NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

What stage of literacy development allows ELLs to maintain a steady reading pace and use multiple strategies to decode difficult texts?

1. Fluency Stage

2. Transitional Stage

3. Emergent Stage

4. Advanced Stage

The correct answer is: Transitional Stage

The stage of literacy development that enables English Language Learners (ELLs) to maintain a steady reading pace and effectively employ multiple strategies to decode challenging texts is the Fluency Stage. During this stage, learners demonstrate a level of proficiency that allows them to read with speed and accuracy. They have typically moved beyond simply decoding words and have begun to focus more on comprehension and reading for meaning. This fluency includes the ability to recognize vocabulary quickly and understand texts at a deeper level, utilizing context clues, prior knowledge, and various strategies to decode unfamiliar words. The other stages do not encompass this level of reading mastery; for instance, the Transitional Stage is characterized by developing a stronger understanding of text but may still involve hesitancy and reliance on decoding rather than fluent reading. The Emergent Stage typically involves initial reading skills where learners may struggle with decoding and comprehension. In the Advanced Stage, students might possess high-level comprehension but not necessarily the consistent fluency across diverse texts. Thus, the selection of the Fluency Stage accurately reflects the capabilities of ELLs to read at a steady pace with an array of decoding strategies.