of the following situations is the student most likely exhibiting a language-based exceptionality or language-based disability rather than a factor or factors related to language development?

A fifth-grade SEI class includes students from several different cultural backgrounds and with different levels of English proficiency. The teacher would like to create a classroom climate characterized by inclusion, cultural sensitivity, and cultural appreciation. Which of the following teacher strategies is likely to be most effective in accomplishing this goal?

A middle school newly arrived English learner has a solid educational background in the first language and is at the developing level of English language proficiency. She performs well academically, but she frequently gets up and moves around the classroom during lessons and sometimes makes up short chants or songs related to the material. Which of the following explanations for the student's behavior should the teacher consider first in this situation?

At the beginning of the school year, an elementary school SEI teacher is planning informal, individual meetings with the parents/guardians of the English learners with whom the teacher will be working. The families are from various countries and cultures, and the teacher wants to build a trusting, productive relationship with each family. The teacher could most effectively begin to accomplish this goal by using the initial meeting primarily to:

A first-grade SEI teacher sometimes hears the parents/guardians of English learners express concern about the fact that they can only read with their child in the family's first language. When this occurs, the SEI teacher reassures the parents/guardians that listening to their child read in either the first language or English, as well as reading to the child, talking about stories, and encouraging the child to talk about his or her learning in the first language, are all very important endeavors. This response best demonstrates the teacher's understanding that these types of family interactions:

An SEI teacher notices that English learners who share similar linguistic backgrounds often talk together before and after class, mostly in English, but with periodic insertions of words and phrases from their shared first language. Which of the following statements best describes the most likely rationale for the students' routine use of the two languages in these conversations?

In French, an adverb can be placed between a verb and its direct object. In English, however, an adverb cannot be placed between the verb and the direct object. So, an emerging/developinglevel English learner whose first language is French might say "Margot plays often soccer" instead of "Margot often plays soccer." This type of error is most likely caused by which of the following processes related to second-language acquisition?

English learners' ability to understand the meanings of words and phrases, including their ability to engage in fast mapping (forming ideas quickly about word meanings), is associated with which of the following areas of language development?

According to research related to the process and nature of language transfer, in which of the following situations would linguistic factors typically present the most significant challenge for students who are learning to communicate in a second language?

A fifth-grade SEI teacher is designing a physical science lesson on light absorption and color for a class that includes developing-level English learners. Students will shine flashlights (white light) in a dark room on red, blue, and green construction paper; shine the flashlights through red, blue, and green filters on each of the colored pieces of paper; and then write three sentences about their findings. The teacher plans to discuss light as the source of color and illustrate that transparent colored filters absorb certain wavelengths of color and transmit other wavelengths. For example, when the flashlight shines through a blue filter on blue paper, the paper reflects blue and appears blue. But when the flashlight shines through the blue filter on red paper, the blue is absorbed and no light is reflected, and the red paper appears black. To promote the English learners' ability to understand and participate successfully in this lesson, which of the following sets of words and phrases would be most appropriate to preteach?

When producing oral language, a student considers the communicative context and manner of communication that is suitable for the relationship between speaker and listener(s). For example, the student evaluates the type of interaction that is taking place and the social and cultural circumstances in which the communication is occurring in order to determine the appropriate level of formality to use. In doing so, the student is demonstrating strength in which of the following areas of language proficiency?

A first-grade SEI teacher's class includes an entering-level English learner whose family recently arrived in the United States. During the first six weeks of school, the student rarely communicates during class activities and rarely converses with classmates informally. According to second language acquisition theory and considering common characteristics of newcomer students, which of the following teacher responses is most appropriate in this situation?

According to evidence-based educational research, which of the following factors has been shown to have the greatest positive influence on an English learner's second-language acquisition?

An entering-level English learner is able to respond to basic academic content questions in English with two- or three-word responses. According to theories of second-language acquisition and principles of SEI instruction, the teacher could most effectively support the student's learning by providing feedback in which of the following ways?

A fourth-grade SEI teacher is concerned about an emerging-level English learner who has been developing English language skills at a much slower rate than expected. The student prefers to work alone on class activities and avoids interacting with classmates who are native English speakers. The student sometimes appears anxious in class and is often reluctant to communicate in English, except to use short formulaic expressions, such as "yeah" or "no thank you." Which of the following approaches is likely to be most appropriate for the teacher to use first in supporting the student's progress in second-language acquisition?

An SEI teacher frequently uses anecdotal records to help monitor English learners' language development throughout the school year. Following are notes the teacher made about a ninth grade English learner. Listening: identifies main ideas from short content-related oral presentations Speaking: poses and responds to questions in small-group discussions Reading: identifies detailed descriptions, procedures, and information in paragraphs Writing: includes important information and related details Given this evidence and according to the WIDA Can Do Descriptors, this student's current skills and abilities in English are most characteristic of those at which of the following English language proficiency levels?

During an informal conversation with an SEI teacher, a middle school emerging-level English learner makes the following remarks. "We were going to the zoo. There was big traffic. My mother she turned around the car. We went to the park." Given this evidence, to improve the student's ability to communicate effectively for social purposes in the school setting, and to support the student's progress toward the next English language proficiency level, the student would likely benefit most from explicit instruction focused on developing which of the following speaking skills?

A prekindergarten SEI teacher would like to promote the oral language and vocabulary development skills of several four-year-old English learners while they are engaged in active learning in the classroom. Which of the following strategies is likely to be most effective for accomplishing this goal?

A middle school SEI teacher regularly uses photographs, artwork, video clips, and graphic organizers during lesson activities, especially when the lesson content is cognitively demanding or delivered primarily through lecture and discussion. This approach best demonstrates the teacher's understanding of which of the following research-based concepts related to promoting English learners' oral language development in the SEI classroom?

A high school SEI teacher is planning instruction focusing on teaching English learners vocabulary words that are essential for understanding various written assignments, assessment tasks, and end-of-chapter textbook exercises. These vocabulary words often present challenges to English learners because the words tend to occur in print more frequently than in oral language. The teacher plans to target such words (e.g., complex, evidence, determine, establish, verify, evaluate) for preteaching and discussion. Which of the following descriptions accurately characterizes the type of vocabulary that the SEI teacher is targeting?

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes SEI programs for English learners in Massachusetts public schools?

An elementary school SEI teacher is planning instruction for a small group of English learners. Which of the following descriptions most accurately characterizes the scope of content that the teacher should cover in SEI instruction?

When developing targeted lessons on topics such as academic language structures, an SEI teacher typically plans to have English learners work in pairs or small groups. Which of the following additional strategies related to grouping would be most closely aligned with the principles of SEI instruction?

Which of the following strategies is a defining feature of second-language instruction using the SEI approach?

A high school SEI teacher asks an ESL teacher to observe his or her SEI classes periodically for professional development purposes. In which of the following ways could the SEI teacher optimize the benefit of the ESL teacher's observation and collaboration in this situation?

At a middle school, several students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) will attend a new student orientation in which they will tour the school, meet their SEI and ESL teachers, and go over their class schedules. During the school year, the SEI teachers will offer special instruction specifically designed to address the educational needs of this group of students and help promote their school achievement. Which of the following goals should be the primary focus of this special instruction?

A fourth-grade English learner is able to speak in short complete English sentences when engaging in casual conversations with other students and teachers. However, the student has difficulty using academic language and is sometimes reluctant to participate verbally in class learning activities. Which of the following statements accurately provides a research-based explanation for this variability in the student's communication abilities?

The English learners in a high school SEI world history class are at the bridging level of English language proficiency and can produce language with few grammatical errors. The students demonstrate strong foundational reading skills and subject-matter knowledge. As part of a lesson, the class will read an informational article on major economic and social developments in China in the twentieth century. Which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for the SEI teacher to use to scaffold the reading assignment for the English learners?

In an SEI mathematics class, students take turns writing brief passages on a whiteboard to show ways in which they can apply one of the concepts they have studied to a real-life problem. One student shares the passage shown below. "Picture needing to color a box. In order to figure your paint needs, you need to know the surface area of the box. You can find the surface area of a solid by adding the area of each face of the solid together." Which of the following characteristics of the above passage is likely to make it particularly challenging for English learners to comprehend?

At the beginning of a social studies unit focused on analyzing influential historical speeches, a middle school SEI teacher wants to help students recognize key elements of persuasive speeches. To this end, the teacher plans to lead students in reviewing excerpts of historical speeches to identify a main topic or argument, reasons that support the argument, facts or examples used by the speaker to validate the reasons, and the speaker's conclusion or call to action. Which of the following differentiation strategies would be most effective in helping the English learners in the class comprehend the speeches at the discourse level to facilitate their successful achievement of the goals of this lesson?

An SEI teacher monitors and reviews English learners' social and academic language development using a variety of evidence, such as drafts of student writing, video recordings of student role-playing and oral presentations, and checklists and self-reflections completed by students. Which of the following types of assessment is this teacher using?

Which of the following functions does the ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0 testing system primarily serve in Massachusetts public schools?

An SEI teacher who teaches algebra and geometry classes that include English learners regularly invites students during problem-solving activities to use class supplies, such as grid paper, algebra tiles and blocks, algebra expressions and equations dominoes, geometric foam shapes, geoboards, circle and angle protractors, and graphic organizer worksheets. To evaluate students' progress in achieving unit objectives, the teacher uses an ongoing informal system of assessment, in which the teacher asks students to "show the steps" they use in solving representative problems. The teacher encourages students to explain their work orally or in writing, through drawings and/or through any of the class supplies described. This type of systematic formative assessment is particularly sensitive to the needs of English learners primarily because it:

According to principles of assessment, a standardized test of English language proficiency for English learners is considered reliable under which of the following circumstances?

A few entering- and emerging-level English learners in a fifth-grade SEI class are students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). Initial screenings indicate that the students lack basic phonemic awareness skills. During small-group instruction in the English language arts (ELA) block, the SEI teacher begins teaching the students techniques for identifying, segmenting, and blending the phonemes in regular single-syllable vocabulary words. In addition to using oral cues and pictures, which of the following instructional strategies would be most effective?

A middle school SEI social studies teacher would like to promote English learners' development of skills for close reading of informational texts. Which of the following student strategies would best support this goal?

A third-grade SEI teacher wants to select a pre-reading activity that will help scaffold English learners' comprehension of a new text that the class will be reading. To best achieve this goal, the teacher should select a pre-reading activity that will provide the English learners with:

During a health and fitness unit, an SEI teacher shares brief but sometimes complex excerpts from fitness blogs and journals about a wide range of health- and fitness-related issues. The teacher uses think-alouds to highlight and clarify new content-specific vocabulary in the excerpts and uses questioning to develop students' conceptual understanding of the new content. In which of the following ways does the use of the think-aloud strategy promote English learners' content area reading?

In a seventh-grade science class, an SEI teacher notes that an English learner demonstrates bridging-level listening skills, participates in class, and exhibits understanding of science-related terminology during class discussions. When the student is asked to read aloud an excerpt from the science text in class, the student reads fluently. However, the student demonstrates limited comprehension of what he reads. The SEI teacher could most effectively address the needs of this student by:

A first-grade SEI teacher plans to use a variety of activities, including read-alouds, to help promote entering- and emerging-level English learners' oral language and literacy development. Which of the following general guidelines would be most important for the teacher to follow for the read-alouds in order to achieve this goal?

In a fourth-grade class that includes developing- and expanding-level English learners, the SEI teacher plans to lead the whole class in a close reading of an informational article about the effects of climate change and the decline in Arctic sea ice on the habitat and activities of polar bears. Before the reading, the teacher explicitly explains to the English learners key Tier One and Tier Two words in the article that are likely to be unfamiliar to them. The teacher also explicitly preteaches to all students the meanings of a few key domain-specific vocabulary words from the text. After the reading, which of the following strategies is likely to be most effective for the teacher to use in reinforcing students' comprehension of the information in the article, including the English learners' comprehension?

The students in a fifth-grade SEI class have been studying a unit on chemical reactions and have recently conducted some simple experiments related to the unit. The teacher is reviewing students' written responses to short-answer assignments about the experiments. The following is a representative sample of one English learner's writing. "When the sugar we dissolve in water, the sugar still the sugar is. When the sugar we burn, the sugar not is the sugar anymore. It becomes a new substance. Burning the sugar a chemical reaction is causing." Given this evidence, when planning instruction to improve the student's academic writing, which of the following factors would be most important for the teacher to consider?

In introducing a new unit on writing research reports to a class that includes English learners, an SEI teacher emphasizes that every paragraph in a report has a job to do. The teacher explains that those jobs can include capturing the audience's attention, providing context or background information, describing a procedure or sequence, explaining a cause and effect, connecting ideas together, comparing and contrasting findings, analyzing a problem, summarizing an issue, and describing a solution. The teacher provides the English learners with a brief model research report and asks the students to read the report, identify the main job each paragraph is doing, and annotate their answers in the margin of the text. Students will then discuss their notes. This activity reflects the SEI teacher's awareness of the importance of promoting English learners' academic writing development by helping them:

A high school English language arts class includes English learners who have varying levels of English language proficiency. The SEI teacher is working with students on the following learning standard: Write arguments (brief essays, letters to the editor, advocacy speeches) to support claims in an analysis of important topics or issues, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence. Which of the following strategies for scaffolding instruction would be most appropriate for the SEI teacher to use to promote bridging-level English learners' achievement of this learning standard?

Which of the following general instructional approaches would be most appropriate for SEI teachers to use in promoting English learners' academic writing development?

During a writing unit, an SEI teacher has been teaching grammar and usage (e.g., lessons on verb tenses, prepositions, phrasal verbs, gerunds versus infinitives) to a group of English learners. The teacher notices that one student consistently avoids using a particular grammatical structure that has been taught, even when specifically asked to include it in brief writing tasks. In responding to this situation, the SEI teacher should carry out which of the following actions first?

In a high school English language arts (ELA) class, an expanding-level English learner who enjoys writing expresses concern to the SEI teacher that she seems to be making many grammatical and usage errors in her English compositions and writing assignments. The teacher and student review some of the student's recent written work, and the teacher points out that the student's errors are typical of students who share her first language and proficiency level. Which of the following teacher strategies would be most effective for responding to this student's writing needs?

During a health education unit, students learn about lifestyle behaviors that influence personal health in positive or negative ways, as well as ways in which media can influence public attitudes and behaviors related to health and wellness. In one lesson, the SEI teacher leads English learners in identifying, discussing, and analyzing the techniques used in print and digital public health messages in various media. Later, the SEI teacher wants to engage students in a writing activity that will prompt them to think analytically and creatively about health-related influences and will help reinforce for the English learners the new concepts and academic language they encountered in the materials they read with the teacher. Which of the following activities is likely to be most effective in achieving these goals?

A middle school SEI class includes several English learners who have grade-level literacy skills in their first language. When the teacher provides instruction in Standard English writing conventions, discourse patterns, and text structures, the teacher often encourages these students to consciously compare the elements to those of their first language. The teacher also encourages the students to engage in prewriting planning in the first language as needed and allows entering- and emerging-level English learners to develop drafts of writing assignments in the first language. The teacher's actions best demonstrate understanding of which of the following principles of effective writing instruction for English learners?

Which of the following writing activities would best promote sixth-grade English learners' contentarea development in the English language arts and is aligned with the WIDA ELD Standards for students at the developing level of English language proficiency?

According to the WIDA ELD Standards for the language of social studies, an expanding-level English learner is more likely than an emerging-level English learner to perform which of the following types of elementary-level social studies tasks with success?

In a middle school science class that includes English learners at the developing and expanding levels of language proficiency, the SEI teacher plans to supervise small groups of students as they perform experiments, prepare lab reports, and discuss their observations and findings in class. According to standards-based instruction regarding the language of science and the WIDA ELD Standards, which of the following types of language scaffolding would be most appropriate to provide to the English learners to promote their academic success in this class?

For an upcoming unit, a second-grade SEI teacher will lead students in setting up and running a classroom "healthy snack bar" with donated supplies. Once a week for five weeks, families of students will be invited to the lunchtime snack bar, where students will design menus, take orders, serve food and beverages, ring up purchases at a cash register, and make change. Students will also tell families about their jobs at the snack bar and how they work together during setup. The SEI teacher wants to work with two developing-level English learners to improve their social and instructional language skills in relation to the following unit goal: Participate in collaborative conversations about class activities with peers and adults in small and large groups. Which of the following teacher strategies is likely to be most effective in helping the two students accomplish this goal in the context of this instructional unit?

Which of the following descriptions best characterizes how SEI teachers should apply the WIDA ELD Standards?

Which of the following student standards, paraphrased from the 2017 Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy, is likely to be especially challenging for high school bridging-level English learners to achieve?