SECTION 5

SAMPLE TEST QUESTIONS FOR CTEL 3:

CULTURE AND INCLUSION
The CTEL Examination consists of three separate subtests, each composed of both multiple-choice and
constructed-response questions. Each subtest is scored separately.
This section of the CTEL Examination Study Guide provides information about CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion,
including a description of the test structure, sample test directions, sample multiple-choice questions and
annotated responses, and a sample constructed-response question with sample responses and scoring
information.

CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion Subtest Structure

Domain

Number of
MultipleChoice
Questions

Number of
ConstructedResponse
Questions

20

1*

20

40

1. Culture and Cultural Diversity and Their Relationship to Academic

Achievement

Competencies
1
2
3
4

Cultural Concepts and Perspectives

Cultural Contact
Cultural Diversity in California and the United States
Crosscultural Interaction

2. Culturally Inclusive Instruction

Competencies
5
6
7
8

The Role of Culture in the Classroom and School

Culturally Inclusive Learning Environment
Family and Community Involvement
Culturally Inclusive Curriculum and Instruction
Subtest Total:

*One constructed-response question assesses both domains 1 and 2.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Test Directions for the Multiple-Choice Questions

GENERAL DIRECTIONS
This test contains two sections: (1) a multiple-choice section and (2) a written assignment section.
Each question in the first section of this test is a multiple-choice question with four answer choices.
Read each question and answer choice carefully and choose the ONE best answer.
You should answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not
to answer a question at all. You will not be penalized for guessing.
The directions for the written assignment section appear before that section.
You may work on the multiple-choice section and the written assignment section in any order that
you choose. Be sure to allocate your time carefully, so you are able to complete the entire test
within the testing session. You may go back and review your answers at any time during the testing
session.
You may NOT use any type of calculator or reference materials during the testing session.
Select the Next button to continue.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

3.
1.

Which of the following best describes

an effective application of research on
cultural factors that influence English
learners' school achievement?
A.

B.

C.

D.

2.

A teacher adapts instructional

practices to respond to English
learners' culturally influenced
approaches to learning.
A teacher develops a comprehensive
curriculum designed to immerse
English learners in mainstream U.S.
culture.
A teacher organizes instructional
activities so that English learners
with the same cultural background
tend to be grouped together.
A teacher focuses on language
instruction with English learners and
minimizes instruction related
to culture.

4.

Compared with early-twentieth-century

immigrants to the United States, latetwentieth-century immigrants were more
likely to:
A.

come from rural regions of their

home countries.

B.

immigrate in family units.

C.

come from countries where IndoEuropean languages are spoken.

D.

immigrate to the Atlantic coast.

A third-grade teacher notices that an

English learner, who is a good student and
speaks English well, tends to be slow to
respond when called upon to answer
questions. Very often, others in the class
are waving their hands and shouting
answers before the student speaks. In this
situation, it would be most important for
the teacher to consider which of the
following?

Which of the following behaviors best

characterizes the acceptance stage of
acculturation?

A.

The student's hesitation to speak

may indicate a general lack of
academic preparation.

A.

A person is comfortable in settings

related to the original culture and
those related to the new culture.

B.

In some cultures, silence is used as

an expression of anger or frustration
about a particular situation.

B.

A person begins to establish

some personal relationships with
individuals from the new culture.

C.

A reluctance to respond verbally

may indicate the presence of a
language or learning difficulty.

C.

A person is fascinated by and

enthralled with all aspects of the
new culture.

D.

In some cultures, it is respectful to

weigh one's words carefully before
responding to a question.

D.

A person consciously abandons

beliefs and traditions associated
with the original culture.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

5.

To prepare for the arrival of a new English

learner who is a recent immigrant, a thirdgrade teacher is consulting a variety of
books about the student's country.
The teacher reads in a number of sources
that people from the student's country
tend to value humility and may feel
uncomfortable accepting compliments.
Wishing to be culturally sensitive, the
teacher decides not to put smiley faces and
stars on the new student's written work.
Before making this accommodation, the
teacher would be best advised to do which
of the following first?
A.

Discuss with colleagues alternative

ways of acknowledging students'
work.

B.

Determine whether the student holds

this particular cultural view.

C.

Explain to the student's parents

why this accommodation is
being made.

D.

Consult an additional book about

the student's home country.

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6.

Which of the following school practices

would be most effective in maintaining an
environment that is culturally responsive
to students with diverse backgrounds?
A.

A school groups all English learners

together for the first part
of the school day and regroups them
by grade level with native English
speakers for the remainder of
the day.

B.

Teachers use student records to

determine students' cultural
backgrounds before the school year
begins and use the information to
form homogeneous groups for
cooperative-learning activities.

C.

A school groups students together

based on cultural and linguistic
background for content-area classes
and at mealtimes and regroups them
by English proficiency level for
English Language Development.

D.

Teachers observe their students in

different instructional settings in
order to determine students'
preferred approaches to learning,
and use the information to make
appropriate instructional
accommodations.

Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

7.

A teacher wants to encourage the parents

and guardians of English learners to
become more actively involved in their
children's education. Which of the
following pieces of information about a
student's parents or guardians would be
most helpful to the teacher in planning
appropriate outreach strategies for that
family?

8.

Which of the following is the best

example of an instructional unit based
on the transformative approach to
multicultural curriculum reform?
A.

a thematic unit on Thanksgiving that

focuses on the subsistence activities
of Native Americans in early New
England

A.

the length of time a student's parents

or guardians have been in the
country

B.

a thematic unit on Thanksgiving that

examines the cultural and religious
origins of the celebration

B.

the language or languages that the

student's parents or guardians feel
most comfortable using

C.

a thematic unit on Thanksgiving that

explores the perspectives of both the
Native Americans and the English
colonists in early New England

C.

the occupations and work history

of the student's parents or
guardians

D.

a thematic unit on Thanksgiving

that traces the diffusion of the
celebration to cultural regions
outside New England

D.

the educational background and

experiences of the student's parents
or guardians

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Annotated Responses to Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

Culture and Cultural Diversity and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement
1. Correct Response: A. (KSA: 001) Statistics reveal that many English learners do not achieve to their full
potential in school. Researchers attribute this finding to disparities between the home and school culture
and advocate for the use of culturally responsive instructional practices that accommodate diverse
approaches to learning.
2. Correct Response: A. (KSA: 002) A person who has progressed to the acceptance stage of acculturation
is able to relate to and function in both the original culture and the new culture. This does not imply
either blind acceptance of all aspects of the new culture or rejection of the original culture, but a
reasonable level of comfort with and acceptance of both cultures.
3. Correct Response: B. (KSA: 003) The Immigration Act of 1965 abolished a national-origins quota system
that had severely restricted immigration to the United States from non-European countries. The act
established a first-come, first-served system that emphasized family unification. This change in
legislation made it easier for late-twentieth-century immigrants to immigrate in family units.
4. Correct Response: D. (KSA: 004) It is essential for teachers of English learners to take students'
culturally influenced discourse patterns into consideration when interpreting students' classroom
behaviors. An English learner who is a good student and speaks English well but hesitates before
responding to teacher questions may come from a culture that views silence and thoughtful
consideration of one's words as signs of respect.
Culturally Inclusive Instruction
5. Correct Response: B. (KSA: 005) Printed sources may give a one-dimensional view of a culture,
while students, parents, and community members can provide multidimensional insights into cultural
practices. Conclusions drawn about a culture from information in a book should be confirmed by people
from that culture before being applied in the classroom.
6. Correct Response: D. (KSA: 006) One way that culture manifests itself in the classroom is through
students' diverse approaches to learning. Students often come from communities that have different
perspectives on and approaches to learning. Culturally responsive pedagogy acknowledges this diversity
by taking into account students' culturally influenced approaches to learning and by adapting instruction
to accommodate and build on students' cultural backgrounds.
7. Correct Response: B. (KSA: 007) Language is often the most significant obstacle to communication with
the parents and guardians of English learners. Teachers who want to encourage English learners'
parents and guardians to be involved in their children's education should take steps to ensure that
parents or guardians are able (e.g., through the use of bilingual interpreters) to communicate in school
settings using the language with which they are most comfortable.
8. Correct Response: C. (KSA: 008) The transformative approach to multicultural curriculum reform allows
a school's curriculum to be viewed from diverse cultural perspectives. A thematic unit that explores
Thanksgiving from the viewpoints of both the Native Americans and of the English colonists
is a good example of this approach to multicultural curricular reform.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Information About the Constructed-Response Question

Each examinee's typed response to the constructed-response question will be scored using a method known
as focused holistic scoring. In this method, scorers judge the overall effectiveness of each response in
meeting specified criteria. Each response is scored by at least two scorers and is assigned a score based on
a holistic scale. The score points on the holistic scoring scale reflect the extent to which the examinee
demonstrates the knowledge and skills included in the set of performance characteristics that have been
defined as important for the assignment. Although this method focuses on the specific performance
characteristics, it is holistic in that each assigned score indicates the overall effectiveness of these
characteristics working in concert in the response to the assignment.
Performance Characteristics
The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the written assignment.
Purpose

The response fulfills the charge of the assignment in relation to the relevant CTEL Examination
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

Application of Content

The response accurately and effectively applies the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge,
Skills, and Abilities.

Support

The response is supported with appropriate examples and/or sound reasoning reflecting an
understanding of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

Scoring Scale
Scores will be assigned to each response to the assignment according to the following scoring scale.
Score
Point

Score Point Description

The "4" response reflects a thorough command of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities.
The response completely fulfills the purpose of the assignment by responding fully to the given task.
The response demonstrates an accurate and highly effective application of the relevant knowledge and skills.
The response provides strong support with high-quality, relevant examples and/or sound reasoning.

The "3" response reflects a general command of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities.
The response generally fulfills the purpose of the assignment by responding to the given task.
The response demonstrates a generally accurate and effective application of the relevant knowledge
and skills.
The response provides support with some relevant examples and/or generally sound reasoning.

The "2" response reflects a limited command of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities.
The response partially fulfills the purpose of the assignment by responding in a limited way to the given task.
The response demonstrates a limited, partially accurate and partially effective application of the relevant
knowledge and skills.
The response provides limited support with few examples and/or some flawed reasoning.

The "1" response reflects little or no command of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and
Abilities.
The response fails to fulfill the purpose of the assignment.
The response demonstrates a largely inaccurate and/or ineffective application of the relevant knowledge
and skills.
The response provides little or no support with few, if any, examples and/or seriously flawed reasoning.

U
B

The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic or off-task, illegible, or written in
a language other than English, or it contains an insufficient amount of original work to score.
The written response is blank.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Test Directions for the Constructed-Response Question

DIRECTIONS FOR THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
This section of the test consists of a written assignment. You are to prepare a written response of
approximately 150300 words on the assigned topic. You should use your time to plan, write,
review, and edit your response to the assignment.
Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your
response. You may use the booklet of yellow erasable sheets to make notes, write an outline, or
otherwise prepare your response. However, your score will be based solely on the response
you type in the on-screen response box.
Your response will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
PURPOSE: The response fulfills the charge of the assignment in relation to the relevant CTEL
Examination Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
APPLICATION OF CONTENT: The response accurately and effectively applies the relevant CTEL
Examination Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
SUPPORT: The response is supported with appropriate examples and/or sound reasoning
reflecting an understanding of the relevant CTEL Examination Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above, not on writing ability. However, your
response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of your knowledge and
skills. The final version of your response should conform to the conventions of edited American
English. This should be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or
paraphrased from some other work.
Be sure to write about the assigned topic. You may not use any reference materials during the test.
Remember to review what you have written and make any changes that you think will improve your
response.
Select the Next button to continue.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Constructed-Response Question

Immigrant groups in California face challenges associated with various sociocultural characteristics
(e.g., countries of origin, levels of education, socioeconomic status, native languages, secondary migration).
In a written response:

describe a sociocultural characteristic of one or more immigrant groups in California and a significant
challenge for English learners associated with that sociocultural characteristic;

discuss how the challenge you wrote about is likely to affect English learners' school experience and
academic achievement; and

describe an instructional strategy that would effectively address the challenge associated with the
sociocultural characteristic you have identified.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Strong Response

While many immigrants to the U.S. have experienced a high level of education in their home
countries, a sociocultural characteristic of some members of some immigrant groups is that their
level of education may be less than adequate to prepare them for success in a U.S. school system.
They may have come from a more rural area of their home country, where schools may not be
available or may be available only up to a certain grade level. Or they may be refugees who have
had to move frequently throughout their lives. For whatever the reason, many members of an
immigrant family, including the parents and children, may have had limited opportunities to get a
basic education and may never have had the opportunity to pursue higher education.
English learners who come to the U.S. with a low level of education face several challenges,
but perhaps the most important one is that they will enter school in the U.S. having a lot of gaps in
their content-area knowledge and skills. This will have a negative effect on their academic
achievement because, in addition to not knowing English yet, they will be "behind" most of their
classmates in math and other content areas. This in turn will likely cause them to have a negative
school experience because every subject will seem like a tremendous struggle to them. Especially
older immigrant students may be tempted to just drop out.
One strategy that would be effective in addressing the challenge of gaps in content-area
knowledge and skills would be for teachers to assess English learners' content-area needs on an
ongoing basis and then differentiate instruction to address those needs. For example, math
instruction for a fifth-grade English learner who has third-grade math skills should also include
instruction that provides the student with the opportunity to master fourth-grade math skills. In that
way, the English learners would have the opportunity to be successful in their schoolwork and to
build new knowledge and skills so that they will be able to "catch up" to grade-level content
standards within a reasonable amount of time. This would be effective because it would promote
the students' academic achievement, which would improve their overall school experience. They'd
be much more likely to stay in school and perhaps continue in higher education someday as well.
The opinions expressed in the sample responses to the performance assignments are provided for illustrative purposes only and do not
necessarily represent the views of either the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson.

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Section 5: Sample Test Questions for CTEL 3: Culture and Inclusion

Sample Weak Response

Today, as in years past, groups from countries throughout the world immigrate to the United
States. However, once in the U.S., they experience many sociocultural characteristics. One
significant challenge for English learners is their level of education. Some immigrants have had little
or no education before coming to the U.S.
When families with a limited educational background come to the U.S. they are going to have
a difficult time in U.S. schools. For example, they may not be familiar with the concept of
homework, so they don't ask their children if they have any homework and therefore the students
don't do it. Or, they may want to help their children with their homework, but they don't have the
skills to be able to do that effectively. Also, the students themselves may not be familiar with
homework, so they don't have that habit yet and they forget to do it. Then they get bad grades on it.
They can get frustrated and drop out of school.
Teachers can address this challenge by not assigning homework to English learners. This
would be effective because it would take away the pressure on the families. Also, English learners
would no longer be penalized because they didn't do their homework, so their grades would
improve and they won't want to drop out if they have good grades.
The opinions expressed in the sample responses to the performance assignments are provided for illustrative purposes only and do not
necessarily represent the views of either the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the Evaluation Systems group of Pearson.

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