Reading Competencies Tested on the NMTA Essential Academic Skills Subtest

The NMTA EAS reading subtest contains five general objectives which define the knowledge and skills that New Mexico educators and teacher educators have determined to be important for educators to possess. Each objective is expanded upon by descriptive statements. Descriptive statements provide examples of the range, type, and level of content that may appear on the test for questions measuring the objective.

An outline showing these objective and descriptive statements is shown below.

0001 Understand the meaning of words and phrases.

• Determine the meaning of unfamiliar or uncommon words and phrases in the context of a paragraph or passage.
• Determine the meaning of words and phrases with multiple meanings in the context of a paragraph or passage.
• Determine the meaning of figurative language in the context of a paragraph or passage.
• Identify appropriate synonyms or antonyms for words in the context of a paragraph or passage.

0002 Understand the main idea and supporting details in written material.

• Identify the stated main idea of a paragraph or passage.
• Identify the implied main idea of a paragraph or passage.
• Recognize ideas that support, illustrate, or elaborate the main idea of a paragraph or passage.

0003 Understand a writer's purpose and audience, point of view, and intended meaning.

• Recognize a writer's stated or implied purpose for writing.
• Determine the appropriateness of written material for a specific purpose or audience.
• Recognize the likely effects on a reader of a writer's choice of words or phrases.
• Interpret the content, word choice, and phrasing of a passage to determine a writer's opinion or point of view.

0004 Use critical reasoning skills to evaluate written material.

• Identify cause-and-effect relationships.
• Draw conclusions from information stated or implied in a paragraph or passage.
• Recognize the stated or implied assumptions on which the validity of an argument depends.
• Distinguish between fact and opinion in a paragraph or passage.
• Assess the credibility, objectivity, or bias of the writer or the sources used by the writer.

0005 Understand the organization of information in written and graphic forms.

• Recognize effective ways of organizing information presented in written material (e.g., outlining, text mapping).
• Identify an effective summary of a paragraph or passage.
• Interpret information presented in charts, tables, diagrams, maps, or other graphic forms.