Praxis PLT: Early Childhood case studies
Praxis PLT: Early Childhood · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching: Early Childhood exam (commonly referenced as PLT 5621) is a licensure assessment used by many states as part of the requirements for an initial teaching certificate or endorsement covering young children, typically from birth through grade 3. It is intended for candidates who have completed or are completing an educator preparation program and need to demonstrate that they understand how young children learn and how to teach them well. The Praxis PLT: Early Childhood case studies are 5 cases and about 3,225 words.
1The Silent Newcomer: Language Difference or Delay?
Alvarez teaches a blended pre-K classroom of 18 four-year-olds in a public school. One child, Mateo, arrived from Guatemala six weeks ago; his family speaks K'iche' at home and some Spanish, and he has had no prior preschool.
650 words, about 3 min2Kindergarten Math Centers: Rigor or Just Rotation?
Okafor's kindergarten has 24 children. His schedule allots 50 minutes for math, including a 10-minute whole-group lesson and four 10-minute centers.
645 words, about 3 min3The Mandated Screener in a Play-Based Pre-K
Brennan teaches a state-funded pre-K class of 20 children. In February, the district mandates a one-on-one early literacy screener for all pre-K children: 15 minutes per child, administered within three weeks, with scores entered into a district dashboard.
653 words, about 3 min4Leading Professional Learning in a Center with Turnover
Delgado is a second-year lead teacher in an infant/toddler and pre-K child care center serving 64 children, most from families earning below 200% of the federal poverty line. In eight months, three lead teachers resigned; two classrooms now rely on substitutes.
624 words, about 3 min5Item Analysis and a Draw-and-Tell Prompt in Pre-K
Whitfield's pre-K team wrote a 12-item multiple-choice end-of-unit check on life cycles (butterfly, frog, plant) for 22 four-year-olds, plus one constructed-response prompt: 'Draw and tell one thing that happens first when a seed grows.' After administration, the team reviews item data: Item 3 (a picture of a caterpillar and a butterfly, 'Which comes first?') was answered correctly by 20 of 22 children. Item 7 ('What does a seed need to grow?') had a distractor 'sunlight' chosen by 14 children; the keyed answer was 'soil.' Item 9 used a photo of a frog's eggs with the word 'spawn'-most children chose 'baby fish.' The constructed-response prompt produced 12 drawings of a tree, 5 scribbles, and 5 'I don't know.' One child with an IEP for language impairment did not respond.
653 words, about 3 min