Teacher’s Lounge Blog

Learn more about teacher preparation, test tips, online learning, professional development, and a variety of other valuable teacher topics.

Passing the Composition Exercise: Usage

PrepForward provides online preparation courses to candidates practicing compositions for state teacher tests, including the MTEL Communication and Literacy Skills exam in MA. In this series, I’ll share the most common errors I see and tips for making a solid score on each performance characteristic. Other articles in series: Passing the Composition Exercise: Mechanics “Careful and precise”—that’s the expectation for usage on the MTEL exams composition essay.…

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Getting My MA Teaching License

Securing your first teaching license can feel like navigating a winding, endless path to an uncertain destination. The journey, however, need not be ambiguous at all. The MA Department of Education (http://www.doe.mass.edu/educators/) has quite efficiently outlined the steps you must take. The requirements can feel daunting and rigorous, but they are part of the process of verifying that every classroom teacher is equipped for handling the…

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Graphing Fun – Math Teacher Certification

Most teaching licenses will require that you pass a certification exam with math concepts. Thoughts of this test often induce fear and stress in even the most talented prospective teachers. Ensuring that you have a deep understanding of the math fundamentals will alleviate this anxiety and help you pass your exam. One topic that many struggle with is graphing linear equations. Let’s review the basics. Linear…

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Dodging Distractors on Foundations of Reading, Part 2

Licensed teacher

As you are preparing for the Foundations of Reading test, think back to your coursework on creating assessments. In addition to the open response, the FORT is made up of 100 multiple-choice questions. Understanding the mechanics of a good, critical thinking multiple choice question can help you to choose the best alternative and dodge the distractors. Test makers often create distractors from what they know to…

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Dodging Distractors on Foundations of Reading Exam

In addition to mastering the content for the Foundations of Reading teacher certification test, you can also be wise to some testing strategies. Multiple choice questions are made of a stem and alternatives. One of the listed alternatives will be the best answer while the others will be distractors. Here is a tip to help you use the question to find the best answer: Compare the…

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Top 10 Testing Tips for Math Teacher Certification Exams

Math Teaching Certification

You must be able to demonstrate mastery of all the content that is on the exam and must be prepared mentally for undertaking the task. After you have developed this deep understanding of the material, you should review these tips for efficiently and accurately getting through your math teacher licensure exams.   10. Read the question carefully Read every word of the entire question at least…

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