TExES STR 293 study guide
TExES STR 293 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Science of Teaching Reading (293) is a Texas educator certification exam administered through the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program. It is a computer-administered test made up of 90 selected-response questions and 1 constructed-response question, and it includes a listening question that requires the use of a headset, so candidates are encouraged to review the feature tutorial before test day. The content centers on reading pedagogy and reading development-foundational skills and comprehension-together with reading assessment and instruction. The appointment runs 5 hours in total: 15 minutes for the CAT tutorial and compliance agreement, and 4 hours and 45 minutes of testing time. The TExES STR 293 study guide has 4 sections and about 1,250 words.
01Reading Pedagogy: Research-Based Instruction and Instructional Design
Reading pedagogy items test whether you can justify instructional decisions with research rather than habit. Know the Simple View of Reading (comprehension = decoding × language comprehension) and Scarborough's Reading Rope, whose upper strands (background knowledge, vocabulary, language structures, verbal reasoning, literacy knowledge) weave into the lower word-recognition strands (phonological awareness, decoding, sight recognition) until reading becomes fluent and strategic.
327 words, about 2 min02Foundational Skills: Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency
Foundational-skills items test the progression from speech sounds to printed words to fluent reading. The phonological-awareness continuum runs from broad to narrow: word awareness, syllable, onset-rime, then phonemes.
312 words, about 2 min03Comprehension: Vocabulary, Knowledge, and Strategy
Comprehension items test your grasp of the knowledge and strategies a reader brings to text. Vocabulary is the bridge: Tier 1 words are everyday, Tier 2 words are high-utility academic words worth direct teaching, and Tier 3 words are domain-specific.
306 words, about 2 min04Reading Assessment and Instruction: Choosing Measures and Acting on Data
Assessment items test whether you can choose the right instrument for a purpose and act on the results. Screening identifies students at risk (brief, predictive, administered to all).
305 words, about 2 min