NYSTCE English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Practice Test

Which stage of literacy progression allows ELLs to understand multiple strategies when decoding longer texts?

1. Emergent Stage

2. Fluency Stage

3. Transitional Stage

4. Advanced Stage

The correct answer is: Fluency Stage

The fluency stage is characterized by English Language Learners (ELLs) developing a more sophisticated understanding of language and text. At this stage, learners have moved beyond basic comprehension and start to apply multiple decoding strategies when tackling longer and more complex texts. This includes skills such as using context clues, recognizing word patterns, and nodding to previous knowledge to enhance understanding. During the fluency stage, ELLs read with greater speed and accuracy, which allows them to maintain focus on meaning rather than being bogged down by decoding individual words. This enhanced ability to comprehend longer texts indicates a growing confidence in their reading skills and an increased capacity to engage with diverse and challenging literature. In contrast, the other stages focus more on foundational skills, such as recognizing letters and sounds in the emergent stage, developing initial fluency and independent reading in the transitional stage, and acquiring advanced academic language and content knowledge in the advanced stage. While all these stages are important in the overall literacy development, it is specifically in the fluency stage that learners begin to master and juggle various strategies for decoding longer texts effectively.