McGraw-Hill Editors - McGraw-Hills CBEST

McGraw-Hills CBEST

The Editors of McGraw-Hill

Copyright 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-0-07-171804-2

MHID: 0-07-171804-4

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN: 978-0-07-171803-5, MHID: 0-07-171803-6.

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at bulksales@mcgraw-hill.com.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher is engaged in rendering legal, accounting, securities trading, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

From a Declaration of Principles Jointly Adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hills prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there from. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

McGraw-Hills CBEST

Congratulations on your decision to work toward becoming a teacher! There are few, if any, professions more rewarding to yourself or more helpful to others. This book is designed to help you achieve your goal by helping you to pass the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST).

Passing the CBEST is one of the first steps to becoming a teacher in California and Oregon. You must pass the test in order to teach in these states as either a regular or substitute teacher; you must also pass the CBEST if you wish to be a school counselor or administrator. Teacher education programs in California and Oregon generally require that you pass the test before being admitted to their teacher-credentialing programs.

The requirement to take the CBEST is waived if you have passed another recognized test of basic skills, such as a similar test in another state. For information about what test scores will be accepted in lieu of the CBEST, go to www.cbest.nesinc.com or check the official CBEST registration booklet.

The CBEST is divided into three sections: mathematics, reading, and writing. It tests your proficiency in the basic math, reading, and writing skills that youll need to be an effective teacher. The test only measures proficiency in basic skills, not your teaching methods or skills. Thus, passing or failing the test doesnt give any indication of your abilities to teach. Remember that passing the CBEST does not give you the credentials youll need to teach; it is only a first step in the process of meeting the requirements in order to become a credentialed teacher.

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is responsible for the CBEST and its overall administration. It has contracted with Pearson Education, which is a private company that develops the questions, administers the test, and scores each test-takers performance.

The CBEST consists of the following three sections, each of which is scored separately.

The mathematics section consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The questions require you to solve a variety of practical problems similar to ones you may face as a teacher. Most of the questions in this section involve word problems. Three skill areas are included: (1) computation and problem solving; (2) numerical and graphic relationships; and (3) measurement, estimation, and statistical principles.

The reading section also consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The questions require you to understand information presented in a variety of forms, including tables and graphs, as well as written passages. The information included in the questions comes from a variety of subject areas and represents a variety of levels of difficulty. All the information needed to answer the questions is contained in the test. You do not need to review subject areas to prepare because no outside information is needed to answer any of the questions.

The writing section requires you to write two essays. There are no multiple-choice questions, only two topics that require a written response. Each written response should be about four to five paragraphs in length. One topic is based on a personal experience; the other topic requires you to take a position regarding a situation or statement. Here, too, you do not need to review any subject content; just be able to provide a well-organized, coherent essay that develops a position or idea. Each essay is graded by two independent scorers who rate each essay on a scale of 1 to 4. These scores are added to create a raw score on this section.