Unofficial practice for FTCE Reading K–12: nine competencies, from reading theory and assessment to phonics, vocabulary, fluency and program coordination.
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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the Florida Department of Education or Pearson. Bank checked October 15, 2026.
A fourth grader reads the words of a passage accurately and quickly, yet she does not follow the same passage when it is read aloud to her. In the simple view of reading, which factor is weak?Wikipedia, Simple view of reading. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 1 (research and theories of reading processes)
A student scans a bus timetable only to carry away the departure time. In Rosenblatt's transactional theory, which stance is the student taking?Wikipedia, Louise Rosenblatt. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 1 (research and theories of reading processes)
A teacher works alongside a student on a text he cannot yet read alone, then gradually withdraws her help until he reads it by himself. Whose idea of learning with a "more knowledgeable other" does this follow?Wikipedia, Zone of proximal development. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 1 (research and theories of reading processes)
Stanovich borrowed the term "Matthew effect" for reading. What pattern does it name?Wikipedia, Matthew effect. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 1 (research and theories of reading processes)
Under section 1001.215, Florida Statutes, the reading programs identified with the Florida Center for Reading Research must be grounded in the science of reading and teach which five areas?Section 1001.215, Just Read, Florida! Office, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 1 (research and theories of reading processes)
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Text types and structures 5
A class reads a manual, a magazine article and a scientific report. Of which type of writing are these examples in the B.E.S.T. Standards?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Writing Types. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 2 (text types and structures)
A guide tells how to build a model step by step, with the words first, next and finally. Which text structure in the B.E.S.T. Standards is this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Structures. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 2 (text types and structures)
A text measures 880L. In which quantitative grade band of the B.E.S.T. Standards does that Lexile measure fall?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Complexity Quantitative Grade Bands. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 2 (text types and structures)
In a science text the diagrams carry information that the written text does not state. On the B.E.S.T. text complexity rubric, what level does that qualitative feature mark?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Complexity Rubric. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 2 (text types and structures)
Which three components of text complexity do the B.E.S.T. Standards call equally important?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix B: Text Complexity. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 2 (text types and structures)
Reading assessment and evaluation 5
A report places a student's reading score at the 40th percentile of a national sample. Which kind of assessment produces a score like that?Wikipedia, Norm-referenced test; Wikipedia, Criterion-referenced test. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 3 (reading assessment and evaluation)
A teacher times oral reading and records words correct per minute. What do the B.E.S.T. Standards say should always go with such a fluency measure?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Measures of Fluency. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 3 (reading assessment and evaluation)
In the fall a fourth grader reads 75 words correct per minute. On the Hasbrouck-Tindal norms printed in the B.E.S.T. Standards, at about which percentile is that score?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Fluency Norms. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 3 (reading assessment and evaluation)
Screening data show that a second grader has a substantial deficiency in reading. Under section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, when must intensive reading interventions begin?Section 1008.25, Public school student progression; reading deficiency, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 3 (reading assessment and evaluation)
Under section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, how often in a school year must the coordinated screening and progress monitoring system be given to students from the Voluntary Prekindergarten program through grade 2?Section 1008.25, Public school student progression; coordinated screening and progress monitoring, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 3 (reading assessment and evaluation)
Learning environments and procedures 5
A high school places non-proficient readers in a course built on the B.E.S.T. secondary foundational reading standards (ELA.612.F.2). To which courses do those standards apply?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Applying Foundational Reading Skills for Secondary (ELA.612.F.2). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 4 (learning environments and procedures that support reading)
A third grader is retained under section 1008.25, Florida Statutes. What is the minimum amount of daily, uninterrupted reading instruction the student must receive?Section 1008.25, Successful progression for retained third grade students, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 4 (learning environments and procedures that support reading)
Section 1001.215, Florida Statutes, calls for training K-12 teachers in reading strategies for every content area. Where does it place the emphasis for secondary teachers?Section 1001.215, Just Read, Florida! Office, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 4 (learning environments and procedures that support reading)
Section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, lets the daily reading block for retained third graders bring in content-rich texts from two other subjects. Which two?Section 1008.25, Successful progression for retained third grade students, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 4 (learning environments and procedures that support reading)
Students say a sound aloud while they look at its letter card and trace the letter in sand. What does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix call learning of this kind?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 4 (learning environments and procedures that support reading)
Language acquisition, reading and writing development 6
A first grader tells what happened on a field trip in order, linking the events clearly. Which academic language skill, in the terms of the IES foundational skills guide, is the child using?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (NCEE 2016-4008), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
A kindergarten teacher asks a child to point to one word in a sentence and then to one letter inside that word. Which B.E.S.T. foundational skill is she checking?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Foundations benchmark ELA.K.F.1.1. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
The B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix opens by calling English an alphabetic language with 26 letters. How many sounds does it say English has?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
In the B.E.S.T. Standards, what is the evolving form of argumentative writing called in grades K-5?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix C: Writing Types. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
Which three does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix name as the best predictors of early reading success?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
While students are still securing sound-spelling patterns, which kind of reading practice does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix call important?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 5 (oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development)
Phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition 6
A sixth grader stalls on "unreasonable". In the routine the IES guide for grades 4-9 teaches for breaking a long word into parts, what must every part contain?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
According to the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix, what turns a word into a "sight" word for a reader?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
At which three levels of speech does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix say phonological awareness lets a child segment sounds?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
The B.E.S.T. fluency benchmarks describe some high frequency words as "temporarily irregular". What does that mean?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Foundations benchmarks ELA.K.F.1.4 and ELA.1.F.1.4, Clarification 2. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
The B.E.S.T. fluency benchmarks for kindergarten and grade 1 refer teachers to two published lists of high frequency words. Which two?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Foundations benchmark ELA.K.F.1.4, Clarification 1; Appendix E. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
Under sections 1001.215 and 1008.25, Florida Statutes, which of these may not serve as a basis for teaching word reading?Section 1008.25(8), Successful progression for retained third grade students; section 1001.215(7), Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 6 (phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition)
Vocabulary acquisition and use 6
A fourth-grade teacher uses aquarium and aquatic to teach a root from the B.E.S.T. sample list for grades 3-5. What does the root mean, and what is its origin?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Morphology, Greek and Latin Roots. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
A seventh grader reads accurately but cannot make sense of a passage on tectonic plates because the topic is new to her. Which practice from the IES guide for grades 4-9 answers that need?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 3, Part A. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
A student reads: "Unlike his gregarious sister, Paul kept to himself at parties." Which type of context clue in the B.E.S.T. Standards helps with the word gregarious?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Context Clues. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
In the B.E.S.T. table of word relationships, which term fits the pair "here" and "hear"?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Word Relationships. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
What does the IES guide Improving Adolescent Literacy say explicit vocabulary instruction should provide?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices (NCEE 2008-4027), Recommendation 1. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
When choosing academic vocabulary for direct instruction, which words do the B.E.S.T. Standards say teachers can leave to the students?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix D: Selecting Academic Vocabulary for Direct Instruction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 7 (vocabulary acquisition and use)
Fluency and comprehension 7
A student reads aloud mainly in two-word phrases, with a few three- or four-word groupings and some word-by-word reading. Where does that fall on the NAEP fluency scale printed in the B.E.S.T. Standards?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Sample Oral Reading Fluency Rubrics. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
An eighth grader who has just been taught to decode now reads more slowly and understands less than before. How does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix explain this?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
The B.E.S.T. fluency benchmarks ask students to read grade-level texts with which three qualities?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Foundations benchmarks F.1.4 and F.2.4. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
The IES guide for grades 4-9 has students practice with challenging "stretch text". At about what level does it say such texts are often written?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 4. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
Recommendation 3 of the IES guide for grades 4-9 has four parts that build comprehension. Which of these is one of them?Institute of Education Sciences, practice guide Providing Reading Interventions for Students in Grades 4-9 (WWC 2022007), Recommendation 3, Parts C and D. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
Which pair of practices does the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix say helps develop automaticity and fluency?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
Why does slow, letter-by-letter word reading hold back comprehension, according to the B.E.S.T. Reading Foundations appendix?Florida Department of Education, Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards: English Language Arts, Appendix E: Reading Foundations, Introduction. Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 8 (reading fluency and reading comprehension)
Reading program coordination 5
A district reading instruction plan funds reading coaches under section 1003.4201, Florida Statutes. What does the statute say the coaches are there to do?Section 1003.4201, Comprehensive system of reading instruction, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 9 (reading program development, implementation and coordination)
A literacy team wants free books sent home for elementary students who read below grade level. Which Florida program in section 1003.485 does that?Section 1003.485, The New Worlds Reading Initiative, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 9 (reading program development, implementation and coordination)
A parent asks a reading coach what section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, requires for promotion from grade 3 to grade 4. Which answer is correct?Section 1008.25, Public school student progression; reading deficiency and good cause exemptions, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 9 (reading program development, implementation and coordination)
Under section 1003.4201, Florida Statutes, each school district must implement a system of comprehensive reading instruction. Which students must it cover?Section 1003.4201, Comprehensive system of reading instruction, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 9 (reading program development, implementation and coordination)
When a K-3 child shows a substantial reading deficiency, section 1008.25, Florida Statutes, requires written notice to the parent. Which tool for the home must the notice include?Section 1008.25, Public school student progression; parental notification, Florida Statutes (Online Sunshine). Written to FTCE Reading K–12 (035), competency 9 (reading program development, implementation and coordination)
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the current Competencies and Skills and Blueprint of FTCE Reading K–12 (035) in the test information guide on the FTCE/FELE website, https://www.fl.nesinc.com/studyguide/FL_SG_obj_035_redev.htm (copyright 2023 State of Florida, Department of State; site run by Pearson), read 2026-10-15: approximately 80 multiple-choice questions in nine competencies, research and theories of reading processes about 10 percent, text types and structures 10, reading assessment and evaluation 11, learning environments and procedures 10, oral and written language acquisition and reading and writing development 12, phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition 12, vocabulary acquisition and use 12, reading fluency and comprehension 13, and reading program development, implementation and coordination 10. Each question names the public page its answer was checked on, opened 2026-10-15. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free FTCE Reading K–12 practice test follows the current blueprint of exam 035: 50 questions of our own across its nine competencies. It is unofficial and not affiliated with the Florida Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
Nine competencies and their weights
Fluency and comprehension carry about 13% of the questions. Language acquisition and reading and writing development; phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition; and vocabulary carry 12% each. Assessment carries 11%. Research and theories, text types and structures, learning environments, and program coordination carry 10% each.
Timing
Two and a half hours are allowed on the real test, with no reference materials. Here the timed exam asks 48 of the 50 questions in 90 minutes, which is the same pace.
Written from Florida's own sources
Most questions rest on Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards, with their Reading Foundations appendix, and on the state's reading statutes: screening and progress monitoring, the bar on three-cueing, promotion from grade 3 and district reading plans.
Three competency titles in the current blueprint end with the words "based on the science of reading": 6, 7 and 8.
An older blueprint, marked for testing until 12/31/2023, is still online; its weights differ slightly from the current ones used here.
Questions and answers
Is the FTCE Reading K-12 test the same as the reading endorsement?
No. Reading K–12 (035) is a subject area exam. Section 1012.586, Florida Statutes, says that since July 1, 2024, a reading endorsement cannot be earned solely by a passing score on the K-12 reading subject area assessment.
Is there an FTCE Reading K-12 (035) study guide?
Yes, free on the FTCE site: the test information guide for Reading K–12, whose competencies and skills page lists what each of the nine competencies measures. Every question here is tagged with one of them.
How many questions are on the FTCE Reading K-12 test?
Approximately 80 multiple-choice questions, taken on a computer. According to the FTCE site, some may be questions under evaluation for future tests, which do not count toward the score.
What is the passing score for FTCE Reading K-12?
The FTCE site gives it as a scaled score of at least 200. Because that is not a percent, the timed exam here reports the number right and no pass or fail.