NYSTCE Multi-Subject Childhood Mathematics Study Hub
Everything for Part Two of the NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood test (222): 40 selected-response questions and one constructed-response assignment in 2 hours 15 minutes. Two full practice forms with worked explanations, a 102-card deck, and 47 lessons covering the mathematics New York expects a childhood teacher to know.
NYSTCE Multi-Subject Mathematics Practice Center
Take a full form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Sort the misses into two piles: arithmetic slips and setup errors. Arithmetic slips fix themselves with slower writing. Setup errors mean going back to the lesson.
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NYSTCE Multi-Subject Childhood Mathematics at a glance
Part Two is the mathematics part of the Multi-Subject test for New York childhood certification, grades 1 through 6. Each of the three parts is scored and passed separately, so a candidate who fails this one retakes only this one. Two thirds of the score sits in two competencies, and both are proportional reasoning and the algebra that grows out of it. That is where to spend the time.
| Part code | 222 (Part Two: Mathematics) |
|---|---|
| Part of | NYSTCE Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood, three parts: Part One Literacy and English Language Arts (221), Part Two Mathematics (222), and Part Three Arts and Sciences (245). Each part is taken and passed separately, and all three are required. |
| Number of questions | 40 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response assignment |
| Answer options | Four per selected-response question |
| Time limit | 2 hours 15 minutes. All three parts may instead be taken in a single 5.5-hour session. |
| Calculator | A standard four-function on-screen calculator is provided for this part. |
| Format | Computer-based |
| Scoring | The 40 selected-response items carry 80 percent of the score and the single constructed-response assignment carries 20 percent. |
| Passing score | 520 on a scale of 400 to 600, for this part on its own. |
New York publishes the weighting for every competency on this part, and the distribution is lopsided enough to plan around: Number and Operations is 5 percent, Ratios and Proportional Relationships and Number Systems is 30 percent, Algebra and Measurement, Geometry, and Data is 35 percent, Instruction in Mathematics is 10 percent, and the constructed response is 20 percent. Three questions come from the first competency. Thirty-two come from the middle two.
The five competencies, in plain language
New York states each competency and lists what it expects. Here is what each one asks of you, with its published weight.
Competency 0001: Number and operations (5 percent, about 3 questions)
Place value, the operations, and why the standard algorithms work.
- Place value and the structure of the base ten system
- Operations with whole numbers and their properties
- Factors, multiples, primes, GCF and LCM
- Estimation and judging whether an answer is reasonable
Competency 0002: Ratios, proportional relationships, and number systems (30 percent, about 15 questions)
The heart of the part: ratio, rate, percent, and the rational and irrational numbers.
- Ratio, unit rate, and the constant of proportionality
- Percent, including increase, decrease, discount, and tax
- Fractions, decimals, and moving between them
- Integers, rational numbers, and irrational numbers
- Exponents, roots, and scientific notation
Competency 0003: Algebra, measurement, geometry, and data (35 percent, about 17 questions)
The largest competency, and the widest.
- Expressions, equations, inequalities, and functions
- Linear relationships, slope, and the coordinate plane
- Classifying figures and using angle relationships
- Perimeter, area, surface area, and volume
- Units, conversion, and scale
- Data displays, mean, median, mode, range, and probability
Competency 0004: Instruction in mathematics (10 percent, about 5 questions)
How children learn mathematics and what a teacher does next.
- Read a child’s strategy and name what it shows
- Choose a representation or manipulative that fits the idea
- Sequence instruction along a learning progression
- Use assessment evidence to decide what to teach next
- Recognize common error patterns in student work
Competency 0005: Analysis, synthesis, and application (20 percent, the constructed response)
One written assignment: analyze a student work sample together with other assessment evidence, and describe what you would do.
- Identify what the student already understands
- Name the specific misconception the work reveals
- Describe an instructional step that builds on the student’s own thinking
- Explain why that step addresses the misconception
A study routine that fits a 135-minute part
The weighting on this part does most of your planning for you. Two competencies carry sixty-five percent of the selected-response score, so give them two thirds of the hours.
Complete lesson map
Forty-seven lessons covering the mathematics this part expects you to know cold. Each one opens in a new tab so you can keep this page open while you work.
Counting, place value, and operations
Fractions and decimals
Ratios, proportion, and percent
Algebraic thinking and patterns
The coordinate plane
Measurement and geometry
Data, statistics, and probability
Before test day
Two things decide this part. The first is proportional reasoning, because it is thirty percent by itself and it hides inside most of the geometry and data questions too. The second is unit conversion, which quietly costs more points than any single topic on the test, usually because a candidate solved the problem correctly in the wrong unit. Write the units down every time, even when it feels unnecessary.