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PASSING THE CSET: ENGLISH TEST

Congratulations! By taking the CSET: English test, you’re on your way to a rewarding career as an English teacher. Our book, and the online tools that come with it, give you everything you need to succeed on this important exam, bringing you one step closer to being certified to teach English in California.

Recently, the CSET: English subtests were revised to align more closely with the California Common Core State Standards. The subtests also include new material in the areas of writing across the curriculum, reading and analyzing a variety of informational texts, and analyzing the details of dramatic works and performance. Our CSET: English test prep package has been expanded to address these changes. The package includes:

• A complete overview of the four CSET: English subtests

• A comprehensive review of every domain, with updated material

• Two full-length practice tests for each subtest, with online diagnostic tools to help you personalize your study

There are many different ways to prepare for the CSET: English exam. The method that is best for you depends on how much time you have to study and how familiar you are with the subject matter. To achieve the highest score possible, you need a study system customized to fit you: your schedule, your learning style, and your current level of knowledge. This book and its accompanying online practice tests provide the tools that allow you to customize your study and will get you ready to pass the exam!

The review chapters in this book are designed to help you hone the basic skills necessary to succeed on the CSET: English test. The exam is composed of four separate subtests, each scored separately and is comprised of multiple-choice or constructed response questions.

This book contains a thorough review of the material featured on each subtest, as well as the specific skills and knowledge associated with each content domain. The skills required for all four subtests fulfill the objectives set by the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy and the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

Remember that your schooling has taught you most of what you need to know to pass the CSET: English exam. The education classes you took provided the background to make important decisions about situations you will face as a teacher. This review is designed to help you fit the information you have acquired into specific domain components. Studying your class notes, textbooks, and other sources together with this review will give you an excellent foundation for passing the CSET: English exam.

To help you navigate through the review, we have used bold type for the first mention of the most important literary periods, literary styles, novels, poems, plays, short stories, and essays. This will help you locate material quickly as you refer back to it while studying.

While it is impossible to include everything that might appear on the actual CSET: English exam, we have included a wide range of material to help you with your preparation.

To personalize your study plan, you should first get feedback on what you know and what you don’t know. At the online REA Study Center (www.rea.com/studycenter), you will find two full-length practice tests for each subtest, along with detailed score reports that will pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.

Before you begin to study the review chapters in this book, take Practice Test 1 as a diagnostic test. Armed with the information from your score reports, focus your study on the parts of the book where you need the most review.

After studying the review chapters, go back to the REA Study Center and take Practice Test 2 for each subtest. This will ensure that you have mastered the material and are ready for test day.

If you are studying for the CSET: English test and don’t have Internet access, you can take the printed tests in this book. The correct answers for the test items can be found at the end of each subtest. These printed tests are the same as the online practice tests offered at the REA Study Center, but without the added benefits of timed testing conditions and diagnostic score reports. When taking a printed test, you are encouraged to simulate the test environment as closely as possible.

The CSET: English test assesses your ability to meet the basic skills requirement and subject matter competence as set out in the California Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy. The test combines the expertise of California educators, subject area specialists, and district-level educators, all of whom worked to develop and validate the exam. The CSET: English test is criterion-referenced, which means it is designed to measure your knowledge and skills against an established standard and not in relation to the performance of others taking the test.

CSET: English consists of four separate subtests, each scored separately and composed of either multiple-choice or constructed-response questions. If you choose to take all four subtests in a single session, you are given 5 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam. You may also take any one subtest. A period of fifteen additional minutes is provided to fill out a nondisclosure agreement and tutorial. Time taken for breaks is counted as part of the available examination time. By monitoring your progress on the practice tests in this book, you can find your comfort level and approach the testing session with confidence.

FORMAT OF THE CSET: ENGLISH TEST

The CSET: English test is offered only in a computer-based test (CBT) format. The
test consists of multiple-choice questions and two types of constructed-response questions:
extended-response and short-response.

Multiple-choice questions are designed to assess your knowledge of the domains and
related skills reviewed in this book. In general the multiple-choice questions are intended
to make you think logically. In most cases you are expected to demonstrate more than an
ability to recall factual information. You may be asked to think critically about a passage
or excerpt—analyze it, consider it carefully, compare it with other knowledge, or make a
judgment about it.

Multiple-choice questions typically will offer a question or an incomplete statement
that can be answered or completed correctly by only one of four possible choices. You
will choose from among four answers labeled A, B, C, and D.

You should have plenty of time to complete the test, so speed should not be a concern.
However, be aware of how much time you spend on each question; maintaining a steady
pace will ensure that you complete the entire test. Using our timed online practice tests
will help you pace yourself appropriately.

Extended-response questions are scored according to how well the response fulfills
the following performance characteristics:

1. Purpose: addressing the assignment in relation to relevant CSET subject matter
and/or content specifications.

2. Subject matter knowledge: displaying and applying knowledge of subject matter accurately.

3. Support: using appropriate, quality supporting evidence.

4. Depth and breadth of understanding: demonstrating a wide familiarity with and a
deep understanding of the relevant CSET subject matter requirements.

Short-response questions are only scored on the first three performance characteristics
listed above.