CBEST (REA) -The Best Test Prep for the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST Teacher Certification Test Prep) [Paperback]

M. F. Andis (Author), Linda Bannister (Author), C. Funkhouser (Author), M. Ice (Author), A. Joshi (Author), A. Klein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878914099 | ISBN-13: 978-0878914098 | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

...Written by California and Oregon CBEST experts, this study guide is designed for candidates seeking teacher certification in either of those Western states

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Research & Education Association (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878914099
• ISBN-13: 978-0878914098
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,701,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT buy this book!, October 4, 2007

By 

Susan Chen (El Monte, Ca USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: CBEST (REA) -The Best Test Prep for the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST Teacher Certification Test Prep) (Paperback)

Run away from this book!

If you have no other way to study for the CBEST, then I would recommend borrowing this from the library ONLY. There were incorrect answers in each of the three math sections, all very obvious. Several "answers" didn't even have anything to do with the question!
Example: #9 on page 229:
If 2/3 is divided by 8/11, the quotient will lie between which TWO numbers?
a.) 3.39
b.) 3.25
c.) 3.11
d.) 2.97
e.) 2.83

Ummm... so I check in the back, clearly thinking I'm missing something. It says the answer is B. 2/3 divided by 8/11 = .916, which lies between .91 and .92.

The English portion of this is also filled with mistakes. Number 32 on page 23 has letter C being "Satisfaction." In the back, it states that the answer is C, "Pensive." Not only do these not match, but neither of these is actually the correct answer!!

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK... BORROW IT FROM THE LIBRARY only IF YOU ARE TRULY DESPERATE AND CANNOT FIND anything ELSE!! :)

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Nonsensical, February 5, 2005

By 

Steve Sailer (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: CBEST (REA) -The Best Test Prep for the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST Teacher Certification Test Prep) (Paperback)

I suspect that this book isn't very much like the CBEST. I was struck by how incomprehensible the reading test samples were. For instance:

"There is an importance of learning communication and meaning in language... Communication in the classroom is vital. The teacher should use communication to help students develop the capacity to make their private responses become public responses."

Huh?

If you are looking for a single sentence that combines the banal, the barbarous, and the unfathomable, it's hard to beat: "There is an importance of learning communication and meaning in language."

The clarity of other passages on the exam could be enhanced by recasting them as, say, dialogue spoken by Shaggy on Scooby-doo. For example,

"In view of the current emphasis on literature-based reading instruction, a greater understanding by teachers of variance in cultural, language, and story components should assist in narrowing the gap between reader and text and improve reading comprehension. Classroom teachers should begin with students' meaning and intentions about stories before moving students to the commonalities of story meaning based on common background and culture."

makes far more sense when rendered in Shaggy-speak:

You gotta dig where these stories are coming from, man! And you gotta grok where your kids heads are at.