Middle school learners and instructional decisions 6
A sixth grader reads short words accurately but sees disapp- at the start of disappoint and says disappear. Which need does the IES guide on reading interventions for grades 4–9 take up first for such a student?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
A teacher gives a group a text above its instructional level and plans extra support for the reading. What does the IES grades 4–9 guide call such a text?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
For English learners who struggle with literacy, the IES guide on English learners in elementary and middle school recommends extra instruction in groups of what size?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012), Recommendation 4. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
Show all 60 questions (57 more)
Middle school learners and instructional decisions, continued
In the IES grades 4–9 reading guide, what does teaching "explicitly" include?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
Which practice does the IES English learner guide recommend during content-area lessons?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012), Recommendation 2. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
Why does the IES grades 4–9 reading guide say that each repeated reading should be given a purpose?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 2. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 1
Applying evidence-based practices 6
Florida's B.E.S.T. ELA standards name three components of text complexity. Which set is correct?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B, Text Complexity. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
In the Model-Practice-Reflect cycle of the IES secondary writing guide, what happens in the Reflect step?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 1B. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
Sentence length, word length and word frequency belong to which component of text complexity in Florida's standards?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B, Text Complexity. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
To support extended discussion of a text, the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy advises teachers toInstitute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 3. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
Which classroom condition does the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy tie to motivation and engagement?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 4. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
Which step is part of explicit vocabulary instruction in the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 2
Literary and informational texts 15
A student essay says, "Two students in my class dislike the new schedule, so the whole school is against it." Which flaw in reasoning is this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Fallacies, Hasty generalization. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
A student meets the word benefactor. Which root on Florida's sample list for grades 6 to 8 helps most, and what does it mean?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Greek and Latin Roots, 6th to 8th grade list. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
An article first shows how two bridge designs are alike and then how they differ. Which of the common text structures named in the IES grades 4–9 guide is this?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
"And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" (Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven"). The repeated s sounds are an example ofEdgar Allan Poe, The Raven (Project Gutenberg eBook 1065). Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
"The crown raised taxes again." Using crown to stand for the monarch is an example ofFlorida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Rhetorical Devices. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Emily Dickinson's poem that begins "Hope is the thing with feathers" goes on, "And sings the tune without the words, / And never stops at all." What do these lines do with the opening comparison?Emily Dickinson, Poems: Three Series, Complete (Project Gutenberg eBook 12242), Hope. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
The five lines of the first stanza of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" end with wood, both, stood, could and undergrowth. What is the stanza's rhyme scheme?Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken, in Mountain Interval (Project Gutenberg eBook 29345), The Road Not Taken. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Frederick Douglass writes, "The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers." Which central idea does this detail support?Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (Project Gutenberg eBook 23), Chapter VII. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
In London's "To Build a Fire," the dog's "instinct told it a truer tale than was told to the man by the man's judgment," and the cold is indifferent to both. With which literary movement are such detachment and determinism associated?Wikipedia, Naturalism (literature). Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
In O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," Della sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim's watch, and Jim says, "I sold the watch to get the money to buy your combs." What does this outcome create?O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi, in The Four Million (Project Gutenberg eBook 2776), The Gift of the Magi. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Jack London writes of his traveler, "The trouble with him was that he was without imagination. He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, and not in the significances." What does the passage do?Jack London, To Build a Fire, in Lost Face (Project Gutenberg eBook 2429), To Build a Fire. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Lincoln said at Gettysburg, "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here." Which rhetorical device sets say against did?Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address (The Avalon Project, Yale Law School). Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Patrick Henry asked, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" He expected no reply. What is this device?Patrick Henry, Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death (The Avalon Project, Yale Law School). Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Which set of themes marks Romanticism?Wikipedia, Romanticism. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
"You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter." What do these opening words of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn establish?Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Project Gutenberg eBook 76), Chapter I. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 3
Communication skills, techniques and processes 15
A student needs a transition to show that the second sentence results from the first: "The river flooded. ___, the bridge was closed." Which word fits?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Transitions. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
A student wants to join "The lab was cold" and "we wore our coats" with the word so. Which version follows the comma guideline for the FANBOYS conjunctions?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Commas, FANBOYS. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
A student's story opens with the narrator in a hospital bed and then returns to the morning of the accident. Which narrative technique alters time this way?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Narrative Techniques. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
A writer sets a description of a silent, empty stadium beside one of the same stadium on game night. Which technique is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Narrative Techniques. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
"Although the committee approved the budget." Why is this word group a fragment?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Fragments and Run-ons, Sentence fragments. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
"Because the storm knocked out the power, the game was postponed, and the team went home." Which sentence pattern is this?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Sentence Patterns, Pattern 4. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
"The bus was late, we missed the first act." What is the error in this sentence?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Fragments and Run-ons, Run-ons. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
Florida's grade 6 benchmark for presenting information orally names which elements of delivery?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, benchmark ELA.6.C.2.1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
How does the IES secondary writing guide describe the components of the writing process?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
In an academic discussion a student says, "I agree with Maya's claim, and the second paragraph adds evidence for it." Which skill from Florida's ELA expectations is she showing?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, expectation ELA.K12.EE.4.1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
In an expository essay a student writes, "Erosion is the wearing away of land by wind or water." Which type of elaboration on Florida's list is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Elaborative Techniques. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
Under Florida's grade 7 research benchmark, what should students do as their findings come in?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, benchmark ELA.7.C.4.1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
What does Florida's grade 7 multimedia benchmark ask students to do with digital media in an oral or written task?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, benchmark ELA.7.C.5.1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
Why should an argumentative essay take up a counterargument, according to the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Argument, Counterargument. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
Words such as analyze, contrast and evidence, which are common in school texts but less so in conversation, are calledInstitute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 4
Pedagogical content for teaching English 12
A teacher asks a question whose answer must be pieced together from several sentences of the text. What does the IES grades 4–9 guide call this kind of question?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
A teacher marks a passage with slashes for pauses and has students rehearse it aloud with feeling. Which element of fluency is being taught?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
A teacher reads a paragraph aloud and says, "I'm not sure who they refers to, so I'll reread the sentence before." Which instructional technique is this?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
A teacher shows students how adding un- to fortunate changes what the word means. What is she teaching?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
"At first I thought ___, but now I think ___." Frames like this, which model what writers say to themselves while composing, are calledInstitute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
How many words does the IES English learner guide advise choosing from a text for intensive vocabulary instruction?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
To teach how a compare-and-contrast article is built, a teacher has students fill in a two-column chart. What kind of teaching tool is the chart?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
To teach the structure of a short story, a teacher draws exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution along a rising and falling line. What is this diagram called?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
When teaching students to paraphrase a source, which point from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina should a teacher stress?The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Plagiarism, What about paraphrasing?. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
Which description fits a gist statement, as the IES reading intervention guide for grades 4–9 uses the term?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
Which practice carries out the IES secondary writing guide's advice to integrate writing and reading?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 2. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
Which step does the IES English learner guide give for developing students' written language?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012), Recommendation 3. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 5
Assessments and the use of assessment data 6
A student reads connected text aloud for one minute, and the teacher scores how accurately it was read. Which measure is this?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
A teacher reads a class set of essays, looking only for transitions between paragraphs, and records which students used them. What is this practice called?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
At the end of the period, each student answers two short questions on a card, and the teacher sorts the cards to plan tomorrow's lesson. What is this assessment called?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
Before starting a unit on argument, a teacher gives a short writing task to see what students can already do. Which tool from the IES secondary writing guide is this?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Recommendation 3. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
How can a rubric help share assessment expectations with students, according to the IES secondary writing guide?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
Which statement defines formative assessment in the IES secondary writing guide?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively (NCEE 2017-4002), Glossary. Written to FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014), multiple-choice section, competency 6
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the competencies and skills of the multiple-choice section of FTCE Middle Grades English 5–9 (014) in the test information guide on the Florida Teacher Certification Examinations website, https://www.fl.nesinc.com/studyguide/FL_SG_obj_014_redev.htm (copyright 2023 State of Florida, Department of State), read 2026-10-09: approximately 60 multiple-choice questions in 1 hour 30 minutes, six competencies weighted 10, 10, 25, 25, 20 and 10 percent. This bank holds 60: 6, 6, 15, 15, 12 and 6. Competency 7, the written performance section, is not in the bank. Every fact was read in the public document named under its question (each opened 2026-10-09): practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences on reading interventions in grades 4 to 9, secondary writing, adolescent literacy and English learners; Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards for English Language Arts and their appendices; handouts of the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; public-domain texts by Poe, Dickinson, London, Douglass, Frost, O. Henry, Twain, Lincoln and Patrick Henry at Project Gutenberg and the Avalon Project; and three Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free FTCE Middle Grades English 5-9 practice test follows the multiple-choice section of exam 014, competency by competency, with 60 questions written for this site. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Florida Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
The six competencies
Literary and informational texts and communication skills carry about 25% of the section each, and pedagogical content about 20%. Middle school learners, evidence-based practices and assessment carry about 10% each. The bank holds 15, 15, 12, 6, 6 and 6 questions to match.
The clock
Exam mode runs 60 questions in 90 minutes, the length and time limit of the real multiple-choice section.
Where the facts come from
Practice guides of the Institute of Education Sciences, Florida's B.E.S.T. standards, handouts of the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina, and public-domain texts quoted with author and title. The page read is linked under each question.
The exam page lists no reference materials for this test.
Time left over on the multiple-choice section cannot be used on the essay, and a finished section cannot be reopened.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the FTCE Middle Grades English 5-9?
Approximately 60 multiple-choice questions and 1 essay, according to the exam's page on the FTCE site. The two sections are given, scored and reported independently.
What is the passing score for FTCE Middle Grades English 5-9?
A scaled score of at least 200 on the multiple-choice section and at least 5 of 8 points on the essay. Both sections must be passed. Exam mode here gives your number right and no pass verdict.
Can you take the two sections of the FTCE Middle Grades English separately?
Yes. Since February 28, 2023, the FTCE site says the sections may be taken in one appointment or split into two, with a separate registration for each. A single section costs $75 and both cost $150.
Does an FTCE Middle Grades 5-9 English practice test cover the essay?
This one does not. In the essay section the candidate has 1 hour to evaluate a student's argumentative essay: its claim, reasoning and evidence, its rebuttal of counterclaims, and its organization and tone. A multiple-choice page cannot mark that.