No student can student teach without passing all sections of the MECT . Students should take the Literacy portion of the test as early as possible, but minimally after completing 84 qh. See Requirements for Student Teaching. Passing both tests is required for initial certification in Massachusetts . See General Information about the Massachusetts Teacher Tests at the MDOE for more details.
Students thus have enough time to prepare further on their own.
The writing subtest is made up of four sections, and each section counts equally toward a candidate's total writing subtest score. Candidates must read the passage, identify its main ideas and essential points, and produce a written summary using the conventions of edited American English. Written Composition Candidates are asked to prepare in their own words an extended written passage on a specified topic of general interest. They must produce a composition that is unified, well organized and developed, and written in edited American English. Multiple-choice items are linked to brief written passages that contain grammatical, usage, or structural errors.