MSLE 500 – ALTA Competency Exam for Certified
Academic Language Therapist
2026-2027 Certification Cycle.
SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE
Instructions: Select the single best answer (A-D or A-E) for each question. Each
question is worth 1 point.
1. A 7-year-old student consistently reads "pat" for "bat" and "cap" for "cab." Based
on these error patterns, which articulatory feature is the student failing to
discriminate?
A. Manner of articulation
B. Place of articulation
C. Voicing
D. Nasality
2. When introducing the suffix <-tion>, a CALT explains that it originates from the
Latin suffix <-io>, meaning "act or state." To which layer of the English language does
this morpheme primarily belong?
A. Anglo-Saxon layer
B. Latin layer
C. Greek layer
D. French layer
3. According to the 2026 IDA definition and current neurobiological research,
dyslexia is primarily characterized by difficulties with:
A. Visual processing and occipital lobe dysfunction
B. Accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities
,C. Overall cognitive ability and global language delay
D. Attention regulation and executive functioning
4. A student obtains a standard score of 85 (Mean = 100, SD = 15) on the Word Attack
subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson IV. What percentile rank does this score
approximate?
A. 5th percentile
B. 16th percentile
C. 25th percentile
D. 37th percentile
5. During a VAKT (Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Tactile) tracing activity, a student
traces the letter <b> on a textured surface while simultaneously saying "/b/." Which
Orton-Gillingham principle is most directly being applied?
A. Diagnostic teaching
B. Simultaneous multisensory instruction
C. Systematic and cumulative instruction
D. Direct instruction
6. A parent requests that you, a CALT in private practice, attend their child's IEP
meeting to advocate for specific MSL services. Under IDEA 2004, what is the legal
status of the CALT's attendance?
A. The school must invite the CALT as a required IEP team member.
B. The parent may invite the CALT as an individual with knowledge or special
expertise regarding the child.
C. The CALT may only attend if the school district approves and covers the cost.
D. The CALT cannot attend because they are not a certified special education teacher.
, 7. A CALT is working with a student who has a diagnosed visual impairment. The
CALT adapts materials by using large print and high-contrast colors. Which provision
under Section 504 is the CALT honoring?
A. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
B. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
C. Reasonable accommodation
D. Procedural safeguards
8. A bilingual student (Spanish-English) writes "eleepant" for "elephant." This
spelling error is best explained by:
A. Deficits in phonological awareness specific to dyslexia
B. Interlanguage transfer from the transparent Spanish orthography
C. Visual processing dysfunction
D. Rapid automatized naming deficits
9. When teaching the spelling generalization for the sound /k/ at the end of a basal
word, a CALT uses the rule "ck follows a short vowel; k follows a consonant or a two-
vowel team." Which of the following words is an exception to this generalization that
must be taught as a sight word?
A. Clock
B. Milk
C. Look
D. Steak
10. Current neuroimaging research (e.g., fMRI studies by Shaywitz) on the reading
brain demonstrates that effective MSL intervention can:
A. Completely normalize the occipital-temporal region, curing dyslexia
B. Compensate for deficits by increasing reliance on the right hemisphere and frontal
regions
Academic Language Therapist
2026-2027 Certification Cycle.
SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE
Instructions: Select the single best answer (A-D or A-E) for each question. Each
question is worth 1 point.
1. A 7-year-old student consistently reads "pat" for "bat" and "cap" for "cab." Based
on these error patterns, which articulatory feature is the student failing to
discriminate?
A. Manner of articulation
B. Place of articulation
C. Voicing
D. Nasality
2. When introducing the suffix <-tion>, a CALT explains that it originates from the
Latin suffix <-io>, meaning "act or state." To which layer of the English language does
this morpheme primarily belong?
A. Anglo-Saxon layer
B. Latin layer
C. Greek layer
D. French layer
3. According to the 2026 IDA definition and current neurobiological research,
dyslexia is primarily characterized by difficulties with:
A. Visual processing and occipital lobe dysfunction
B. Accurate and/or fluent word recognition and poor spelling and decoding abilities
,C. Overall cognitive ability and global language delay
D. Attention regulation and executive functioning
4. A student obtains a standard score of 85 (Mean = 100, SD = 15) on the Word Attack
subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson IV. What percentile rank does this score
approximate?
A. 5th percentile
B. 16th percentile
C. 25th percentile
D. 37th percentile
5. During a VAKT (Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Tactile) tracing activity, a student
traces the letter <b> on a textured surface while simultaneously saying "/b/." Which
Orton-Gillingham principle is most directly being applied?
A. Diagnostic teaching
B. Simultaneous multisensory instruction
C. Systematic and cumulative instruction
D. Direct instruction
6. A parent requests that you, a CALT in private practice, attend their child's IEP
meeting to advocate for specific MSL services. Under IDEA 2004, what is the legal
status of the CALT's attendance?
A. The school must invite the CALT as a required IEP team member.
B. The parent may invite the CALT as an individual with knowledge or special
expertise regarding the child.
C. The CALT may only attend if the school district approves and covers the cost.
D. The CALT cannot attend because they are not a certified special education teacher.
, 7. A CALT is working with a student who has a diagnosed visual impairment. The
CALT adapts materials by using large print and high-contrast colors. Which provision
under Section 504 is the CALT honoring?
A. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)
B. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
C. Reasonable accommodation
D. Procedural safeguards
8. A bilingual student (Spanish-English) writes "eleepant" for "elephant." This
spelling error is best explained by:
A. Deficits in phonological awareness specific to dyslexia
B. Interlanguage transfer from the transparent Spanish orthography
C. Visual processing dysfunction
D. Rapid automatized naming deficits
9. When teaching the spelling generalization for the sound /k/ at the end of a basal
word, a CALT uses the rule "ck follows a short vowel; k follows a consonant or a two-
vowel team." Which of the following words is an exception to this generalization that
must be taught as a sight word?
A. Clock
B. Milk
C. Look
D. Steak
10. Current neuroimaging research (e.g., fMRI studies by Shaywitz) on the reading
brain demonstrates that effective MSL intervention can:
A. Completely normalize the occipital-temporal region, curing dyslexia
B. Compensate for deficits by increasing reliance on the right hemisphere and frontal
regions
