This free CTEL 3 study guide covers everything the Culture and Inclusion subtest (test code 033) measures — organized to the current California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) and Pearson content for each of its two domains.[2]
It’s interactive, not a wall of text: each domain module has built-in checkpoint quizzes, labeled diagrams, hover-able glossary terms, and flashcards, so you learn by doing — not just reading.
CTEL 3 is one of three CTEL subtests, each passed and banked separately, so you can conquer this one on its own. It pairs 40 multiple-choice questions with 1 constructed-response (essay) assignment across two evenly weighted domains.
Read a module, test yourself at each checkpoint, then drill gaps with our free practice test and flashcards. This guide is a high-yield overview of what the subtest tests — not a full textbook.
CTEL 3 Exam Snapshot
| Detail | CTEL 3 |
|---|---|
| Test name & code | CTEL Subtest III: Culture and Inclusion (033) |
| Part of | The CTEL — 3 subtests (031 Language, 032 Assessment & Instruction, 033 Culture) |
| Format | 40 multiple-choice questions + 1 constructed-response (essay) assignment |
| Domains | 2 (evenly weighted): Culture & Cultural Diversity; Culturally Inclusive Instruction |
| Time | 1 hour 30 minutes of testing (plus a short tutorial and agreement) |
| Scoring | Scaled 100–300; MC ≈70% and constructed-response ≈30% of the subtest score |
| Passing score | Scaled score of 220 (each subtest passed independently) |
| Delivery | Computer-based at Pearson VUE test centers; year-round appointments |
| Fee | ≈$98 for CTEL 3 alone (verify the current fee when you register) |
| Used for | Earning a California English Learner authorization (e.g., CLAD) by examination |
| Retakes | Retake only the subtest(s) you didn't pass; passing scores are banked (45-day wait) |
One subtest of 40 multiple-choice questions plus 1 constructed-response assignment, in 1 hour 30 minutes. Computer-based at a Pearson VUE test center.
- 40 Multiple-Choice Questions≈ 70% of the scaled score20 items on Domain 1 (Culture and Cultural Diversity) and 20 on Domain 2 (Culturally Inclusive Instruction).
- 1 Constructed-Response Assignment≈ 30% of the scaled scoreOne written (essay) assignment drawn from Domain 1 — analyze a scenario and apply principles of culture and cultural diversity.
The multiple-choice and constructed-response sections combine into one scaled score. CTEL 3 is one of the three CTEL subtests (031, 032, 033), each passed and banked separately.
CTEL 3 is the third of the three-subtest sequence. Because each subtest is scored and passed independently at 220, you can prepare for and clear Culture and Inclusion on its own.[3] This guide focuses entirely on the 033 content.
The two domains split the multiple-choice section evenly, 20 / 20, and the single constructed-response essay draws on Domain 1 — so weight your study across both. The CTC organizes the subtest into these two domains; this guide teaches each as a module, in official order, with its core topics as checkable subsections.[2]
Module 1 · Culture & Cultural Diversity
What culture is, how cultures change in contact, and why that matters for achievement. This domain asks you to define cultural concepts precisely and to explain how culture shapes a student’s learning and participation.[2] It also holds the single constructed-response essay.
Above the surface — surface (visible) culture
The small, observable “tip” — easy to see and to celebrate: Food & dress, Music & dance, Holidays & festivals, Language & greetings, Art & flags.
Below the surface — deep (invisible) culture
The much larger, hidden base that drives behavior and is learned unconsciously: Values & beliefs, Notions of fairness & justice, Concepts of self & identity, Attitudes toward time & space, Communication & eye-contact norms, Roles, family & authority expectations, Approaches to learning & problem-solving.
1.1 Defining Culture: Surface & Deep
is shared, learned, and dynamic — not fixed or biological. The iceberg metaphor splits it in two: is the visible tip (food, dress, music, holidays), while is the much larger hidden base — values, beliefs, attitudes toward time, and concepts of self that are learned unconsciously and drive behavior. A “tourist” or “heroes and holidays” approach that celebrates only surface culture misses the deep values that shape how students learn.
| Element | Layer | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Food, dress, music, holidays | Surface (visible) | Festivals, traditional clothing, cuisine |
| Language & greetings | Surface (visible) | How people say hello, gestures |
| Values & beliefs | Deep (invisible) | Notions of fairness, success, family |
| Communication norms | Deep (invisible) | Eye contact, directness, turn-taking |
| Concepts of time & self | Deep (invisible) | Punctuality, individual vs. group identity |
1.2 Cultural Concepts & Contact
Two stances frame how we view other cultures: understands a practice on its own terms, while judges others against one’s own culture. Cultural contact produces change: is learning your home culture; is the change from ongoing contact between cultures; and is one outcome in which the home culture is given up for the dominant one. is the stress of adjusting to a new culture, often moving through stages.
Integration
Maintain heritage culture: YES · Adopt host culture: YES
Keep the home culture and language while participating in the new one — bicultural. Linked to the best academic and psychological outcomes.
Assimilation
Maintain heritage culture: NO · Adopt host culture: YES
Give up the home culture and adopt the dominant culture. Can cost identity, the home language, and family ties (subtractive).
Separation
Maintain heritage culture: YES · Adopt host culture: NO
Hold to the home culture and reject the new one — by choice or because of exclusion. Limits access to the wider community.
Marginalization
Maintain heritage culture: NO · Adopt host culture: NO
Connected to neither culture — often the result of discrimination or forced loss. Linked to the poorest outcomes.
1.3 Cultural Identity & Dimensions
is a learner’s sense of belonging to one or more cultural groups; it develops over time and is tightly bound to language. Cultures also vary along describable dimensions — vs. , and vs. communication — that help explain classroom differences in participation, cooperation, and directness. Use these as continua to understand students, never as boxes to stereotype them.
Individualist orientation
Emphasis on the individual, personal achievement, independence, self-expression, and speaking up. Standing out is valued.
Collectivist orientation
Emphasis on the group, family, and community; interdependence, harmony, and saving face. Cooperation over standing out.
Low-context communication
Meaning is in the explicit words; people say directly what they mean. Directness is expected and valued.
High-context communication
Meaning relies on shared context, relationships, and nonverbal cues; messages are often indirect to preserve harmony.
1.4 Culture, Language & Academic Achievement
The defining question of Domain 1 is how culture relates to achievement. Culture shapes communication styles, participation norms, prior knowledge, and ways of learning.
When the home culture and the school’s culture differ, a cultural mismatch — not a deficit — can affect participation and outcomes. The teaching response is to bridge that gap with culturally inclusive instruction and to treat the home language and culture as assets.[4]
1.5 Intergroup Relations & Bias
CTEL 3 expects you to distinguish three related ideas. A is an oversimplified belief about a whole group; is a negative attitude based on group membership; and is unequal treatment that acts on that prejudice.
For English learners, bias can lower expectations, distort placement and referrals, and harm identity. Teachers must recognize their own implicit bias and build classrooms that actively counter stereotyping.
Checkpoint · Culture & Cultural Diversity
Question 1 of 10
In the study of culture, what does the metaphor of an iceberg most directly illustrate?
Module 2 · Culturally Inclusive Instruction
Turning cultural knowledge into inclusive, responsive teaching. This domain expects you to know the pedagogical frameworks and the legal and policy context — and, more importantly, to apply them to classroom decisions.[2] Every “correct” answer here reflects an asset-based, equity-minded stance.
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995)
Three pillars: academic success, cultural competence (valuing students' home cultures), and sociopolitical/critical consciousness to question inequities.
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Geneva Gay (2000)
Use students' cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and frames of reference to make learning more relevant and effective — teaching to and through students' strengths.
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
Django Paris & H. Samy Alim (2012)
Go beyond responding: actively sustain and grow students' languages, literacies, and cultures as valuable in their own right — not just a bridge to the dominant culture.
2.1 Culturally Responsive, Relevant & Sustaining Pedagogy
Three connected frameworks anchor this domain. (Ladson-Billings) rests on three pillars — academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical (critical) consciousness.
(Gay) teaches to and throughstudents’ cultural knowledge and prior experiences. (Paris) goes further, actively sustaining and growing students’ languages and cultures as valuable in their own right.
2.2 Sociopolitical & Legal Context of EL Education
English learners’ rights rest on key legal foundations. (1974) established that identical English instruction for students who can’t understand it is not equal treatment — schools must take affirmative steps.
(1981) set a three-part test for EL programs: sound theory, effective implementation, and evaluation that overcomes barriers. In California, the frames current policy with assets-oriented, needs-responsive principles and high expectations.[4]
| Authority | Year | What it established |
|---|---|---|
| Lau v. Nichols | 1974 | Same instruction in English is not equal access; schools must take affirmative steps |
| Equal Educational Opportunities Act | 1974 | Requires schools to act to overcome language barriers for students |
| Castañeda v. Pickard | 1981 | Three-part test: sound theory, effective implementation, evaluated results |
| California EL Roadmap | 2017 | State policy: assets-oriented, needs-responsive, high expectations, system-wide |
2.3 Funds of Knowledge & Validating Home Cultures
(González, Moll, Amanti) are the knowledge and skills found in students’ households and communities — caregiving, trades, traditions, and language. Teachers learn these, often through home visits, and build them into instruction so new academic content connects to what students already know. Drawing on funds of knowledge validates the home culture and is an asset-based move — the opposite of treating the home as a gap to fill.
Home & family
Caregiving, cooking, budgeting, repair, gardening, multilingual translation done daily at home.
Work & trade
Skills from family occupations — agriculture, construction, business, mechanics, health care.
Community & culture
Religious practices, music, storytelling, traditional knowledge, mutual-aid networks.
The classroom
Teachers learn families’ knowledge (often through home visits) and build it into lessons — linking new academic content to what students already know.
2.4 Family & Community Engagement
Effective engagement treats families as partners, not problems. That means two-way communication in the home language, welcoming and accessible events, respect for families’ cultural views of schooling and their roles, and the active removal of barriers (time, transportation, language, and prior experience with schools). Community organizations and cultural resources extend the classroom and strengthen home–school partnerships.
2.5 Equitable, Anti-Bias Classrooms
A culturally inclusive classroom is built on , high expectations for every student, and an environment that visibly values diversity. That means curriculum and materials that reflect students’ backgrounds (so every student sees themselves), explicitly anti-bias practices, multiple ways to participate, and instruction that surfaces and counters stereotypes rather than reinforcing them.
2.6 Asset-Based Instruction
The thread running through this whole domain is the contrast between an and a . An asset-based teacher sees the home language, culture, and experience as resources to build on and locates the cause of struggle in instruction and opportunity.
A deficit view defines students by what they “lack” and locates struggle in the student. On CTEL 3, the correct answer reflects the asset-based stance nearly every time.
Checkpoint · Culturally Inclusive Instruction
Question 1 of 10
'Culturally responsive teaching' is best defined as:
The Constructed-Response Assignment
CTEL 3 includes one constructed-response (essay) assignment, worth about 30%of your scaled score, drawn from Domain 1 (Culture and Cultural Diversity). It typically presents a classroom scenario or a focused prompt about culture, cultural diversity, or its relationship to achievement, and asks you to apply principles — for example, to explain a learner’s experience using a cultural concept and recommend a culturally inclusive response. Scorers reward an accurate, well-supported, on-topic response that uses the field’s concepts correctly.[3]
- 1
Read the prompt and identify the task
Pin down exactly what is asked — identify a concept, explain a cause, and/or recommend a strategy. Address every part.
- 2
Name the concept precisely
State the relevant principle exactly (e.g., deep vs. surface culture, acculturation, cultural mismatch, asset-based instruction, funds of knowledge) to show command of the field.
- 3
Tie the concept to the scenario's evidence
Quote or reference specific details from the scenario and explain how the cultural principle accounts for them — don't define in a vacuum.
- 4
Recommend a culturally inclusive response
Propose a concrete, asset-based instructional move and justify it, connecting it back to the cultural principle and the student's needs.
How to Use This CTEL 3 Study Guide
Because each CTEL subtest is passed separately, you can focus entirely on CTEL 3. Work it domain by domain:
- Master the culture concepts first. Module 1 is half the test — be able to define surface vs. deep culture, the contact phenomena, Berry’s strategies, and the cultural dimensions precisely.
- Read a module, then check yourself. Take the end-of-module checkpoint to see exactly which sub-topics need another pass.
- Practice applying, not just defining. CTEL 3 items are often scenarios — drill the flashcards and a practice test until you can match a situation to the right concept or framework.
- Rehearse the essay. Practice the constructed-response structure above on Domain 1 scenarios — name the cultural concept, cite the evidence, recommend an asset-based response.
- Default to asset-based answers. When choices differ only in framing, the strengths-based, anti-deficit option is almost always correct on CTEL 3.
- Check off as you go. Mark each section done in the Study Guide Contents — it raises your exam-readiness score.
Multiple-choice (≈70%) and the constructed response (≈30%) combine into a single scaled score from 100 to 300. You need a scaled score of 220 to pass — each subtest is passed independently.
The two domains split the multiple-choice section 20 / 20 — an even 50/50. The single constructed-response essay sits in Domain 1, so weight your study evenly across both.
CTEL 3 Concept Questions
Common CTEL 3 concepts candidates study, at least six per domain — each answered briefly and backed by an official CTC / Pearson source. Test yourself, then drill them as flashcards.
CTEL 3 Glossary
The high-yield CTEL 3 terms across both domains in one place — hover any dotted term in the guide, or flip the whole deck here as a self-grading flashcard set.
- Acculturation
- The cultural and psychological change that results from ongoing contact between two or more cultural groups.
- Asset-based view
- Seeing a learner's language, culture, and experiences as strengths and resources to build on — the opposite of a deficit view.
- Assimilation
- An outcome of acculturation in which a person gives up the home culture and adopts the dominant culture — often losing the home language (subtractive).
- Biculturalism
- The ability to function in, and identify with, two cultures at once — associated with Berry's integration strategy.
- Castañeda v. Pickard
- The 1981 ruling setting a three-part test for EL programs: sound theory, effective implementation with adequate resources, and evaluation that overcomes barriers.
- Collectivism
- A cultural orientation that emphasizes the group, family, and community, with interdependence, harmony, and saving face.
- Cultural identity
- A person's sense of belonging to one or more cultural groups, shaped by language, ethnicity, family, and experience; it develops over time.
- Cultural relativism
- Understanding a culture's practices on their own terms, without judging them by the standards of one's own culture.
- Culturally relevant pedagogy
- Gloria Ladson-Billings's framework built on three pillars: academic success, cultural competence, and sociopolitical (critical) consciousness.
- Culturally responsive teaching
- Geneva Gay's approach of using students' cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and frames of reference to make learning more relevant and effective.
- Culturally sustaining pedagogy
- Django Paris's approach that actively sustains and grows students' languages, literacies, and cultures as valuable in their own right.
- Culture
- The shared, learned, and dynamic system of values, beliefs, norms, language, and practices of a group — most of it (the 'deep' part) is invisible and learned unconsciously.
- Culture shock
- The disorientation, stress, and anxiety a person feels when adapting to an unfamiliar culture.
- Deep culture
- The hidden elements of culture — values, beliefs, attitudes toward time, concepts of self, and communication norms — that drive behavior and are learned unconsciously.
- Deficit view
- Defining a learner by what they 'lack' (English, background) and treating the home language and culture as problems to overcome.
- Discrimination
- Unequal or unfair treatment of a person or group, acting on prejudice.
- EL Roadmap
- California's policy guiding services for English learners, built on assets-oriented, needs-responsive principles with high expectations.
- Enculturation
- The process of learning one's first or home culture, usually in childhood.
- Ethnocentrism
- Using one's own culture as the standard and viewing other cultures as inferior, wrong, or strange.
- Funds of knowledge
- The accumulated knowledge and skills in students' households and communities (González, Moll, Amanti) that teachers draw on as instructional resources.
- High-context communication
- Communication in which meaning relies heavily on shared context, relationships, and nonverbal cues; messages are often indirect.
- Individualism
- A cultural orientation that emphasizes the individual, personal achievement, independence, and self-expression.
- Lau v. Nichols
- The 1974 Supreme Court ruling that identical instruction in English for students who cannot understand it is not equal treatment; schools must take affirmative steps.
- Low-context communication
- Communication in which meaning is carried explicitly in the words; people state directly what they mean.
- Prejudice
- A negative attitude or feeling toward a person based on their membership in a group.
- Scaffolding
- Temporary, targeted support (sentence frames, visuals, modeling) that helps a learner do a task, then is gradually removed.
- Stereotype
- An oversimplified, fixed belief about all members of a group.
- Surface culture
- The visible, observable elements of culture — food, dress, music, holidays, and language — the 'tip' of the iceberg.
Free CTEL 3 Study Materials & Resources
Everything you need to prepare for CTEL 3 is free here — no paywall, no sign-up. This guide is the foundation; pair it with the rest of our free CTEL 3 study materials for active recall and timed practice:
- CTEL 3 Practice Test — exam-style questions across both domains, with explanations.
- CTEL 3 Flashcards — active-recall decks for the culture concepts and instruction frameworks.
CTEL 3 Study Guide FAQ
CTEL 3 — Subtest III: Culture and Inclusion (test code 033) — has 40 multiple-choice questions plus 1 constructed-response (essay) assignment across two domains: Culture and Cultural Diversity and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement, and Culturally Inclusive Instruction. You get 1 hour 30 minutes. Multiple choice is about 70% of the subtest score and the essay about 30%, reported on a 100–300 scale with 220 needed to pass.
Three. CTEL 1 (Language and Language Development, test 031), CTEL 2 (Assessment and Instruction, test 032), and CTEL 3 (Culture and Inclusion, test 033). Each subtest is scored and passed separately, so you can prepare for and pass CTEL 3 on its own and bank that passing score.
Domain 1, Culture and Cultural Diversity and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement, covers what culture is (surface and deep), cultural contact (acculturation, assimilation, Berry's strategies), cultural identity and dimensions, how culture affects achievement, and intergroup relations and bias. Domain 2, Culturally Inclusive Instruction, covers culturally responsive, relevant, and sustaining pedagogy, the legal and sociopolitical context (Lau, Castañeda, the California EL Roadmap), funds of knowledge, family and community engagement, and asset-based teaching. The 40 multiple-choice items split evenly, 20 per domain.
You need a scaled score of 220 on CTEL 3. The multiple-choice and constructed-response portions are combined into that single scaled score, with multiple choice weighted about 70% and the written assignment about 30%. Each subtest is passed independently at 220.
Surface culture is the visible 'tip of the iceberg' — food, dress, music, holidays, and language. Deep culture is the much larger hidden base: values, beliefs, attitudes toward time, concepts of self, and communication norms that are learned unconsciously and drive behavior. CTEL 3 stresses that teaching only surface culture misses the deep values that shape how students learn.
Candidates pursuing a California English Learner authorization (such as a CLAD) by examination take the CTEL. Passing all three CTEL subtests, including CTEL 3, is one route to the authorization that lets a teacher provide instruction to English learners. This guide, practice test, and flashcards are free.
Work one domain at a time. Read each module, take the end-of-module checkpoint quiz, then drill weak areas with our free practice test and flashcards. Lock down the culture concepts (surface vs. deep, Berry's acculturation strategies, dimensions of culture) and the instruction frameworks (Gay, Ladson-Billings, Paris, funds of knowledge, Lau and Castañeda), and rehearse the constructed-response essay. Check off each section to raise your exam-readiness score.
Yes. This guide is organized to the current CTEL Subtest III (033) structure from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and Pearson — its two domains of Culture and Cultural Diversity and Their Relationship to Academic Achievement, and Culturally Inclusive Instruction — and aligns to the California English Learner Roadmap from the California Department of Education.
References
- 1.California Commission on Teacher Credentialing / Pearson. “CTEL Program — Test Structure & Test Codes (031, 032, 033).” ctcexams.nesinc.com. ↑
- 2.California Commission on Teacher Credentialing / Pearson. “CTEL Subtest III: Culture and Inclusion (033) — Domains & Competencies.” ctcexams.nesinc.com. ↑
- 3.California Commission on Teacher Credentialing / Pearson. “CTEL — Sample Test Questions & Constructed-Response Scoring.” ctcexams.nesinc.com. ↑
- 4.California Department of Education. “California English Learner Roadmap — State Board Policy & Principles.” cde.ca.gov. ↑
- 5.California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. “English Learner Authorizations (CTEL).” ctc.ca.gov. ↑
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