Written response guide
Multi-Subject Grades 1–6 Constructed Response Guide
Parts One and Two each end with one long written task. You read information about a student and write about what they need and how you'd teach them.
What you're given
Each task includes several exhibits — for example, a student's background, test or screening results, a sample of their work, or notes from a conversation with the teacher. You use these to build your answer.
The literacy response (Part One)
- Name one clear strength and one clear need in the student's reading.
- Back each one with specific evidence from the exhibits, like fluency rate or answers to questions.
- Describe a teaching strategy that targets the need and explain why it will help.
The math response (Part Two)
- Point out a math strength the student shows and cite the work that proves it.
- Explain the misunderstanding behind the student's error — not just that it's wrong.
- Plan a short lesson, often with models or manipulatives, that fixes the misunderstanding.
Plan for roughly 400–600 words.
A simple structure that works
- Strength — what the student can do, with evidence.
- Need — what's getting in the way, with evidence.
- Plan — what you'll teach, how, and why it fits this student.
Write in clear, correct English and stay focused on the student in the exhibits. General teaching advice without evidence scores low.
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