A learner cannot recall the word "scissors" and says "the thing you cut paper or hair with". Which strategy is she using?Wikipedia, "Circumlocution". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator e
A learner writes "She a red car drives". The error lies in which language system?Wikipedia, "Syntax". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator j
A newcomer uses "Excuse me?" and "Hang on a minute" as fixed wholes long before she can build such sentences word by word. What are these expressions called?Wikipedia, "Formulaic language". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator e
A student explains that English puts an adjective before its noun and her home language puts it after. Which ability is she showing?Wikipedia, "Metalinguistic awareness". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator e
A student says "I goed to the park" and "two gooses". Which process do these forms show?Wikipedia, "Regularization (linguistics)". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator e
In the words of the framework, which two skills make up oracy?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator a
Show all 72 questions (66 more)
Language and language learning, continued
New York State sorts English language proficiency into five levels. Which list gives them from lowest to highest?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator f
Part 154 of the Commissioner's Regulations writes each proficiency level with a second label. Which label is paired with Transitioning?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator f
What is polysemy?Wikipedia, "Polysemy". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator j
Which award, approved by the Board of Regents, recognizes proficiency in two or more languages?NYSED, Program Options for English Language Learners and Multilingual Learners. Also: NYSED, Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success. Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator a
Which branch of linguistics deals with how speech sounds are physically produced, carried acoustically and perceived?Wikipedia, "Phonology". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator j
Which word carries an inflectional suffix?Wikipedia, "Inflection". Framework section: Competency 0001, performance indicator j
Knowledge of English Language Learners 12
A family tends to communicate through indirect messages, gestures and shared understanding more than through explicit words. In Edward T. Hall's terms, which kind of culture does this reflect?Wikipedia, "High-context and low-context cultures". Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator i
A new student has an identified disability and a home language other than English. Under Subpart 154-3, who recommends whether the student may have second language acquisition needs?8 NYCRR 154-3.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Subpart 154-3), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator d
A student keeps the SIFE designation until reaching which level on the annual English language proficiency assessment?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator c
A Student with Inconsistent/Interrupted Formal Education has attended U.S. schools for less than twelve months. On enrolling, how far below grade level is the student in home-language literacy or math?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator c
According to NYSED's Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success, how should schools regard students' home languages?NYSED, Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator h
In foreign language education, who counts as a heritage speaker of a language?Wikipedia, "Heritage language". Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator c
NYSED's Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework rests on four principles. Three are a welcoming and affirming environment, high expectations and rigorous instruction, and inclusive curriculum and assessment. Which is the fourth?NYSED, Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator f
Part 154 draws a line between Developing and Long-term English Language Learners. A student is Long-term after how many continuously enrolled school years of English as a New Language instruction?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator c
Rosenthal and Jacobson advanced the idea that what teachers expect of students affects how the students perform. What is this effect called?Wikipedia, "Pygmalion effect". Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator k
Under Part 154, a Newcomer English Language Learner has received English as a New Language instruction for how many continuously enrolled school years in the United States?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator c
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, a child shall not be determined to be a child with a disability if the determinant factor is which of these?20 U.S.C. 1414(b)(5), Legal Information Institute. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator d
What does the home language questionnaire determine?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0002, performance indicator e
ESOL planning, practices and assessment 12
A third grader at the Entering level must receive two units of study of English as a New Language. How are they divided?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator a
An Integrated English as a New Language class may be taught by one dually certified teacher. What is the other staffing that Part 154 allows?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator a
Federal law requires each state's school accountability system to include an indicator, for all English learners, of progress in what?20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(B)(iv), Legal Information Institute. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator q
The framework calls a practice "research-based" when it has been shown effective by systematic observation or experiment, by rigorous analysis of data, by the ability to replicate results, and by what else?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator a
In a Response to Intervention model, which students receive Tier 1 support?Wikipedia, "Response to Intervention". Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator p
In New York's units of study tables for English as a New Language, one unit of study equals how many minutes of instruction per week?NYSED, CR Part 154-2 (K-8) English as New Language Units of Study and Staffing Requirements. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator a
On State assessments, who may extend the test time for an English Language Learner, using judgment about the student's needs?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator o
Under Part 154, a student shall not receive Stand-alone English as a New Language in place of what?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator a
Which result is enough by itself to exit a student from English Language Learner status?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator n
Which test does New York use to decide whether a newly enrolled student is identified as an English Language Learner?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator n
Why are the testing accommodations that English Language Learners may have on other State tests not permitted on the NYSESLAT?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator o
Within how many school days of initial enrollment must a student be placed in a Bilingual Education or English as a New Language program?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0003, performance indicator n
Instructing English Language Learners in English language arts 12
A Bilingual Education program in New York provides two units of study in language arts. How are they divided?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator b
A teacher asks a kindergartner to show the front of a book and to point to the page that is read first. What is she assessing?Wikipedia, "Print awareness". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator f
A teacher scores an essay separately for ideas, organization and conventions. Which kind of rubric is she using?Wikipedia, "Rubric (academic)". Also: NYSED, Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success. Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator o
According to the framework, for which English Language Learners should foundational English literacy skills be prioritized?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator g
The framework lists four dimensions of communicative competence. Three are grammatical, sociolinguistic and discourse competence. Which is the fourth?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator c
In the strategic model of the writing process, which stage comes right after drafting?Wikipedia, "Writing process". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator k
Phonological awareness works on sounds at three levels of the structure of sound. Which set is it?Wikipedia, "Phonological awareness". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator f
Research on reading fluency brings together which three concepts?Wikipedia, "Fluency". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator f
"Strong-willed" and "pig-headed" can both describe a stubborn person, but one admires and the other complains. What does the difference between them illustrate?Wikipedia, "Connotation". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator h
Students reread one short paragraph several times, attending to individual words, the syntax and the order in which its sentences unfold their ideas. Which practice is this?Wikipedia, "Close reading". Also: NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator h
Which New York resource does the framework name for differentiating instruction among students whose English proficiency levels differ?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator h
Who coined the term "communicative competence" in 1966, in reaction to Noam Chomsky's distinction between linguistic competence and performance?Wikipedia, "Communicative competence". Framework section: Competency 0004, performance indicator c
Instructing English Language Learners in the content areas 12
A science teacher teaches a lab procedure explicitly, models it, and then gives time for independent practice. Which kind of scaffolding does the framework call this?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator g
According to NYSED's Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success, which two kinds of objectives should instruction articulate?NYSED, Blueprint for English Language Learner/Multilingual Learner Success. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator c
An English Language Learner takes a State mathematics examination for which NYSED provides a translated edition. What is the student allowed to do?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator j
Before a unit on ecosystems, students fill in two columns of a three-column chart: what they know and what they want to learn. Which tool is this?Wikipedia, "KWL table". Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator f
The framework lists ways to make subject matter comprehensible to English Language Learners. Which is one of them?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator e
In the 2001 revision of Bloom's taxonomy, which level of the cognitive domain stands highest?Wikipedia, "Bloom's taxonomy". Also: NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator i
In the Cornell note-taking system, what is written in the narrower left-hand column?Wikipedia, "Cornell Notes". Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator h
In the framework's list of scaffolds, using a graphic organizer is the example given for which kind?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator g
NYSED has no translated edition of a State science examination in a student's home language. What may the school provide?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator j
On State examinations, what may a bilingual glossary used by an English Language Learner provide?NYSED, English Language Learner and Multilingual Learner Assessment and Testing Accommodations. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator j
Under Part 154, an English as a New Language program has two components. One is English language development. What is the other?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator c
Which New York class gives core content instruction and English language development within the same unit of study?8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0005, performance indicator c
ESOL professional environments 12
A district adopts a program for English Language Learners that rests on sound educational theory, but it assigns no trained staff, materials or space. Which part of the Castañeda v. Pickard assessment does the program fail?Wikipedia, "Castañeda v. Pickard". Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator b
A school's annual estimate shows a group of English Language Learners in one grade who all share a home language. At what size must the school provide them a Bilingual Education program the next year?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator a
A teacher studies her own vocabulary lessons through repeated cycles of planning, acting and finding facts about the results. What is this kind of inquiry called?Wikipedia, "Action research". Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator e
An ESOL teacher and a science teacher plan a lesson together, split the class in half, and each teaches the same content to one half at the same time. Which co-teaching model is this?Wikipedia, "Co-teaching". Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator i
Apart from regular parent-teacher conferences, how often must a district meet individually with the parents of each English Language Learner?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator g
In NYSED's description of program options, what is the goal of a Transitional Bilingual Education program?NYSED, Program Options for English Language Learners and Multilingual Learners. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator c
Lau v. Nichols (1974) concerned about 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who did not speak English. Which school system had failed to provide them English language instruction?Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563 (1974), syllabus and opinion, Legal Information Institute. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator b
What minimum share of required professional learning hours must ESOL and bilingual certified teachers in New York dedicate to language acquisition aligned with core content instruction?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator f
Where a Bilingual Education program is available, Part 154 makes it the default placement. Who may direct that a child be placed in English as a New Language instead?8 NYCRR 154-2.3 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, program requirements), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator g
Which federal law, signed in 1968 as Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, was the first to recognize the needs of students with limited English speaking ability?Wikipedia, "Bilingual Education Act". Also: NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator b
Which subpart of Part 154 of the Commissioner's Regulations sets standards for English Language Learners with disabilities?NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages, Test Design and Framework (May 2018). Also: 8 NYCRR 154-2.2 (Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, definitions), Legal Information Institute copy. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator a
Who is enrolled in a two-way Dual Language program?NYSED, Program Options for English Language Learners and Multilingual Learners. Framework section: Competency 0006, performance indicator c
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the six selected-response competencies of the NYSTCE Field 116: English to Speakers of Other Languages Test Design and Framework, May 2018, authorized for distribution by the New York State Education Department (https://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY116_OBJ_FINAL.pdf, read 2026-10-09): Language and Language Learning; Knowledge of English Language Learners; ESOL Instructional Planning, Practices, and Assessment; Instructing English Language Learners in English Language Arts; Instructing English Language Learners in the Content Areas; ESOL Professional Environments, about 15 selected-response items each. The bank holds 12 for each. Every fact was read on 2026-10-09 in the public document the question names: Part 154 of the Commissioner's Regulations (8 NYCRR 154-2.2, 154-2.3 and 154-3.3, in the Legal Information Institute's copy at law.cornell.edu), pages and documents of the New York State Education Department (nysed.gov), the framework itself, the Supreme Court's opinion in Lau v. Nichols and two sections of the U.S. Code (law.cornell.edu), and 27 Wikipedia articles for terms of linguistics, literacy and teaching. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.
How it works
This NYSTCE ESOL practice test has 72 questions of our own on the six selected-response competencies of New York's framework. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the New York State Education Department or Pearson.
Read the full guide
What the real test asks
The framework of May 2018 gives each of six competencies about 15 selected-response items, 90 in all, designed for up to 135 minutes. They carry 80% of the score. One written response to a classroom scenario carries the other 20%, and this page does not mark writing.
Timing here
Exam mode asks all 72 questions in 108 minutes, the pace of 90 in 135.
An NYSTCE ESOL (116) study guide by competency
The bank is sorted by competency, and each answer names the regulation, NYSED page or article it was checked against. 33 of the 72 questions rest on New York's own rules: Part 154, the NYSITELL and NYSESLAT, units of study and testing accommodations.
New York calls the program English as a New Language (ENL), formerly ESL. The teaching certificate and this test say ESOL.
Questions and answers
What is on the CST ESOL practice test?
Twelve questions for each competency: language and language learning, knowledge of English Language Learners, planning and assessment, English language arts, the content areas, and professional environments. Topics run from circumlocution and co-teaching models to the placement deadline in Part 154.
What score do you need to pass the NYSTCE ESOL CST?
The test's own page gives a passing score of 520. That is a scaled score and not a count of right answers, so this page shows your number right and no pass verdict.
Are these real NYSTCE ESOL questions?
No. Every question is our own, written to the competencies in New York's Test Design and Framework of May 2018. Nothing is taken or reworded from the real test or from the sample questions in its preparation materials.
Is the NYSTCE ESOL CST still given?
Yes. On October 9, 2026 the NYSTCE site listed English to Speakers of Other Languages (116) as a current test, with the framework of May 2018 as its published outline.