# **Figure 2. Average Percentage of Teacher’s Correct Answers by Curricular Area in a Selected School District in Ecuador for Teachers of Literature and Language, UGB**

<!-- Start of picture text --> Identify language level or levels.<br>From a text, identify synonyms or antonyms according to the context.<br>From a fragment or list of characteristics, identify non‐literary texts<br>From a text or list of sentences, recognize the correct use of capital letters<br>MODERATE<br>Recognize language functions.<br>From a list or table, recognize words that are formed with affixes. COGNITIVE GAPS<br>Identify the morphology of the verb.<br>From a list of text characteristics, identify the literary subgenres.<br>From a list of words or in tables, recognize the meaning of the affixed<br>From a list of sentences, identify the correct use of punctuation marks<br>From a list of words or sentences, recognize foreign words in the text<br>From a text, recognize implicit ideas.<br>From a text, recognize explicit ideas.<br>From a list of Ecuadoran literary works, relate them to their Latin...<br>From a fragment of a literary work, identify the literary movement / epoch...<br>From a fragment of a literary work, identify the literary gender where it...<br>From a sentence, recognize its variable or invariable parts.<br>From a sentence, identify its syntactic elements.<br>Recognize the definitions of syntactic elements in a sentence.<br>From a list of verses (independent) or a stanza, identify the literary work<br>From a text, table, or list of sentences; recognize the author's vices<br>From a stanza, identify the kind of rhyme or rhythm of the verse.<br>From a text, list, or table; recognizes the characteristics of literary schools<br>From a list, identify the use of homonymous words.<br>From a text, table, or list of sentences; recognize the author's vices LARGE<br>From a list of literary works, identify its author. COGNITIVE GAPS<br>From a list / table of authors, identify the literary genre to which it belongs<br>From a case, list, or table; identify the main communication elements<br>From a text, list, or table; recognize famous authors or works<br>Recognize the subgenre to which the fragment of a literary work belongs.<br>From a list of verses (independent) or a verse, recognize the metrics.<br>From a text or list, recognize the logical connectors.<br>0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0<br>% of correct answers<br><!-- End of picture text -->

## _Source:_ Author using _Ser Maestro_ 2016 data.

_Note:_ The red, yellow, and green bars display the subjects on which teachers, on average, correctly answered less than 30 percent of the subject-related questions, between 30 and 35 percent of the subject-related questions, and between 40 to 60 percent of the subject-related questions, respectively.

_Can the results of the Ser Maestro assessments be trusted?_ Using the _Ser Maestro_ assessments to guide the content of in-service teacher training could be problematic if the knowledge areas measured by the exam are not necessarily related to the curricula imparted in the classroom. If this were the case, investing in training programs to solve the cognitive skills gaps of teachers may not necessarily translate into better student learning.

Ecuador uses the _Ser Bachiller_ assessment, a census-based instrument, to assess student learning. The _Ser Bachiller_ assessment is a compulsory exam students take to graduate from the 14