New York State Assessment of Teaching Skills – Written (ATS-W) Certification Practice Test

The idea being tested is identifying which skill is not typically regarded as a core language skill for beginning readers. Letter-sound correspondence is foundational because it links letters to sounds, enabling students to decode unknown words. Sounding out words is the application of that knowledge to read aloud or silently, a direct step in decoding. Decoding text to make meaning is the purpose of decoding—turning printed words into understandable language. Recognizing sight words, while important for fluency and reading speed, is often treated as a supplementary or later-developing skill rather than a foundational decoding skill. That contrast makes recognizing sight words the best choice for not being listed as a critical language skill in many frameworks.