Free ALTA Competency Exam (CALT) Exam Prep

The continuum from oral to written language, receptive and expressive stages, and the three components of phonological processing: phonological awareness, phonological working memory, and rapid naming.

Phonology and articulation, the alphabetic principle, syllable types and division, morphology and orthography, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, comprehension, and the nature of written language.

Definition and phonological basis of dyslexia, brain anatomy and the reading network, comorbid disorders such as AD/HD and dysgraphia, executive function, historical pioneers, and research.

Interpreting standard scores, percentiles, and stanines, norm- versus criterion-referenced tests, curriculum-based measures, error analysis, pseudoword decoding, and using results to guide instruction.

Simultaneous VAKT multisensory techniques, systematic and cumulative instruction, synthetic versus analytic and direct versus indirect approaches, automaticity, diagnostic teaching, and theoretical models such as the Simple View of Reading and Scarborough's Rope.

Differences among IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA, eligibility guidelines, IEPs versus 504 plans, accommodations versus modifications, and the historical development of disability law.

The ALTA Code of Ethics, including confidentiality and records release, practicing within one's scope of competence, and honest representation of credentials and services.

Writing objective, professional student reports, choosing strengths- and needs-based language, and communicating appropriately with parents, students, and colleagues.