Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) Foundations of Reading Practice Exam

What skill involves recognizing and producing spoken sounds in language?

1. Auditory Discrimination

2. Phonological Awareness

3. Concept of Print

4. Spelling Knowledge

The correct answer is: Phonological Awareness

The correct choice highlights phonological awareness as the skill that encompasses recognizing and producing spoken sounds in language. Phonological awareness refers to the broader understanding of the sound structure of language, which includes skills such as identifying and manipulating sounds at different levels—such as syllables, onsets and rimes, and individual phonemes. This ability is critical for reading development because it helps children to connect sounds with letters and form words, laying the groundwork for effective reading and spelling. Phonological awareness activities may include rhyming, segmenting sounds, and blending sounds together, all of which are foundational skills for literacy. In contrast, auditory discrimination focuses primarily on the ability to differentiate between different sounds rather than the broader awareness and manipulation of those sounds. The concept of print involves understanding the conventional aspects of written language, such as recognizing letters, words, and punctuation, which is separate from the sound properties. Spelling knowledge pertains to the understanding of how sounds correspond to letters and letter combinations, which derives from both phonological awareness and visual memory, but is not the primary skill about recognizing and producing spoken sounds.