Science of Teaching Reading (STR) Exam
(2026/2027) – Texas Science of Teaching
Reading Certification Exam with
Complete Questions & Verified Answers
phonemic awareness
the understanding that words are comprised of individual sounds
fluency
mastery of the skill of phonemic awareness to the point of automaticity
systematic phonics
an accurate written code that translates sounds into a visual image
vocabulary development
learning the meaning of new words and morphemes through direct and indirect
instruction and developing tools to discover the meaning of an unknown word.
comprehension skills
strategies a reader may employ to better comprehend a text
phonemic awareness
the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes). Student's skill in
phonological awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty
phonemes
any of the distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from
another. Example: p, b, d, and t in the words pad, pat, bad, and bat. (letter sounds)
phonics
,a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of
letters in an alphabetic writing system
high frequency words
words that appear most often in printed text and can be recognized by sight more than
50% of printed words
syllabication
the division of words into syllables
morphemes
minimal grammatical units of a language, each constituting a word or meaningful part of
a word, that cannot be divided into smaller independent grammatical.
automaticity
The fast effortless word recognition that comes with a great deal of reading practice.
Refers to only accurate, speedy, word recognition, not to reading with expression. It is
necessary, but not sufficient for fluency.
reading fluency
the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
reading accuracy
refers to the ability of students to instantly , automatically, and correctly recognize most
of the words they are reading
rate
simply, words read per minute. Involves the automaticity of reading. The more
automatic reading is, the higher the rate will be. It is measured by counting the number
of words in a specific passage and timing the reader.
,prosody
the defining feature of expressive reading, comprises all of the variables of timing,
phrasing, and emphasis.
In order for children to be ready to read....
......the relevant parts of their brains (visual- and speech-processing centers) must be
sufficiently developed; they must also have a high enough level of phonological (sound)
awareness to understand relationships between sounds and letters/groups of letters. If
the second condition is not met, children will struggle to read, regardless of their age
a program must teach letter-sound relationships
in a clearly defined sequence, with simpler, more straightforward skills being introduced
before more complex ones, and concepts gradually building upon one another.
embedded phonics instruction
in which letter-sound relationships are discussed inconsistently and only in the context
of specific words. When phonics is taught haphazardly, important letter-sound
correspondences (particularly ones involving vowels) will almost certainly be
overlooked, leading to gaps in children's knowledge.
systematic phonics
teaching phonics in a systematic manner from part to whole, letter sound to word.
Relieves children of having to juggle more concepts than they can manage by providing
a logical sequence in which concepts are continually reiterated, applied, and built on.
Phonics should not be taught in isolation; to be fully effective, it must also be integrated
with other subjects (e.g., writing), and children must be given ample opportunity to
practice applying their skills.
, The Simple View
the accepted model of reading within the mainstream scientific community. It states that:
Reading = Decoding Ability (connecting strings of letters to words) x Aural
Comprehension (including vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge).
Note that reading the product rather than the sum of the two parts: if either is missing, a
child cannot read. By definition, reading includes a visual component: a (non-visually
impaired) child who cannot decode, cannot read—no matter how well they understand
spoken language. Likewise, it does not matter how well a child can literally decipher
words if they cannot understand the meaning. Both parts must be present.. An
understanding of the simple view is crucial to diagnosing reading difficulties,
which can come from either the decoding or the comprehension side, or both.
The simple view is also crucial because it indicates that an effective reading
program must explicitly develop both decoding ability and broad comprehension
skills (including vocabulary and general knowledge) simultaneously.
Phonemic Awareness importance
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify the individual sounds that make up words.
For example, the word dog has three phonemes: d, aw, and g.
The word shape also has three phonemes: sh, ay, and p.
This is an aural skill only—it does not involve letters or words.
Phonemic awareness is perhaps the most crucial pre-reading skill: if children
cannot consistently identify, distinguish between, and/or manipulate sounds,
they will struggle to connect them to letters and groups of letters, making
phonics ineffective.
(2026/2027) – Texas Science of Teaching
Reading Certification Exam with
Complete Questions & Verified Answers
phonemic awareness
the understanding that words are comprised of individual sounds
fluency
mastery of the skill of phonemic awareness to the point of automaticity
systematic phonics
an accurate written code that translates sounds into a visual image
vocabulary development
learning the meaning of new words and morphemes through direct and indirect
instruction and developing tools to discover the meaning of an unknown word.
comprehension skills
strategies a reader may employ to better comprehend a text
phonemic awareness
the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes). Student's skill in
phonological awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty
phonemes
any of the distinct units of sound in a specified language that distinguish one word from
another. Example: p, b, d, and t in the words pad, pat, bad, and bat. (letter sounds)
phonics
,a method of teaching people to read by correlating sounds with letters or groups of
letters in an alphabetic writing system
high frequency words
words that appear most often in printed text and can be recognized by sight more than
50% of printed words
syllabication
the division of words into syllables
morphemes
minimal grammatical units of a language, each constituting a word or meaningful part of
a word, that cannot be divided into smaller independent grammatical.
automaticity
The fast effortless word recognition that comes with a great deal of reading practice.
Refers to only accurate, speedy, word recognition, not to reading with expression. It is
necessary, but not sufficient for fluency.
reading fluency
the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression.
reading accuracy
refers to the ability of students to instantly , automatically, and correctly recognize most
of the words they are reading
rate
simply, words read per minute. Involves the automaticity of reading. The more
automatic reading is, the higher the rate will be. It is measured by counting the number
of words in a specific passage and timing the reader.
,prosody
the defining feature of expressive reading, comprises all of the variables of timing,
phrasing, and emphasis.
In order for children to be ready to read....
......the relevant parts of their brains (visual- and speech-processing centers) must be
sufficiently developed; they must also have a high enough level of phonological (sound)
awareness to understand relationships between sounds and letters/groups of letters. If
the second condition is not met, children will struggle to read, regardless of their age
a program must teach letter-sound relationships
in a clearly defined sequence, with simpler, more straightforward skills being introduced
before more complex ones, and concepts gradually building upon one another.
embedded phonics instruction
in which letter-sound relationships are discussed inconsistently and only in the context
of specific words. When phonics is taught haphazardly, important letter-sound
correspondences (particularly ones involving vowels) will almost certainly be
overlooked, leading to gaps in children's knowledge.
systematic phonics
teaching phonics in a systematic manner from part to whole, letter sound to word.
Relieves children of having to juggle more concepts than they can manage by providing
a logical sequence in which concepts are continually reiterated, applied, and built on.
Phonics should not be taught in isolation; to be fully effective, it must also be integrated
with other subjects (e.g., writing), and children must be given ample opportunity to
practice applying their skills.
, The Simple View
the accepted model of reading within the mainstream scientific community. It states that:
Reading = Decoding Ability (connecting strings of letters to words) x Aural
Comprehension (including vocabulary, syntax, and background knowledge).
Note that reading the product rather than the sum of the two parts: if either is missing, a
child cannot read. By definition, reading includes a visual component: a (non-visually
impaired) child who cannot decode, cannot read—no matter how well they understand
spoken language. Likewise, it does not matter how well a child can literally decipher
words if they cannot understand the meaning. Both parts must be present.. An
understanding of the simple view is crucial to diagnosing reading difficulties,
which can come from either the decoding or the comprehension side, or both.
The simple view is also crucial because it indicates that an effective reading
program must explicitly develop both decoding ability and broad comprehension
skills (including vocabulary and general knowledge) simultaneously.
Phonemic Awareness importance
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify the individual sounds that make up words.
For example, the word dog has three phonemes: d, aw, and g.
The word shape also has three phonemes: sh, ay, and p.
This is an aural skill only—it does not involve letters or words.
Phonemic awareness is perhaps the most crucial pre-reading skill: if children
cannot consistently identify, distinguish between, and/or manipulate sounds,
they will struggle to connect them to letters and groups of letters, making
phonics ineffective.
