In this blog post, we’re going to break down exactly how to approach the open-response (constructed response) portion of reading exams—without panic, overthinking, or dropping the skills you worked so hard to learn. This strategy works whether you’re testing through Pearson, ETS, or another platform, because while the interface may change, the skill does not.
Start With the Task—Not the Scenario
One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is reading the entire scenario first. That’s overwhelming and unnecessary.
Instead, work backwards from the task.
The task tells you exactly what the scorer is looking for. Typically, you’ll see 2–3 bullets (sometimes more), and each bullet is a checkpoint. Your job is not to write everything you know—it’s to answer exactly what’s being asked.
Most constructed responses will ask you to:
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Identify a foundational reading skill or comprehension skill
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Explain how that skill impacts comprehension
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Describe one research-based instructional strategy
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Explain why the strategy works
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Describe how the teacher would monitor progress
Once you read the task, you can immediately map out your response.
Organize Your Response Into Three Clear Paragraphs
A simple, effective structure looks like this:
Paragraph 1: Identify the Skill + Explain Its Impact
This is where you clearly name the foundational skill interfering with comprehension (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, or a meaning-based skill).
✅ Use the exact language from the task
✅ Be specific
✅ Connect the skill directly to comprehension
Paragraph 2: Strategy + Rationale
You are almost always asked for one research-based strategy and an explanation of why it works.
If you ever blank on strategies, remember these safe, research-supported options:
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Modeling
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Repeated reading
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Guided practice
These strategies work across phonics, phonological awareness, and fluency—and graders recognize them immediately.
End this paragraph with a strong rationale sentence:
This strategy is effective because…
That sentence alone signals strong content knowledge.
Paragraph 3: Progress Monitoring (This Is About Data)
This final paragraph is always about assessment.
If assessment names stress you out, remember this:
Formative assessment = observation
Examples include:
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Listening to oral reading
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Tracking words correct per minute
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Student conferences
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Ongoing comprehension checks
Use the terms formative assessment, progress monitoring, and data-driven whenever possible—they are high-value academic language.
Example: Identifying Fluency as the Problem
If a student:
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Reads well below expected words per minute
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Reads slowly and choppily
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Makes few decoding errors
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Struggles with higher-level comprehension questions
👉 The issue is fluency, specifically automaticity.
When students are not fluent, they use too much cognitive energy decoding or rereading, leaving fewer mental resources for meaning-making, inference, and comprehension.
A Go-To Strategy: Repeated Reading
Repeated reading is one of the strongest, easiest strategies to explain.
You can describe it as:
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The teacher models fluent reading
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The student rereads a short passage multiple times
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Feedback is provided to build accuracy, rate, and confidence
This works because increased fluency:
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Improves automaticity
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Reduces cognitive load
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Frees mental energy for comprehension
Monitoring Progress the Right Way
To earn full credit, clearly connect instruction to data.
A strong response includes:
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Measuring words correct per minute regularly
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Observing oral reading fluency and expression
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Using ongoing formative assessments
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Adjusting instruction based on progress
If fluency and comprehension improve over time, the instruction is effective. That’s the data-driven conclusion scorers are looking for.
Final Takeaway: Keep It Simple and Strategic
You do not need to:
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Add extra strategies
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Overwrite
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Include unnecessary explanations
You do need to:
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Read the task first
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Use academic “good words”
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Answer every bullet clearly
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Show you understand how reading skills connect to comprehension
Follow this structure, and you are setting yourself up for full credit on constructed responses.
If you want even more support, be sure to check out the comprehensive resources designed specifically to help you succeed on the Praxis 5205 and the FORT constructed response.