Study Guide

Field 130: American Sign Language CST 
Pedagogical Content Knowledge

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Directions for Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assignment

For the Pedagogical Content Knowledge section of the test, you will write a response of approximately 400–600 400 to 600  words  start bold in English end bold  to an assignment.

Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response. You should use your time to plan, write, review, and edit your response to the assignment. Your final response must be typed in the on-screen response box presented with the assignment.

Your response will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

•  start bold COMPLETENESS: end bold  The degree to which the response addresses all parts of the assignment
•  start bold ACCURACY: end bold  The degree to which the response demonstrates the relevant knowledge and skills accurately and effectively
•  start bold DEPTH OF SUPPORT: end bold  The degree to which the response provides appropriate examples and details that demonstrate sound reasoning

Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above, not writing ability. However, your response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of your knowledge and skills. Your response must be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work.

Be sure to write about the assigned topic. Remember to review what you have written to ensure that you address all aspects of the assignment and make any changes you think will improve your response.

Select the  start bold Next end bold  button to continue.

Sample Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assignment

Competency 0005 
Pedagogical Content Knowledge

start bold Use the information below and the exhibit provided to complete the assignment that follows. end bold

You are planning instruction for an American Sign Language class. Your instruction includes a specific learning goal aligned to the following New York State Learning Standard for Languages Other Than English.

Standard 1: Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication.

You will use the exhibit provided as part of your instruction. To view the exhibit, click the "Exhibit" button on the right above the response box.

Using your knowledge of American Sign Language and your pedagogical knowledge related to teaching modern languages, write a response in English of approximately 400– to 600 words in which you:

• state the grade level (middle school or high school) of your instruction;
• state the NYS Checkpoint level (A, B, or C) that aligns to your instruction;
• identify a specific learning goal that aligns with the given standard and the grade level and NYS Checkpoint you have identified, and that relates to the given exhibit;
• provide a rationale for the learning goal you have identified;
• describe a research- or evidence-based instructional strategy or activity you would use to promote student achievement of the specified learning goal and explain how you would use the given exhibit to support your instruction; and
• describe an effective formative or summative assessment tool, strategy, or activity you would use to measure student achievement of the specified learning goal.

 start italics [The examinee will see the Exhibit button on screen: ] end italics 

To view the exhibit, the examinee will click the Exhibit button. The pop-up window can then be resized and/or repositioned on the screen so that the examinee can access the information while completing their response.

Exhibit

 start italics [ start uppercase NOTE: end uppercase  Exhibit material may be  start uppercase EITHER end uppercase  a video  start uppercase OR end uppercase  a work of art on the actual test. A video on the actual test may be replayed multiple times during the preparation time allowed.] end italics 

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Susan Dupor's Our Private Genesis, oil on canvas, 26" x 36", 2005 ©Copyright 2005 Susan Dupor

Sample Strong Response to Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assignment

Performance Characteristics for Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the Pedagogical Content Knowledge assignment.

COMPLETENESS	The degree to which the response addresses all parts of the assignment
ACCURACY	The degree to which the response demonstrates the relevant knowledge and skills accurately and effectively
DEPTH OF SUPPORT	The degree to which the response provides appropriate examples and details that demonstrate sound reasoning

Score Scale for Pedagogical Content Knowledge Assignment

A score will be assigned to the response to the Pedagogical Content Knowledge assignment according to the following score scale.

Score Point	Score Point Description
4	The "4" response reflects a thorough command of the relevant knowledge and skills.
3	The "3" response reflects a general command of the relevant knowledge and skills.
2	The "2" response reflects a partial command of the relevant knowledge and skills.
1	The "1" response reflects little or no command of the relevant knowledge and skills.
U	The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic or off-task, unreadable, written in a language other than English or contains an insufficient amount of original work to score.
B	No response.

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