Test Information Guide
Overview and Test Objectives:
Field 76: Middle School Humanities
Test Overview
| Format | Computer-based test (CBT); 100 multiple-choice questions, 2 open-response items |
|---|---|
| Time | 4 hours (does not include 15-minute CBT tutorial) |
| Passing Score | 240 |
The Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) are designed to measure a candidate's knowledge of the subject matter contained in the test objectives for each field. The MTEL are aligned with the Massachusetts educator licensure regulations and, as applicable, with the standards in the Massachusetts curriculum frameworks.
The test objectives specify the content to be covered on the test and are organized by major content subareas. The chart below shows the approximate percentage of the total test score derived from each of the subareas.
The test assesses a candidate's proficiency and depth of understanding of the subject at the level required for a baccalaureate major according to Massachusetts standards. Candidates are typically nearing completion of or have completed their undergraduate work when they take the test.
Sub area 1 25%, Sub area 2 15%, Sub area 3 20%, Sub area 4 20%, Sub area 5 10%, and Sub area 6 10%.
Test Objectives
| Subareas | Range of Objectives | Approximate Test Weighting | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple-Choice | |||
| 1 | Literature and Language | 01–03 | 25% |
| 2 | Expressive and Receptive Communication | 04–06 | 15% |
| 3 | History | 07–09 | 20% |
| 4 | Geography, Government, and Civic Life | 10–12 | 20% |
| 80% | |||
| Open-Response | |||
| 5 | Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of English | 13 | 10% |
| 6 | Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of History | 14 | 10% |
| 20% | |||
Subarea 1–Literature and Language
0001—Apply knowledge of literature that represents a range of perspectives reflecting diversity of ability; gender; race; ethnicity; sexual orientation; nation of origin; religion; age; and cultural, economic, and geographic backgrounds.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of genres and types of fiction (e.g., novels, short stories, historical fiction, fantasy, mystery), drama (e.g., comedy, tragedy, melodrama), and poetry (e.g., narrative, epic, free verse, contemporary, rap) and their characteristic elements and structures.
- Apply knowledge of literature written for children and young adults and its characteristic elements and structures.
- Apply knowledge of historical, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts in which literary works, movements, and traditions have emerged and developed.
- Analyze how literary devices contribute to meaning, point of view, and style in a literary text.
- Determine the theme(s) or central idea(s) of a literary text.
- Analyze how an author draws on and transforms prior literary texts and traditions to develop original work.
- Analyze text structure, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of a text relate to each other and to the overall text.
- Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a literary text, including figurative and connotative meanings, and analyze how word choice affects meaning, tone, and mood in literary texts.
0002—Apply knowledge of informational texts.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of text structures (e.g., chronological order, cause and effect, problem and solution, comparison and contrast) and text features (e.g., table of contents, text boxes, visual aids, captions, headings and subheadings).
- Determine an author's point of view or purpose in an informational text.
- Determine the central idea(s) of an informational text and analyze its/their development over the course of the text.
- Recognize an objective summary of an informational text.
- Analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance a particular point of view or purpose in an informational text.
- Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in an informational text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
- Analyze how specific word choices affect the meaning and tone of an informational text.
- Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in informational texts, including assessing whether reasoning is sound and whether evidence is relevant and sufficient.
- Identify appropriate evidence to analyze what a text says explicitly as well as to draw inferences from the text.
0003—Apply knowledge of theory, research, and instructional practice related to language acquisition and reading.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of the stages and processes of language acquisition and use.
- Apply knowledge of the cultural and linguistic contexts that affect multilingual learners.
- Apply knowledge of significant evidence-based theories, practices, and programs related to early adolescent language and literacy development in the domains of critical thinking, reading, writing, speaking and/or expressive communication, and listening and/or receptive communication.
- Apply knowledge of the role of vocabulary development, skills, and strategies in the development of reading proficiency and of techniques for vocabulary acquisition through context and word study.
- Apply knowledge of comprehension strategies to use before, during, and after reading and of the ways in which text characteristics and purposes for reading influence the selection of reading strategies.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for analyzing word formation to understand meanings, derivations, and spellings.
- Apply knowledge of multiple-meaning words, denotative and connotative meanings, and strategies for using semantic and syntactic clues to verify word meanings.
- Apply knowledge of relationships between words, such as homonyms, synonyms, and antonyms.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics of language-based reading and learning disabilities and of evidence-based strategies for addressing these disabilities in the general education classroom.
- Apply knowledge of evidence-based theories of culturally relevant teaching and diverse learners.
Subarea 2–Expressive and Receptive Communication
0004—Apply knowledge of the writing process and techniques for writing arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of similarities and differences between language structures in spoken and written English, how to interpret and apply standard English grammar and language conventions in written contexts, and the role of cultural factors in written communication.
- Apply knowledge of processes for planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing texts.
- Apply knowledge of appropriate organizational structures, formatting, graphics, and multimedia to use for a specific writing task and purpose and for an intended audience.
- Apply knowledge of the accurate and effective use of written language conventions, techniques for editing written texts to achieve conformity with conventions of standard English usage, and strategies for effective proofreading.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to apply a broad range of technological tools to enhance writing and content learning in a variety of contexts, including multimedia presentations, online platforms, collaborative writing, research, and publication.
- Apply knowledge of how to compose an argument by introducing a precise claim and supporting it with reasons and evidence, considering the intended audience, noting counterclaims, and developing a conclusion that follows from and supports the argument presented.
- Apply knowledge of how to compose an informative/explanatory text by introducing a topic; developing the topic with relevant facts, details, and examples; using subtle and varied transitions to link ideas, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between complex ideas and concepts; and developing a conclusion that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.
- Apply knowledge of how to compose a narrative text by establishing a conflict, establishing point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; creating an appropriate progression of events; using narrative techniques (e.g., dialogue, pacing, description); using figurative and sensory language; and providing a resolution to the conflict.
0005—Apply knowledge of techniques for conducting academic research.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of techniques for developing a research question and narrowing or broadening inquiry as appropriate.
- Apply knowledge of how to gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, including by using search terms appropriately.
- Apply knowledge of how to assess the strengths and limitations of prospective sources in terms of task, purpose, audience, accuracy, and credibility.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for integrating information into a text selectively to maintain the development of ideas, including paraphrasing and quoting from sources accurately while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
- Apply knowledge of how to draw evidence from literary or informational texts, including critical studies, to support analysis, interpretation, reflection, and research.
0006—Apply knowledge of techniques for speaking and/or expressive communication and for listening and/or receptive communication in a variety of contexts.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of techniques for using organization, development, vocabulary, style, and form of delivery for various types of expressive communications that are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for making strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for initiating and participating in a range of collaborative discussions by building on others' ideas and by expressing one's own ideas clearly and persuasively.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for promoting civil, democratic discussions and decision making, such as setting clear goals and deadlines and establishing individual roles as needed.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for effective participation in academic discussions, including posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; referring to evidence from texts and other research; synthesizing comments, claims, and evidence on all sides of an issue; clarifying, verifying, and challenging conclusions; promoting divergent and creative perspectives; and resolving contradictions when possible.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for evaluating a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric by assessing the speaker's stance, premises, links between ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone.
Subarea 3–History
0007—Apply knowledge of major social, cultural, political, economic, and technological developments in ancient to early modern societies (to approximately the mid-nineteenth century CE) around the world.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of human origins and early societies (e.g., African origins, early migrations, Neolithic agricultural revolution, complex societies).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological characteristics and historical development of the early societies of Western Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa (e.g., Mesopotamia, Egypt, Nubia, Phoenicia, ancient Israel and Palestine) and of Sub-Saharan Africa (e.g., Axum, Swahili coastal societies, Ghana, Mali, Songhai).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological characteristics and historical development of the early societies of Central and South Asia (e.g., Indus Valley civilization, Mauryan Empire, Gandharan Kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, Persian Empire), East Asia (e.g., the Shang, Zhou, Qin, Song, and Yuan dynasties of China; the Mongol Empire; the Kamakura shogunate, ancient Korea), and Southeast Asia and Oceania (e.g., Khmer Empire, Aborigines, Maoris).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological characteristics and historical development of the early societies of South and Central America (e.g., Maya, Olmec, Teotihuacán, Zapotec, Toltec, Chavín, Nazca, Aztec, Inca, Moche, Lenca, Huetares, Chorotegas, Miskito) and the Caribbean Islands (e.g., Arawak, Taíno, Carib).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological characteristics and historical development of the early societies in Europe (e.g., Celtic societies, Minoan and Mycenean societies, ancient Athens and Sparta, Etruscan society, Roman Republic and Empire, Islamic Empire).
- Analyze the types of interactions between and among ancient societies (e.g., conquest; trade; colonization; diffusion of technology, religion, language, and culture) and their effects on those societies.
- Analyze the central tenets, historical development, and influence of major world religions (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam).
- Demonstrate knowledge of slavery in the ancient world and the beginning of the slave trade.
- Examine global interactions across regions, including the Silk Roads and the trading routes of West Africa, and their effect on developments in philosophy, the arts, science, and technology in Africa, Europe, and Asia.
- Analyze the causes, course, and effects of early European colonialism (e.g., subjugation of indigenous populations, exchange and exploitation of resources, expansion of and resistance to the transatlantic slave trade of enslaved Africans, reliance on slave-generated capital).
0008—Apply knowledge of major political, economic, social, and cultural developments in the history, prior to 1825, of what is now the United States.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of cultural, economic, and political characteristics of Native Peoples, present and past, in Massachusetts and the New England region (e.g., Abenaki/Wabanaki, Massachusett, Mohican/Stockbridge, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Wampanoag).
- Analyze interactions, coexistence, and conflict between and among enslaved and free Africans, Native Peoples, and Europeans (e.g., exchange of foods and technology, resistance to colonialism, great loss of life due to introduction of disease, religious conversions, enslavement, loss of territory, alliances and wars).
- Analyze reasons that different European colonies were established in North America, and demonstrate knowledge of the location of and regional and economic differences across the first thirteen English colonies.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the origins of the transatlantic slave trade of enslaved Africans, the harsh conditions of the Middle Passage, the enduring effects of the institution of slavery in North America, the legal status of slavery in all the colonies, and the prevalence of slave ownership, including by many of the country's early leaders.
- Analyze the living and working conditions of enslaved and free Africans in the colonies in the eighteenth century and African resistance to enslavement and the institution of slavery (e.g., running away to escape captivity, Stono Rebellion, Nat Turner).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the circumstances and effects of Native Peoples' resistance to colonial rule (e.g., Pequot War, King Philip's War, Tecumseh's call, Mashpee revolt).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the influence of English ideas and practices on American colonists and the institutions that developed in colonial America.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the economic, intellectual, and cultural issues and events that contributed to the American Revolution; major events, turning points, and leading figures of the Revolutionary War; the roles and experiences of various groups during the war (e.g., Patriots, Loyalists, women, Native Peoples, free and enslaved Africans); and long-term effects of the Revolution.
- Demonstrate knowledge of major social, cultural, political, and economic developments of the early Republic.
0009—Apply knowledge of major political, economic, social, and cultural developments in the history of the United States from 1825 to the present.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of how the slave trade continued within the United States until the mid-nineteenth century and of the ideas and roles of people of the pre–Civil War era who led the struggle for the abolition of slavery (e.g., Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, Angelina and Sarah Grimké, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman).
- Demonstrate knowledge of key events and issues related to westward expansion (e.g., the Louisiana Purchase, the effect of geography on westward migration, the concept of Manifest Destiny, major territorial acquisitions, the Mexican-American War, forced removal of Native Peoples, Chinese immigration and exclusion) and the origins and accomplishments of the antebellum reform and resistance movements (e.g., abolition movement, campaigns for reform of education and treatment of the mentally ill, women's suffrage movement).
- Examine nineteenth-century conflicts between Native Peoples and national, state, and local governments in the United States over rights to self-government and the loss of territories (e.g., Dawes Act, Navajo Treaty).
- Analyze the sources of sectional conflict over slavery and issues and events leading to the Civil War.
- Demonstrate knowledge of significant leaders; military strategies; major events and turning points; diplomatic initiatives; and the social, political, and economic consequences of the Civil War.
- Analyze the consequences of emancipation, Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow era for African Americans (e.g., limited educational and economic opportunities; organized perpetuation of white supremacist beliefs and violence from groups such as the Ku Klux Klan; the unifying role of African American churches, civic organizations and newspapers; the formation of organizations such as the Colored Farmers' National Alliance and Cooperative Union; the founding of black colleges; the development of African American literature in the early twentieth century).
- Demonstrate knowledge of events and issues related to industrialization, immigration, and urbanization (e.g., technological and scientific advances; nativist hostility and violence; northward and westward migration of Southern African Americans; European, Latin American, and Asian immigration; women in the workforce; business entrepreneurs; labor unions) that led to the reforms of the Progressive movement.
- Evaluate major political, social, economic, and cultural developments of the 1920s and 1930s, including the conflict in American culture between traditionalism and modernity (e.g., Prohibition, the debate over evolution, immigration restriction, the eugenics movement, growing prominence of same-sex relationships, persistence and resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan) and the effects of the Great Depression and New Deal on U.S. government and society.
- Analyze the causes and course of the growing role of the United States in world affairs, and demonstrate knowledge of key events and issues related to U.S. expansionism/imperialism and U.S. involvement in World War I and World War II.
- Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. foreign and domestic policy during the Cold War and in the post–Cold War era, including the effects of U.S. politics on foreign policy.
- Analyze the origins, key people, evolution, goals, and accomplishments of, and connections between, major social and political movements in the United States since 1945 (e.g., the African American Civil Rights Movement; women's rights and feminism; the workers' rights movement and the United Farm Workers; the movement to protect the rights, self-determination, and sovereignty of Native Peoples and the American Indian Movement; the LGBTQ rights and Gay Pride movements; the disability rights movement; the environmental movement).
- Examine other major social, cultural, political, and economic developments in the United States since 1945, including initiatives and controversies of the presidencies of the period and the effects of economic globalization on the United States.
Subarea 4–Geography, Government, and Civic Life
0010—Apply knowledge of physical and human geography across the following regions: Western Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, North America, Central America, Caribbean Islands, South America, Central and South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography of Earth, including the location of significant landforms and bodies of water and the distribution and location of natural resources.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the political division of Earth's surface and the location of countries and global population centers.
- Analyze physical and human geographic factors influencing settlement patterns and agriculture.
- Analyze the political, social, economic, cultural, and technological factors influencing human use of land and physical space.
- Demonstrate knowledge of social, cultural, ideological, and military factors influencing the relationships and patterns of cooperation and conflict between places and peoples.
- Analyze the causes (e.g., trade, migration, war, conquest, colonization, religion) and geographic and historical effects of cultural diffusion, convergence, and divergence in ancient regions and societies.
- Examine ways that people have modified the physical environment, and assess the effects of these modifications on the environment and on human societies.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the geographic factors contributing to the development of cultural identity.
- Examine the interactions between trade and patterns of economic development in history.
0011—Apply knowledge of government and civic life.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of how principles of government in the United States have been affected by elements of Athenian direct democracy, Roman republican principles, Enlightenment political philosophers, the governments of Native Peoples, and English ideas about and practices of government, including major documents (e.g., Mayflower Compact, Iroquois Confederacy Constitution, Albany Plan of Union).
- Analyze the weaknesses of the U.S. government under the Articles of Confederation, the competing views of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists at the Constitutional Convention, and the debates and compromises reached at the Convention (e.g., distribution of power; rights of individuals; representation of states; slavery and the Three-Fifths Compromise, which reinforced the institution of slavery).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, the individual rights and protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, and the exclusion of certain communities (e.g., women, African Americans) from voting rights and property rights in the Constitution of 1787.
- Analyze the structure, functions, and powers of the three branches of U.S. government, including the roles and responsibilities of the president, the lawmaking process in Congress, and the exercise of judicial review by the Supreme Court.
- Examine the historical context and significance of key changes in the Constitution, laws enacted by Congress that have expanded civil rights, and Supreme Court decisions that have made significant changes in citizens' lives (e.g., Fourteenth Amendment, Nineteenth Amendment, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Americans with Disabilities Act, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Mapp v. Ohio, Obergefell v. Hodges, Korematsu v. United States).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the federal system of the United States and the structure, functions, and powers of state and local government in Massachusetts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the tenets of civic duty and virtue.
- Examine the role of political protest, the influence of public and private interest groups, and the varied understandings of the role of elected representatives in a democracy.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the means for taking informed action within a democratic society.
- Analyze issues involving liberty in conflict with equality or authority, individual rights in conflict with the common good, or majority rule in conflict with minority rights.
- Examine the role of a free press and media literacy in a democratic society, including the different functions of news articles, editorials, editorial cartoons, and "op-ed" commentaries and methods for evaluating information and opinion in print and online media.
- Examine modern changes to media and communication, including the benefits and challenges that they present for a democratic society.
0012—Apply knowledge of the guiding principles and instructional practices of effective history and social science education.
For example:
- Demonstrate knowledge of how individual contexts and perspectives influence perceptions about history.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how different academic fields in the social sciences concentrate on different means to study societies in the past and how current historical interpretation might build on, extend, or reject an interpretation of the past.
- Demonstrate knowledge of effective instructional strategies that encourage honest and informed academic discussions about prejudice, racism, sexism, and/or bigotry in the past and present.
- Identify problematic narratives and instructional strategies that conflict with current historical scholarship and pedagogy and uphold prejudice, racism, sexism, and/or bigotry.
Subarea 5–Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of English
In addition to answering multiple-choice items, candidates will prepare a written response to an assignment addressing content from objectives 0001–0006, which are summarized in the objective below.
0013—Prepare an organized, developed written analysis of a given literary text.
For example:
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics of genres of literature, as well as of authors, works, and literary movements, to analyze the text.
- Apply knowledge of historical, social, and cultural contexts to analyze the text.
- Identify one theme or central idea within the text and explain how the use of a literary and/or rhetorical device contributes to the identified theme or central idea.
- Cite evidence from the text to support written analysis, interpretation, and reflection.
- Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
Subarea 6–Integration of Knowledge and Understanding of History
In addition to answering multiple-choice items, candidates will prepare a written response to an assignment addressing content from objectives 0007–0012, which are summarized in the objective below.
0014—Prepare an organized, developed written analysis of the information in given primary and secondary historical sources surrounding a discipline-specific inquiry question related to U.S. history, world history, or civics.
For example:
- Construct a precise, knowledgeable claim in response to the discipline-specific inquiry question.
- Organize information and data from multiple primary and secondary sources.
- Analyze the central idea, purpose, point of view, and credibility of sources.
- Argue or explain conclusions, using valid reasoning and evidence.