The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has created the Early and Middle Childhood (EMC)/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam as a step to certify those with the aptitude and knowledge necessary to instruct young children in the subject of English.
The NBPTS offers such certification in 25 different areas and each area contains four different components. There is a computer-based assessment, such as the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam, followed by three portfolio entries that demonstrate classroom aptitude.
As one critical component of NBPTS certification, the EMC/Literacy Reading-Language Arts exam is a chance for those interested in pursuing this validation to demonstrate their knowledge in the field.
Am I Eligible to Take the Reading-Language Arts Exam for EMC from NBPTS?
To receive certification from NBPTS, candidates must first prove eligibility through several criteria.
They must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and they must have completed at least three years of “successful” teaching in childhood, elementary, middle and/or secondary school. They must also hold a valid state teaching license for each of the three years of employment verified.
How Can I Register for the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Exam?
To register for the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam, prospective participants must register on the NBPTS website and provide a $75 registration fee during each assessment cycle. They should then select the components they plan to complete during that cycle (i.e., the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam and any additional portfolio entries).
As a “component one,” taking the exam will require an additional $475 fee for a first attempt, and a $125 retake fee if they do not pass. If a participant misses their assessment center testing appointment, they will have to pay a $125 fee to retake it.
What Items Are Permitted and Prohibited During this Reading-Language Arts Exam for Early and Middle Childhood?
Candidates in the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam are required to bring with them a piece of personal identification that includes a photograph and signature, such as a driver’s license or passport.
Any other item, including a calculator, is prohibited at the testing center, except for:
- Erasable note board and marker (provided to candidates at the testing center)
- Certain comfort aides like cough drops, eyeglasses, a pillow or tissues
- No. 2 pencils
What Specific Content Appears on the Reading-Language Arts Exam for EMC/Literacy?
The content on the EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam is broken into nine standards through four sections, each of which contain different numbers of questions and comprise different percentages of the full exam. The specific content is broken down as follows:
- Collaborating with Families and Knowledge of Learners (20 percent of total exam)
- Helping families in supporting children’s development of learning
- Development and learning theories
- Familiarity with each student as a learner of language, emotion, culture, society and intellectually
- The Learning Environment, Literacy Assessment and Equity, Fairness and Diversity (25 percent of total exam)
- Understanding, choosing and administering assessments
- Choosing resources
- Establishing an intellectual environment
- Promoting equity and fairness
- Writing and Reading (20 percent of total exam)
- Instruction of writing
- Instruction of reading
- Connecting reading and writing with other language arts and disciplines
- Speaking and Listening, Viewing and Visual Literacy (35 percent of total exam)
- Instruction and knowledge of listening and speaking
- Instruction and knowledge of viewing and visual literacy
How Can I Get a Great Score on the NBPTS’ EMC/Literacy Exam for Reading-Language Arts?
The NBPTS’ EMC/Literacy: Reading-Language Arts exam puts a heavy emphasis on the fundamentals of language arts concepts and general concepts of teaching for young learners. As such, candidates will need to become familiar with a large basis of knowledge in order to achieve a passing score.
It is recommended that, to become familiar with this foundational knowledge, prospective participants in the exam spend the majority of their study time with a study guide, such as the solution provided by Mometrix Test Preparation. To further drill with this information and memorize it in a way that allows them to accurately answer test questions, candidates should also leverage Mometrix’s set of study flashcards.
