SCIENCE OF TEACHING READING (STR) EXAM | 2026/2027
Texas Science of Teaching Reading Certification Exam with Complete Questions & Verified
Answers | Latest Version
Overview
This 2026/2027 updated resource contains the latest Texas Science of Teaching
Reading (STR) Certification Exam with the exact 110 questions and verified answers,
following current TEA (Texas Education Agency) STR standards, The Reading League's science
of reading principles, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English Language Arts
and Reading, and evidence-based literacy instruction practices.
Key Features
● ✓ Actual TEA STR exam format with the official 110 questions
● ✓ Comprehensive coverage of reading science, assessment, and evidence-based
instruction
● ✓ Updated 2026/2027 TEKS revisions and Texas literacy initiatives
● ✓ Practical classroom application scenarios and instructional planning
● ✓ Dyslexia identification and intervention requirements per Texas law
Core Content Areas (110 Total Questions)
● Reading Science Foundations & Research (25 Qs)
● Phonological & Phonemic Awareness Instruction (20 Qs)
● Phonics, Decoding & Word Recognition (20 Qs)
● Fluency, Vocabulary & Comprehension Development (18 Qs)
● Reading Assessment & Data-Based Decision Making (15 Qs)
● Differentiated Instruction & Intervention Strategies (12 Qs)
Answer Format
Correct answers are marked in bold green and include:
● TEA STR competencies and standards applications
● Texas dyslexia handbook requirement implementations
● TEKS alignment for reading instruction planning
● Evidence-based intervention program evaluations
● Progress monitoring tool selection and data interpretation
● Culturally responsive literacy instruction strategies
Updates for 2026/2027
● 🔹
🔹 Reflects 2026-2027 TEA STR exam framework updates
●
● 🔹 Updated TEKS for ELAR (English Language Arts and Reading) revisions
Enhanced dyslexia screening and intervention requirements
, ● 🔹
🔹 New structured literacy implementation standards
●
● 🔹
🔹
Revised multilingual learner literacy support protocols
Updated Texas reading initiative requirements (House Bill 3 updates)
●
● 🔹 New digital literacy integration standards
Revised parent notification and involvement requirements
Full Exam: 110 Questions with Verified Answers
1. According to The Reading League and current neuroscience research, reading is
primarily processed in which part of the brain?
A. Right temporal lobe
B. Occipital lobe only
C. The “reading network” in the left hemisphere, including occipito-temporal, temporo-parietal,
and inferior frontal regions
D. Cerebellum
C. The “reading network” in the left hemisphere, including occipito-temporal,
temporo-parietal, and inferior frontal regions — Neuroimaging studies confirm that
skilled reading activates a specialized left-hemisphere circuit; instruction should align with
this neurobiological reality (TEA STR Domain I, Competency 001).
2. The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) states that reading
comprehension is the product of:
A. Decoding × Language Comprehension
B. Fluency + Vocabulary
C. Phonics + Sight Words
D. Motivation × Background Knowledge
A. Decoding × Language Comprehension — This foundational model underpins the
Texas STR framework; both components are necessary for comprehension (TEKS
§110.2.b.2).
3. Scarborough’s Reading Rope illustrates that skilled reading requires the
integration of:
A. Only phonics and vocabulary
,B. Word recognition and language comprehension strands
C. Listening and speaking only
D. Digital literacy and print awareness
B. Word recognition and language comprehension strands — The rope model
shows multiple subskills (e.g., phonemic awareness, fluency, background knowledge) that
must weave together for skilled reading (The Reading League, 2026).
4. Which of the following is a key principle of the science of reading?
A. Children learn to read naturally through exposure to books
B. Reading must be explicitly and systematically taught using evidence-based methods
C. Memorizing sight words is sufficient for early reading
D. Reading instruction should be individualized without a scope and sequence
B. Reading must be explicitly and systematically taught using evidence-based
methods — The science of reading rejects the “natural acquisition” myth; structured literacy
is required (TEA STR Competency 001).
5. The term “evidence-based practice” in reading instruction refers to:
A. Methods supported by peer-reviewed research using rigorous experimental designs
B. Popular commercial programs
C. Teacher intuition and experience
D. State-adopted textbooks only
A. Methods supported by peer-reviewed research using rigorous experimental
designs — Per TEA and ESSA, evidence-based means validated through high-quality
research (STR Competency 002).
6. Texas House Bill 3 (2019) and its 2026 updates require:
A. Elimination of all phonics instruction
B. Structured literacy training for K–3 educators and mandatory reading interventions
C. Exclusive use of balanced literacy
D. No assessment before Grade 3
, B. Structured literacy training for K–3 educators and mandatory reading
interventions — HB 3 mandates evidence-aligned reading instruction and support for
struggling readers (TEA, 2026).
7. Print awareness includes understanding that:
A. Books are for entertainment only
B. Print carries meaning and follows conventions (e.g., left-to-right, top-to-bottom)
C. Pictures are more important than text
D. All texts are fiction
B. Print carries meaning and follows conventions (e.g., left-to-right,
top-to-bottom) — A foundational early literacy skill emphasized in Pre-K–K TEKS
(§110.2.b.2.A).
8. The alphabetic principle is the understanding that:
A. Letters are shapes
B. Spoken words are made of sounds that can be represented by letters
C. All words rhyme
D. Capital letters are for names only
B. Spoken words are made of sounds that can be represented by letters — This is
essential for decoding; taught explicitly in Texas K–2 classrooms (TEKS §110.2.b.2.B).
9. Which research finding supports systematic phonics instruction?
A. Children guess words from context better than sounding them out
B. Explicit, sequential phonics improves decoding and comprehension for most students
C. Phonics is only for students with dyslexia
D. Whole language is more effective than phonics
B. Explicit, sequential phonics improves decoding and comprehension for most
students — National Reading Panel (2000) and Texas research confirm this (STR
Competency 003).
10. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for ELAR are:
Texas Science of Teaching Reading Certification Exam with Complete Questions & Verified
Answers | Latest Version
Overview
This 2026/2027 updated resource contains the latest Texas Science of Teaching
Reading (STR) Certification Exam with the exact 110 questions and verified answers,
following current TEA (Texas Education Agency) STR standards, The Reading League's science
of reading principles, Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for English Language Arts
and Reading, and evidence-based literacy instruction practices.
Key Features
● ✓ Actual TEA STR exam format with the official 110 questions
● ✓ Comprehensive coverage of reading science, assessment, and evidence-based
instruction
● ✓ Updated 2026/2027 TEKS revisions and Texas literacy initiatives
● ✓ Practical classroom application scenarios and instructional planning
● ✓ Dyslexia identification and intervention requirements per Texas law
Core Content Areas (110 Total Questions)
● Reading Science Foundations & Research (25 Qs)
● Phonological & Phonemic Awareness Instruction (20 Qs)
● Phonics, Decoding & Word Recognition (20 Qs)
● Fluency, Vocabulary & Comprehension Development (18 Qs)
● Reading Assessment & Data-Based Decision Making (15 Qs)
● Differentiated Instruction & Intervention Strategies (12 Qs)
Answer Format
Correct answers are marked in bold green and include:
● TEA STR competencies and standards applications
● Texas dyslexia handbook requirement implementations
● TEKS alignment for reading instruction planning
● Evidence-based intervention program evaluations
● Progress monitoring tool selection and data interpretation
● Culturally responsive literacy instruction strategies
Updates for 2026/2027
● 🔹
🔹 Reflects 2026-2027 TEA STR exam framework updates
●
● 🔹 Updated TEKS for ELAR (English Language Arts and Reading) revisions
Enhanced dyslexia screening and intervention requirements
, ● 🔹
🔹 New structured literacy implementation standards
●
● 🔹
🔹
Revised multilingual learner literacy support protocols
Updated Texas reading initiative requirements (House Bill 3 updates)
●
● 🔹 New digital literacy integration standards
Revised parent notification and involvement requirements
Full Exam: 110 Questions with Verified Answers
1. According to The Reading League and current neuroscience research, reading is
primarily processed in which part of the brain?
A. Right temporal lobe
B. Occipital lobe only
C. The “reading network” in the left hemisphere, including occipito-temporal, temporo-parietal,
and inferior frontal regions
D. Cerebellum
C. The “reading network” in the left hemisphere, including occipito-temporal,
temporo-parietal, and inferior frontal regions — Neuroimaging studies confirm that
skilled reading activates a specialized left-hemisphere circuit; instruction should align with
this neurobiological reality (TEA STR Domain I, Competency 001).
2. The Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986) states that reading
comprehension is the product of:
A. Decoding × Language Comprehension
B. Fluency + Vocabulary
C. Phonics + Sight Words
D. Motivation × Background Knowledge
A. Decoding × Language Comprehension — This foundational model underpins the
Texas STR framework; both components are necessary for comprehension (TEKS
§110.2.b.2).
3. Scarborough’s Reading Rope illustrates that skilled reading requires the
integration of:
A. Only phonics and vocabulary
,B. Word recognition and language comprehension strands
C. Listening and speaking only
D. Digital literacy and print awareness
B. Word recognition and language comprehension strands — The rope model
shows multiple subskills (e.g., phonemic awareness, fluency, background knowledge) that
must weave together for skilled reading (The Reading League, 2026).
4. Which of the following is a key principle of the science of reading?
A. Children learn to read naturally through exposure to books
B. Reading must be explicitly and systematically taught using evidence-based methods
C. Memorizing sight words is sufficient for early reading
D. Reading instruction should be individualized without a scope and sequence
B. Reading must be explicitly and systematically taught using evidence-based
methods — The science of reading rejects the “natural acquisition” myth; structured literacy
is required (TEA STR Competency 001).
5. The term “evidence-based practice” in reading instruction refers to:
A. Methods supported by peer-reviewed research using rigorous experimental designs
B. Popular commercial programs
C. Teacher intuition and experience
D. State-adopted textbooks only
A. Methods supported by peer-reviewed research using rigorous experimental
designs — Per TEA and ESSA, evidence-based means validated through high-quality
research (STR Competency 002).
6. Texas House Bill 3 (2019) and its 2026 updates require:
A. Elimination of all phonics instruction
B. Structured literacy training for K–3 educators and mandatory reading interventions
C. Exclusive use of balanced literacy
D. No assessment before Grade 3
, B. Structured literacy training for K–3 educators and mandatory reading
interventions — HB 3 mandates evidence-aligned reading instruction and support for
struggling readers (TEA, 2026).
7. Print awareness includes understanding that:
A. Books are for entertainment only
B. Print carries meaning and follows conventions (e.g., left-to-right, top-to-bottom)
C. Pictures are more important than text
D. All texts are fiction
B. Print carries meaning and follows conventions (e.g., left-to-right,
top-to-bottom) — A foundational early literacy skill emphasized in Pre-K–K TEKS
(§110.2.b.2.A).
8. The alphabetic principle is the understanding that:
A. Letters are shapes
B. Spoken words are made of sounds that can be represented by letters
C. All words rhyme
D. Capital letters are for names only
B. Spoken words are made of sounds that can be represented by letters — This is
essential for decoding; taught explicitly in Texas K–2 classrooms (TEKS §110.2.b.2.B).
9. Which research finding supports systematic phonics instruction?
A. Children guess words from context better than sounding them out
B. Explicit, sequential phonics improves decoding and comprehension for most students
C. Phonics is only for students with dyslexia
D. Whole language is more effective than phonics
B. Explicit, sequential phonics improves decoding and comprehension for most
students — National Reading Panel (2000) and Texas research confirm this (STR
Competency 003).
10. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for ELAR are:
