FTCE ESOL K-12 Online Center
This FTCE ESOL K-12 Online Center brings together practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Choose the resource that matches the skill you want to work on next.
FTCE ESOL K-12 Practice Center
Take a full 150-minute form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Score the nine competencies separately. The weighting is nearly flat, so a single weak competency will not sink you, but two or three will.
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FTCE ESOL K-12 at a glance
This is the Florida subject area examination for ESOL coverage in kindergarten through grade twelve, and it is also the exam route to the ESOL endorsement. Florida redeveloped the content framework, and the version now published has nine competencies instead of the old eleven. If you are studying from a guide that lists eleven, it is out of date: the three separate assessment competencies were folded into one, culture went up, research and policy doubled, and instruction came down.
| Test code | 047 (English for Speakers of Other Languages K-12) |
|---|---|
| Status | Current. The test code did not change, but the competency framework was redeveloped. The older framework is labeled for testing until December 31, 2023, and the redeveloped competencies document is the one published for the live test. |
| Who takes it | Candidates seeking Florida certification coverage in ESOL for grades K through 12, and candidates adding the ESOL endorsement by examination. |
| Number of questions | Approximately 80 multiple-choice questions |
| Answer options | Four per question, A through D |
| Time limit | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Format | Computer-based. The Test Information Guide describes three item formats: direct questions, sentence completions, and scenario items built on a case study or situation. |
| Passing score | A scaled score of at least 200. Results come back as PASS or NOT PASS, with a numerical scaled score reported to candidates who do not pass. |
| Competency weighting | Published. See the blueprint below. |
Florida publishes an approximate percentage for each competency on this test, and the nine figures sum to 100. Language acquisition and development and assessment are tied at 14 percent each, culture is 12 percent, and the remaining six competencies are 10 percent apiece. On an 80-question form that works out to roughly 11 questions for each of the two heaviest competencies, 10 for culture, and 8 for each of the others. Nothing on this exam is a small corner you can skip.
The nine competencies, in plain language
Florida states the skills under each competency. Here is what each one asks of you, heaviest first.
Competency 3: Language acquisition and development (14 percent)
Tied for the heaviest competency, and the one with the most skills under it.
- Theories and processes of first and second language acquisition
- Research-based instructional models and what distinguishes them
- Bilingualism, biliteracy, and home language literacy as a foundation
- Social language against academic language
- Where learner errors come from, including transfer from the home language
- Telling ordinary second language development from an exceptionality
- Recognizing gifted and talented English language learners
Competency 9: Assessment (14 percent)
The redeveloped framework folded three older assessment competencies into this one.
- Identification and reclassification requirements at district, state, and federal levels
- Reading results from formal and informal assessments
- Alternative assessments and when they fit
- Accommodations and adaptations during testing
- Reliability, validity, and what threatens them for an English learner
- Choosing measures that actually track progress
- Explaining results to families and colleagues
Competency 1: Culture as a factor in learning (12 percent)
Culture rose from 8 percent in the older framework to 12 percent here.
- Elements of culture and how they reach into instruction
- How cultural factors shape participation, learning, and behavior
- Phases of cultural adaptation and what each looks like in a classroom
- Finding out about a student’s background without guessing
- Practices that build multicultural sensitivity
- Home-school connections and family partnership
- Social issues and trends that affect these students
Competency 2: Language as a system (10 percent)
The linguistics block.
- Phonology and morphology
- Semantics and syntax
- Pragmatics and discourse
- Matching English forms to the context that calls for them
- Resources on students’ home languages
Competency 4: Second language literacy development (10 percent)
Short competency, but it carries the reading and writing questions.
- Theories of second language reading and writing development
- How oral skills in the home language feed English development
- How home literacy practices shape English literacy
Competency 5: Research, history, public policy, and current practices (10 percent)
Doubled from 5 percent in the older framework. This is where the Consent Decree lives.
- Past and present approaches to ESOL instruction
- Major researchers and the practices that came from their work
- Evaluating research-based instructional models
- Federal and state court decisions, laws, and policies
- Applying the LULAC et al. V. State Board of Education Consent Decree of 1990 to classroom situations
Competency 6: Standards-based ESOL and content instruction (10 percent)
Fell from 14 percent in the older framework, so it no longer dominates.
- Standards-based instruction for listening and speaking
- Standards-based instruction for reading and writing
- Activities that put English to authentic use
- Teaching that draws on students’ funds of knowledge
- Curricular adaptations and modifications
Competency 7: Resources and technologies (10 percent)
Materials, tools, and the people outside your classroom.
- Judging materials for cultural responsiveness and linguistic accessibility
- Putting digital tools to work in language instruction
- Working with school and community resources
- Professional organizations that support ESOL educators
Competency 8: Planning standards-based instruction (10 percent)
Planning, grouping, and scaffolding.
- Writing language objectives alongside content standards for each proficiency level
- Collaborative, student-centered classroom structures
- Differentiation and scaffolding choices
A study routine for a 150-minute exam
Eighty questions in two and a half hours is under two minutes each, which is quick for scenario items. You cannot afford to reread a case study twice, so the vocabulary has to be automatic before you sit down.
Complete competency map
The skills Florida publishes across the nine competencies of the redeveloped framework, reworded for study use.
Competency 1: Knowledge of culture as a factor in ELLs’ learning (12 percent, about 10 questions)
- 01Analyze the elements of culture and their impact on instruction
- 02Identify how participation, learning, and behavior are affected by cultural factors
- 03Identify the phases of cultural adaptation and distinguish their characteristics
- 04Select resources for obtaining cultural background information about students and families
- 05Identify strategies that build multicultural sensitivity and inclusiveness
- 06Identify ways in which home-school connections build family partnerships
- 07Analyze social issues and trends that affect the learning of English language learners
Competency 2: Knowledge of language as a system (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 08Analyze the principles of phonology and morphology
- 09Analyze the principles of semantics and syntax
- 10Analyze the principles of pragmatics and discourse
- 11Identify and apply appropriate English language forms for different contexts
- 12Select resources that provide information about students’ home languages
Competency 3: Knowledge of language acquisition and development (14 percent, about 11 questions)
- 13Identify major theories and processes of first and second language acquisition
- 14Identify the characteristics of research-based instructional models
- 15Identify factors that influence the development of bilingualism and biliteracy
- 16Identify how home language literacy provides a foundation for English language development
- 17Determine internal and external factors that affect the learning of English language learners
- 18Distinguish between the characteristics of social language and academic language
- 19Identify the sources of English language learners’ errors
- 20Identify the language functions of spoken and written English
- 21Distinguish between characteristics of natural second language acquisition and characteristics of exceptionalities
- 22Identify the characteristics of gifted and talented English language learners
Competency 4: Knowledge of second language literacy development (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 23Determine and apply theories of second language reading and writing development
- 24Identify how oral language skills in the home language influence the development of English language skills
- 25Identify how home language literacy and home literacy practices influence the development of English language skills
Competency 5: Knowledge of ESL/ESOL research, history, public policy, and current practices (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 26Identify past and present approaches to ESOL instruction
- 27Identify major researchers and their influence on best practices
- 28Evaluate appropriate research-based instructional models
- 29Identify major federal and state court decisions, laws, and policies affecting the education of English language learners
- 30Apply the requirements of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) et al. V. State Board of Education Consent Decree, 1990, to instructional situations
Competency 6: Knowledge of standards-based ESOL and content instruction (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 31Select standards-based instruction for developing listening and speaking skills
- 32Apply standards-based instruction for developing reading and writing skills
- 33Select activities that develop authentic uses of English language and literacy
- 34Apply instructional strategies that incorporate students’ funds of knowledge
- 35Identify appropriate curricular adaptations and modifications
Competency 7: Knowledge of resources and technologies (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 36Evaluate and select culturally responsive and linguistically accessible materials
- 37Apply strategies for incorporating technological resources and digital tools into instruction
- 38Identify effective ways to collaborate with school and community resources
- 39Identify professional organizations and resources that support educator development
Competency 8: Knowledge of planning standards-based instruction of ELLs (10 percent, about 8 questions)
- 40Apply language objectives and content standards for varying levels of language proficiency
- 41Identify the characteristics of collaborative, student-centered classroom environments
- 42Choose appropriate methods of differentiation, including scaffolding techniques
Competency 9: Knowledge of language proficiency assessments, classroom-based assessments, and assessment issues (14 percent, about 11 questions)
- 43Identify district, state, and federal requirements for the identification and reclassification of English language learners
- 44Interpret results from formal and informal assessments
- 45Identify effective ways to communicate assessment outcomes to stakeholders
- 46Identify the appropriate use of alternative assessments and instruments
- 47Identify appropriate test-taking skills and strategies
- 48Determine appropriate assessment adaptations
- 49Identify factors that affect assessment reliability and validity
- 50Select formal and informal assessments that measure student progress
- 51Identify appropriate accommodations to use during assessments
Before test day
Two habits carry this test. The first is treating the home language and the family as resources rather than obstacles, which quietly decides a large share of the culture, literacy, and family partnership items. The second is answering with the next reasonable instructional step rather than the most sympathetic sentence. When a scenario describes a student who is struggling, the correct choice is usually the one that collects information or adds support while keeping the grade-level content in front of the student.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
FTCE ESOL K-12: study questions
What can I study in this FTCE ESOL K-12 Online Center?
This FTCE ESOL K-12 Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Competency 3: Language acquisition and development (14 percent), Competency 9: Assessment (14 percent), Competency 1: Culture as a factor in learning (12 percent).
How should I use the FTCE ESOL K-12 resources?
Choose a topic or practice activity from this Online Center. Review the linked explanation, try the practice, and use the result to decide what to study next. Check each resource’s directions for its format and access requirements.
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