NES Bilingual Education II (515) Practice Tests

Competencies 0001–0007 make up about 70% of the test. They ask you to understand language systems, including how languages differ in their systems and how differences and similarities between language systems influence language and literacy development; understand stages and processes of new-language learning; understand individual factors and variables that affect bilingual education students' language development and learning, and more.

• Competency 0001: Understand language systems, including how languages differ in their systems and how differences and similarities between language systems influence language and literacy development. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of phonology, including phonemes, stress, intonation, and rhythm, to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of morphology, including how word structure (e.g., roots, prefixes, suffixes), inflectional endings (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing, -er, -est), and derivational affixes (e.g., un-, dis-, -ly, -ment, -ion) affect a word's function and meaning, to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of syntax, including parts of speech (e.g., verbs, adverbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions) and the structure of phrases and sentences, to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of semantics, including word relationships (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homonyms) and the distinction in meaning of words and idioms in various contexts, to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of discourse features of written and oral texts (e.g., genres, discourse markers, conventions) to promote bilingual education students’ language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of pragmatic features of language (e.g., nonverbal elements, formal and informal discourse), various discourse settings (e.g., classroom, social event), and language functions (e.g., narrating, informing, explaining, arguing, persuading) as well as factors (e.g., cultural and social norms, purpose, audience) that affect choice of pragmatic features, to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of the linguistic features of social, general-academic, and discipline-specific language (e.g., tiered vocabulary: Tier One— everyday speech words, Tier Two—general-academic words, Tier Three—discipline-specific words) to promote bilingual education students’ language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of sociolinguistic concepts, including language variation (e.g., dialect diversity) and register (i.e., language particular to specific functions), to promote bilingual education students' language and literacy development; Apply knowledge of strategies for comparing bilingual education students' home languages with the languages of instruction to identify potential transference between languages as well as aspects of the languages of instruction that may be challenging for bilingual education students; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining strategies for engaging bilingual education students in making connections and comparisons between language systems and using knowledge of language systems as an empowering tool for learning languages.
• Competency 0002: Understand stages and processes of new-language learning. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of current theories and key concepts in new- language acquisition, including the importance of promoting and sustaining bilingualism/multilingualism as an asset and a goal for bilingual education students; Demonstrate understanding that bilingual education students' home languages are an asset for learning new languages and influence new-language learning (e.g., language and literacy skills transfer, interlanguage development, code-switching, translanguaging); Demonstrate knowledge of cognitive, metacognitive, and metalinguistic processes and strategies involved in learning a new language (e.g., memorization, generalization, fossilization, self-monitoring, reflection, circumlocution, comparison), and apply knowledge of strategies for explicitly teaching bilingual education students effective language-learning and self- monitoring strategies to promote their language development and engagement in self-directed learning; Understand the role of comprehensible input and output in acquiring a new language and apply knowledge of strategies for using comprehensible input and output for scaffolding bilingual education students' comprehension and use of the languages of instruction in social and academic contexts; Demonstrate knowledge of stages and processes of new-language development, including the distinctions between the five levels of English language proficiency as defined in the TESOL Pre-K–12 English Language Proficiency Standards Framework (i.e., Level 1—starting, Level 2—emerging, Level 3—developing, Level 4—expanding, and Level 5—bridging); Understand the role of feedback in language instruction, and demonstrate knowledge of strategies for providing appropriate feedback (e.g., recasting, explicit correction) in various contexts.
• Competency 0003: Understand individual factors and variables that affect bilingual education students' language development and learning. Skills tested: Demonstrate understanding of bilingual education students' individual mitigating variables, such as age, affective filter, identities, self-esteem, and motivation, and how they affect language learning and inform instruction; Demonstrate knowledge of sociocultural factors (e.g., cultural, racial, ethnic, and linguistic identity; bilingualism/multilingualism) and how they affect language learning and inform instruction; Demonstrate knowledge of characteristics, assets, and challenges of all bilingual/multilingual education students, including newcomers, long-term English learners, Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE), students with learning disabilities, and students who are gifted; Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate strategies for learning about bilingual education students' interests, languages, cultures, educational backgrounds, background knowledge, and life experiences using a variety of resources, such as parent advisory committees, families, students, classroom observations, community organizations, surveys, community outreach, technology, or school records.
• Competency 0004: Understand concepts related to the evidence-based assessment of bilingual education students. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of strategies for selecting and designing assessments (e.g., formal, informal, norm referenced, criterion referenced, language proficiency assessments in multiple languages, curriculum based, performance based) for bilingual education students that are culturally and linguistically responsive and relevant for the identified purposes; Understand how to interpret results from assessments used with bilingual education students for various purposes, such as diagnosis, placement, evaluation of language proficiency, evaluation of academic progress, or screening for giftedness or learning disabilities; Recognize potential linguistic and cultural biases (e.g., unfamiliar test language, images, references, test formats) and psychological factors (e.g., limited test experience, test anxiety) associated with the assessment of bilingual education students that may affect assessment validity, reliability, and equity; Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate and allowable testing accommodations and content modifications for bilingual education students, including students with special needs; Recognize the importance of assessing bilingual education students using various methods of assessment (e.g., formal, informal) that are culturally and linguistically responsive and the importance of conducting ongoing assessment to inform and adjust instruction; Recognize when the language performance of a bilingual education student falls outside the expected range for the student's proficiency level and may indicate the need for classroom interventions, further testing, or additional services (e.g., sheltered instruction, ESOL classes, Title I services); Demonstrate knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive strategies for communicating assessment results to stakeholders.
• Competency 0005: Understand the importance of prioritizing bilingual education students' foundational language and literacy skills to promote their social and academic language development and their achievement of grade-level learning standards. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods and resources (e.g., leveraging students' home- language literacy skills; providing direct, explicit instruction to support students' individual learning goals; using visuals; building schemata and background knowledge; building on students' oral language to support literacy development) for appropriately differentiating and scaffolding bilingual education students' instruction in foundational literacy skills, including print concepts, directionality, and letter recognition and formation, phonemic awareness, phonics and other word identification strategies, spelling, fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension, the writing process, and the use of writing conventions; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods of effective vocabulary instruction, such as direct teaching of specific words; building background knowledge; promoting development of independent word-learning strategies (e.g., morphological or structural analysis, recognizing word origins and cognates, contextual analysis, consulting reference materials); developing students' word consciousness; building vocabulary knowledge related to specific texts; providing multiple, meaningful exposures to new words through listening and reading, and opportunities to use new words meaningfully in speaking and writing; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining strategies for promoting bilingual education students' understanding and use of writing processes (e.g., prewriting to generate ideas and plan writing, producing drafts, revising to improve text, editing text, publishing text to share with an audience, adjusting the writing process as necessary, setting goals for improvement).
• Competency 0006: Understand how to create an appropriate and sustainable learning environment that promotes bilingual education students' language development and academic achievement. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of strategies for creating a culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining learning environment that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically and that leverages bilingual education students' home languages, cultures, and funds of knowledge and identity as valuable assets for learning and resources for teaching; Recognize the role of culture in the learning environment, including the influence of cultural differences, such as values and beliefs, educational background, approaches to learning (e.g., cooperative versus competitive, individual versus group), and stages of acclimation to a new learning environment (e.g., culture shock, euphoria, silent period, cultural fatigue and frustration), that may affect bilingual education students' language development and academic achievement; Apply knowledge of strategies for creating and managing a safe, trauma- informed, respectful, and supportive student-centered learning environment that promotes bilingual education students' participation, collaboration, agency and initiative, and learning in a variety of settings (e.g., whole class, flexible grouping, independent learning, individualized instruction) and encourages students to be actively involved in learning, take risks, and extend their learning inside and outside the learning environment; Apply knowledge of cultural differences in communication (e.g., nonverbal elements and gestures, turn-taking conventions, role of silence, social distancing) and knowledge of effective communication practices (e.g., providing clear directions, using a variety of questioning techniques) for facilitating cross- cultural interactions and communication; Recognize the effects of racism, stereotyping, prejudice, bias, and discrimination; and apply knowledge of strategies for discussing these issues purposefully with students with the goal of promoting a respectful and inclusive learning environment (e.g., designing instruction that reflects antibias approaches, recognizing students' language rights and individual identity).
• Competency 0007: Understand the role of the teacher of bilingual education students as a professional resource and leader in the learning community and as an advocate for bilingual education students' access to an appropriate and sustainable education. Skills tested: Demonstrate knowledge of key court cases and key legislation and federal policies that may affect the education and the rights of bilingual education students (e.g., Lau v. Nichols, Castañeda v. Pickard, Plyler v. Doe, Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1968 [Bilingual Education Act], Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA] of 2004, Every Student Succeeds Act [ESSA] of 2015); Demonstrate knowledge of national requirements for identifying, placing into, and exiting students from bilingual education programs; Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and goals of various program models (e.g., developmental or maintenance programs, one-way immersion programs, heritage language programs, two-way bilingual immersion programs) and their effectiveness in fostering bilingualism and biliteracy; Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for advocating for the implementation of effective co-teaching models that promote integrated culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining language and content teaching and learning; Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for modeling effective culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining teaching and education practices for teachers, educators, and other stakeholders who work with bilingual education students; Understand how to use self-reflection and other approaches to inform and adjust instructional practices and professional behavior (e.g., recognizing effects of personal cultural identity, prior experiences, and potential implicit biases on teaching practices; seeking feedback from stakeholders; conducting action research; using professional reflection to identify personal strengths and areas for improvement, including professional development) and to recognize how one's cultural values, beliefs, and cultural competence relate to the equitable education of bilingual education students; Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for sharing with educators and school staff an awareness of the influence that culture (e.g., ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, values, gender identity, beliefs, expectations, patterns of communication) and personal cultural identity, background, and implicit biases can have on educational practices, and collaborate with educators and school staff to identify and prevent potential cultural misunderstandings, misconceptions, arbitrary requirements, inappropriate curricular expectations, and assessment assumptions that can negatively impact bilingual education students' equitable access to educational opportunities and academic success; Demonstrate knowledge of effective strategies for building partnerships and collaborating with stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, other educational staff, parents/caregivers, community partners) to raise an awareness of the importance of promoting and sustaining bilingualism/multilingualism as an asset and a goal for bilingual education students and to facilitate bilingual education students' language and biliteracy development, access to equitable education, and academic success; Recognize the role of parents/caregivers in students' education; recognize that their practices and participation in the education of a child vary across cultures; and apply strategies for facilitating positive school-home interactions and developing opportunities for engagement and partnership.

Competencies 0008–0010 make up about 30% of the test. They ask you to understand how to plan appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent language development and content-learning goals and expectations; apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent interpretive language development (listening, reading, viewing) and content-learning goals and expectations; apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent expressive language development (speaking, writing, representing) and content-learning goals and expectations.

• Competency 0008: Understand how to plan appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent language development and content-learning goals and expectations. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of strategies for establishing grade-level-appropriate academic and language development goals and expectations for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency in the target languages of instruction that are aligned with relevant student learning standards; Apply knowledge of strategies for designing culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining standards-based instruction and co-teaching instruction (e.g., co- teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate linguistic goals and expectations for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency; Apply knowledge of strategies for identifying and incorporating key academic and content-specific language in lesson planning for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency to engage successfully in grade-level content learning, including as part of specific lessons, curriculum units, projects, or activities and in co-teaching contexts, and for incorporating appropriate related scaffolds, visual aids, differentiation, and assessments; Apply knowledge of strategies for contextualizing content and vocabulary (e.g., using demonstrations; using realia and visual scaffolding such as illustrations and graphic organizers; relating to students' funds of knowledge) and modifying language without simplifying content (e.g., providing comprehensible input by repeating key concepts, breaking up long sentences, paraphrasing) to make content- area lessons accessible to bilingual education students; Apply knowledge of strategies for implementing culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining instruction and co-teaching instruction that leverage and validate bilingual education students' funds of knowledge and identity (e.g., linguistic, cultural, experiential, social-emotional) as assets and resources for making connections with and accessing grade-level content; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining instruction and co-teaching instruction that promote bilingual education students' use of their full linguistic repertoires (e.g., code-switching, translanguaging practices) to successfully engage in grade-level content learning, collaborative problem solving, and meaningful communication; Apply knowledge of strategies for selecting culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining materials, resources, and technologies that effectively promote bilingual education students' access to standards-based and grade-level language and content learning; Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting bilingual education students' engagement in self-directed language and content learning through the use of problem-solving and cognitive-learning skills (e.g., note-taking skills, organizational skills, study skills, research skills, test-taking skills) and strategies (e.g., categorizing words and concepts, integrating prior knowledge with new ideas, self-reflection and self-monitoring); Apply knowledge of appropriate and effective scaffolding strategies, such as verbal scaffolding (e.g., prompting, questioning, elaborating), procedural scaffolding (e.g., explicit teaching, modeling), and metacognitive scaffolding (e.g., planning, regulating, evaluating), for promoting bilingual education students' language and content learning and verifying comprehension; Apply knowledge of strategies for developing, scaffolding, and implementing a variety of ongoing classroom assessments and common assessments (e.g., formative, summative, self-assessments) that effectively and appropriately measure bilingual education students' language development and academic progress; Apply knowledge of techniques for analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing classroom assessment results to reflect on, inform, and make purposeful adjustments to language, literacy, and content instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency.
• Competency 0009: Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent interpretive language development (listening, reading, viewing) and content-learning goals and expectations. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of strategies for designing culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining standards-based instruction and co-instruction (e.g., co-teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate interpretive language development goals and expectations for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods (e.g., engaging students in close reading, including rereading; scaffolding access to texts for students reading below grade level; choosing academic and literary texts that reflect students' home cultures and interests) and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency related to reading and constructing meaning from grade-level- appropriate literary and informational texts (e.g., determining the meaning of words and phrases, determining a central idea or theme, explaining how central ideas or themes are developed by supporting ideas or evidence, summarizing a text, analyzing and describing elements of fiction and nonfiction texts); Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency related to listening and viewing skills (e.g., constructing meaning from oral presentations, determining a theme or central idea and how it is conveyed through particular details, determining the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations, integrating and evaluating information presented in diverse media and formats, delineating a speaker's argument and specific claims); Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based strategies for promoting bilingual education students' use of listening, reading, and viewing skills to gain understanding (e.g., focusing attention, observing, gaining and interpreting information, checking for understanding), conduct research, evaluate findings, and analyze and critique the arguments of others.
• Competency 0010: Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based instruction for bilingual education students that effectively integrates interdependent expressive language development (speaking, writing, representing) and content-learning goals and expectations. Skills tested: Apply knowledge of strategies for designing culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining standards-based instruction and co-instruction (e.g., co-teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate expressive language development goals and expectations for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency; Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency related to speaking skills (e.g., preparing for and engaging effectively in a range of discussions on grade-level- appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics; following rules for collegial discussions; constructing claims and supporting them with reasoning and evidence; making counterclaims; adapting language choices to purpose, task, and audience; using appropriate register to communicate, inform, explain, argue, or persuade in grade-level-appropriate speech); Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency related to writing processes to produce texts for a variety of purposes (e.g., producing clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience; constructing a claim about a variety of grade-level- appropriate complex topics; providing compelling and logically ordered evidence that effectively supports a claim; providing reasoning to explain how the evidence supports a claim; providing a concluding statement; acquiring and accurately using grade-level-appropriate general-academic and domain-specific words and phrases; writing narratives to develop experiences or events using effective techniques, details, and sequencing; using appropriate language structures to communicate context-specific messages, inform, explain, argue, or persuade; developing and strengthening the writing process; using technology to produce and publish writing); Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining research- based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for bilingual education students at various levels of proficiency related to producing written text-based responses and research-based writing from sources in the languages of instruction and other languages (e.g., developing personal, cultural, textual, and thematic connections within and across genres; conducting research projects to answer a question or solve a problem; gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; using search terms effectively; drawing evidence from informational or literary texts to support reflection, analysis, and research; quoting or paraphrasing the data and conclusions of others using charts, diagrams, or other graphics; citing sources using a recognized standard format, such as APA or MLA); Apply knowledge of culturally and linguistically responsive and sustaining strategies for creating multiple opportunities for bilingual education students to engage in authentic and meaningful oral, written, and multimedia exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses; respond to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions; and analyze and critique the arguments of others.