A learner writes “She has a car red.” Every word is correct and correctly spelled. Which area of linguistics describes what went wrong?Wikipedia, Syntax, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 002
A newcomer greets the principal with “Hey, what's up?”, the words he uses with friends at lunch. What does he most need to learn?Wikipedia, Register (sociolinguistics), lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 003
A teacher says, “Can you close the window?” An English learner answers “Yes” and stays in his seat. What has the learner missed?Wikipedia, Speech act, Indirect speech acts. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 003
English speakers say the t in “top” with a puff of air and the t in “stop” without one, yet hear both as the same sound. What are the two pronunciations?Wikipedia, Allophone, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 002
Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian are grouped together as Romance languages. What is the basis of the grouping?Wikipedia, Language family, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 001
Traders with no common language build a simplified contact language that nobody speaks as a mother tongue. A generation later, children grow up with a fuller, stable form of it as their first language. What has it become?Wikipedia, Creole language, lead; Pidgin, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 001
Show all 40 questions (34 more)
II. Culture 6
A registrar asks an ESL teacher whether the district may turn away children who have no immigration papers. Which Supreme Court decision settles the matter?Wikipedia, Plyler v. Doe, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 005
A student who arrived in September was thrilled by everything at first. By December she is frustrated, anxious and critical of her new school. Which phase of culture shock comes after the honeymoon?Wikipedia, Culture shock, Negotiation. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 004
A teacher decides that a student who lowers her eyes when adults speak is being rude, judging by the norms the teacher grew up with. What is this way of judging called?Wikipedia, Ethnocentrism, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 005
An ESL teacher invites students to retell folktales from their families and pairs each with a written version. By the test objectives, what is the value of such texts in the classroom?MTTC test objectives, English as a Second Language (126), objective 006. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 006
Two classmates keep misreading each other: one steps closer as they talk and the other backs away. Which field of nonverbal communication studies this use of space?Wikipedia, Proxemics, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 006
Which statement expresses cultural relativism?Wikipedia, Cultural relativism, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 004
III. Second language acquisition and instructional practices 6
A learner writes “She goed to the store,” a form found in neither her first language nor English. What does the error show?Wikipedia, Interlanguage, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 007
A Spanish-speaking eighth grader meets “evaporation” in a science text and links it to “evaporación.” What is helping her?Wikipedia, Language transfer, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 008
Explaining a result to a partner, a student stops, sees that she cannot form the verb she needs, and asks for it. Which hypothesis holds that such moments drive acquisition?Wikipedia, Comprehensible output, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 007
For six weeks a new seventh grader has followed directions and pointed to answers but has not spoken English in class. What is the soundest reading of her behavior?Wikipedia, Silent period, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 008
In the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, which standard is not tied to one content area?WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition, Standards Statements. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 009
Students repeat a model sentence in chorus, then swap in one new word at a time on the teacher's cue, with no grammar explained. Which method does the lesson reflect?Wikipedia, Audio-lingual method. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 009
IV. Standards-based curriculum and instruction 10
A sixth-grade teacher picks a short informational text, chooses a small set of academic words from it and teaches them in depth over several days through varied activities. Which IES recommendation for English learners is this?Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (Institute of Education Sciences, 2014), Recommendation 1. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 012
A teacher of beginners says “Stand up,” “Touch the door,” “Pick up the red marker,” and students show they understand by doing each action without speaking. Which method is this?Wikipedia, Total physical response, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 010
A teacher rewrites a dense paragraph on photosynthesis in shorter sentences beside a labeled diagram, yet keeps every concept the standard requires. Which strategy from the test objectives is this?MTTC test objectives, English as a Second Language (126), objective 014. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 014
Before English learners read an article on volcanoes, they list what they already know and what they want to find out; afterward they list what they learned. Which organizer are they using?Wikipedia, KWL table, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 012
For a lab conclusion, a teacher gives English learners sentence starters such as “The data show that …” and an organizer for claim and evidence. Which practice from the IES guide for English learners is this?Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (Institute of Education Sciences, 2014), Recommendation 3. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 013
Partner A has a bus timetable with the morning departures; Partner B has the afternoon ones. Each must ask the other for the missing times. Why does the task promote speaking?Wikipedia, Communicative language teaching, Information gap. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 011
Students listen to a short text read at normal speed, take notes, and then work in small groups to rebuild the text in writing. What is this technique called?Wikipedia, Dictogloss, Overview. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 010
Students plan and carry out a mock interview with a staff member, then report what they learned. The lesson is judged by whether the interview got done, not by the accuracy of each form. Which approach is this?Wikipedia, Task-based language learning, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 011
To anchor a lesson on ecosystems for English learners, which tools does the IES guide advise a content teacher to use strategically?Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (Institute of Education Sciences, 2014), Recommendation 2. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 014
Which writing task best fits the IES guide's advice for English learners in a social studies class?Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (Institute of Education Sciences, 2014), Recommendation 3. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 013
V. Assessment 6
A district places a student in its language instruction educational program. Under federal law, what must its notice to the parents include?20 U.S.C. 6312(e)(3)(A). Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 015
A family new to a WIDA member state enrolls a tenth grader in January and says that Arabic is spoken at home. Which WIDA assessment is built for this moment?WIDA, WIDA Screener. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 015
A teacher masks every seventh word of an unseen passage and asks students to fill the gaps. What does this cloze task chiefly call on?Wikipedia, Cloze test, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 017
A team is deciding whether an English learner who reads below grade level has a disability. Under the IDEA regulations, which factor may not be the determinant one in finding a disability?34 CFR 300.306(b)(1). Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 016
After proficiency scores arrive, a teacher wants a picture of what a student at a given level can do with language in science class, so that she can plan tasks. Which WIDA resource is made for this?WIDA, Can Do Descriptors. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 017
An English learner first enrolled in a U.S. school four months before the state tests. Under the federal assessment regulations, what may the state do?34 CFR 200.6(i) and (k)(2). Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 016
VI. Professionalism 6
A program enrolls native English speakers and native Spanish speakers in balance, and all of them learn literacy and content in both languages. Which program model is this?Wikipedia, Dual language. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 018
A school sends its notice of placement in a language program home in English only, to a family who reads Somali. What does federal law say about such notices?20 U.S.C. 6312(e)(4). Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 020
An ESL teacher and a history teacher plan a unit together, teach it to one class and assess the same students. Which term names this division of labor?Wikipedia, Co-teaching, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 019
An ESL teacher wants graduating seniors to earn formal recognition for proficiency in English and their home language. Which award exists for this?Wikipedia, Seal of Biliteracy, lead. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 020
Content teachers ask for help making lessons understandable to English learners. By the test objectives, which response best fits the ESL teacher's role as a professional resource?MTTC test objectives, English as a Second Language (126), objective 019. Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 019
Under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, a state's plan must set standardized, statewide entrance and exit procedures. How soon must students who may be English learners be assessed for that status?20 U.S.C. 6823(b)(2). Written to the MTTC English as a Second Language (126) test objectives, objective 018
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the test objectives of Michigan Test for Teacher Certification field 126, English as a Second Language, in the study guide on the MTTC website (https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/Content/STUDYGUIDE/MI_SG_obj_126.htm, copyright 2022 Pearson Education, Inc.; test page https://www.mttc.nesinc.com/TestView.aspx?f=HTML_FRAG/MI126_TestPage.html, read 2026-10-12): 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, passing score 220; Language, Linguistics, and Comparisons (objectives 001 to 003) 15%, Culture (004 to 006) 15%, Second Language Acquisition and Instructional Practices (007 to 009) 15%, Application of Standards-Based Curriculum and Instruction (010 to 014) 25%, Assessment (015 to 017) 15% and Professionalism (018 to 020) 15%. The bank holds 40, two for each objective: 6, 6, 6, 10, 6 and 6. Every fact was read on the public page named under its question: WIDA's website, a practice guide of the Institute of Education Sciences, the United States Code, the Code of Federal Regulations, the test objectives themselves and the named Wikipedia articles. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This free MTTC ESL practice test follows English as a Second Language, field 126, with 40 questions of our own. It is unofficial practice, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Michigan Department of Education or Pearson.
Read the full guide
MTTC ESL study guide: the six subareas
By the test objectives read October 12, 2026, field 126 gives 15% each to language and linguistics, culture, second language acquisition and instructional practices, assessment, and professionalism, and 25% to standards-based curriculum and instruction. This bank holds 6, 6, 6, 10, 6 and 6. Exam mode asks all 40 in 60 minutes, the real pace.
WIDA and federal law
Objectives 009 to 014 name the WIDA English Language Development Standards. Seven questions rest on WIDA's own pages or on the IES practice guide for English learners. The assessment and professionalism questions cite federal statute and regulation on identification, parent notice and state testing.
The test page says both this test and a Professional Knowledge and Skills test are required for the NS endorsement at initial certification.
Questions and answers
How many questions are on the MTTC ESL test?
English as a Second Language (126) has 100 multiple-choice questions, taken on a computer. Testing time is 2 hours 30 minutes; the 15-minute tutorial and nondisclosure agreement bring the appointment to 2 hours 45 minutes.
What is the passing score for the MTTC ESL test?
The test page gives 220. It adds that a test may include questions that are being evaluated and do not affect the score, so this page gives a count of right answers and no verdict.
What does the MTTC ESL test cover?
Twenty objectives: language systems and sociolinguistics; culture; acquisition theory and teaching methods; listening, speaking, reading, writing and content instruction under the WIDA standards; assessment; and the law, collaboration and family partnership.