In groups of two or three discuss the following points and report back to the class on your major conclusions.

1. Have you ever taken criterion-referenced and objective-based tests?

2. Do you have essential test-taking strategies that help you improve your score?

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Vocabulary enrichment

Make sure you can explain what the following words mean.

assignment

essay

distracter

framework

item

paragraph

passage

penalty

point

quiz

rate

realm

response

review

scale

score

strategy

thesis

fundamental

holistic

to comprehend

to distract

to edit

to eliminate

to encounter

to endeavor

to guess

to inquire

to retrieve

to synthesize

to yield

READING ACTIVITIES

Answer these questions with a partner before you read the text below. If you can’t answer the questions now, try to answer them after reading the text.

1. What is the LAST required for?

2. What does the LAST format consist of?

3. What is a “raw passing” score on the LAST?

I. Last Framework & Objective

The LAST is one component of the New York State teacher examination series. The LAST is a test about the introductory level liberal arts courses you took in college. The test consists of 80 multiple-choice questions and a written assignment. The written assignment is about a topic given on the test. Usually, you are asked to summarize the topic or situation and then give your own opinion or point of view. You have four hours to complete the LAST. You decide how much time to spend on the multiple-choice items, and how much time to spend on the written assignment.

You get one raw score point for each correct answer. There is no penalty for incorrect answers. Written assignments are rated 0—3 by two readers based on how well you write edited English. The final written assignment score of 0—6 is the sum of these two scores. The multiple-choice items contribute 80 percent to the final score, while the written assignment score contributes 20 percent to the final score. Even so, you may encounter the most difficulty with the written assignment.

LAST	ESTIMATED RAW SCORES NEEDED FOR PASSING SCALE SCORES
multiple-choice items	55—58
written assignment points	3-4 out of 6

The test yields a score for each liberal arts area, a score for the written assignment, and a score for the entire test. The scale scores for the LAST and the ATS-W, as well as for each area on the test and for the written assignment, range from 100 to 300. Passing these tests is about your ability to use, apply, and integrate information. Just memorizing the information isn’t good enough. You pass the LAST if your overall scale score is 220 or better.

The LAST items are based on four broad liberal arts subareas. The number and percent of items drawn from each liberal arts subarea is shown below. Some areas include several subjects. The number of items in each area is approximate and the distribution of items varies from test to test.

APPROXIMATE LAST ITEM DISTRIBUTION
Subarea	Number	Percentage, %
Mathematics	12	15
Science	12	15
History/Social Science	20	25
Art	8	10
Literature	8	10
Humanities	4	5
English/Communication	16	20

The purpose of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) is to assess knowledge and skills in the following five areas:

• scientific, mathematical, and technological processes;

• historical and social scientific awareness;

• artistic expression and the humanities;

• communication and research skills;

• written analysis and expression . (For a complete list of test objectives, see APPENDIX B)

The New York State educator has the knowledge and skills necessary to teach effectively in New York State public schools. The teacher has a broad understanding of the fundamental concepts of mathematics, science, and technology and is familiar with the basic principles and procedures associated with scientific inquiry. The teacher recognizes the interrelatedness of geography and culture and can analyze varied interpretations of human history and society. The teacher has an understanding of the major traditions of art, literature, religion, and philosophy and how cultural contexts inform artistic and literary expression. The teacher can retrieve information from traditional and electronic sources, communicate effectively, reason clearly, and evaluate competing ideas and arguments. Most importantly, the teacher recognizes the fundamental connections among all realms of human thought and endeavor and the diverse perspectives that shape human societies.