The Assessment of Teaching Skills Written (ATSW, also written ATS-W) was a New York State Education Department assessment for teacher candidates. It is no longer offered, but its topics still match general teaching knowledge. This page lists our free practice sets by topic, shows worked answers and gives a study plan.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Time limit (Secondary ATS-W (091)) | 4 hours (4 h 15 min appointment)[1] | New York State Education Department · Oct 28, 2026 |
| Retake policy | Wait 60 days to retake[2] | New York State Education Department · Oct 28, 2026 |
| Validity | 1 year from issue date[3] | New York State Education Department · Oct 28, 2026 |
| Delivery | No longer offered (retired July 1, 2018)[4] | regents.nysed.gov · Oct 28, 2026 |
According to New York State Education Department, “Beginning on July 1, 2018, the ATS-W (the current edTPA Safety Net) will no longer be available and candidates will no longer be able to register for or take that exam.”[4]
The Assessment of Teaching Skills Written, usually written ATS-W, was a New York State Teacher Certification Examinations safety net assessment run by the New York State Education Department. Its official content areas were Instruction and Assessment, a constructed-response assignment within that area, Student Development and Learning, and The Professional Environment.
Delivery. The assessment is no longer offered. The Board of Regents record states that beginning on July 1, 2018, the ATS-W would no longer be available and candidates would no longer be able to register for or take it. If you are looking for a current route to certification, check the official New York State Teacher Certification Examinations site and the department's certification pages. Requirements vary by certificate title and can change, so rely on the official source rather than this page.
Format and rules, for reference. The Secondary ATS-W (091) listed a total appointment time of 4 hours and 15 minutes, with 4 hours of test time. The retake policy for safety net tests required a wait of 60 days before retaking the same test. A registration was valid for 1 year from the date of issue.
We have not verified scoring details, so we do not state a passing score. Our practice sets are written by us with AI tools. They are not real exam questions, and they work best as a review of general teaching knowledge.
The content areas below are copied from the official ATSW content outline published by New York State Education Department. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Practice on this site |
|---|---|
| Instruction and Assessment[5] | ATSW Assessment & Evaluation Methods Practise matching assessment methods to learning goals, and planning lessons and curriculum so that instruction and evaluation line up. |
| Instruction and Assessment: Constructed-Response Assignment[5] | ATSW Instructional Planning & Delivery Str... Practise explaining your instructional choices in clear written form, giving a reason for each strategy and how you would check learning. |
| Student Development and Learning[5] | ATSW Student Development & Learning Theory Review learning theory, developmental stages and how to adapt teaching for diverse learners and special populations. |
| The Professional Environment[5] | ATSW Ethical Standards Review ethical standards, communication with families and colleagues, and how teachers work within a school community. |
Prepare for the ATSW - Assessment of Teaching Skills Written exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: Which approach to curriculum organization arranges content from simple to complex across grade levels?
Answer: A. Spiral curriculum
Explanation:
A spiral curriculum is correct because it returns to the same concepts across grade levels and adds complexity each time, so earlier learning is reinforced and deepened. A thematic curriculum is organized around topics or themes, not a simple-to-complex sequence. A modular curriculum is divided into self-contained units that can be taken in varying order. An integrated curriculum blends several subject areas together, which is a different organizing idea from sequencing by difficulty.
Rule to remember: when a question describes revisiting ideas with growing depth over time, think spiral. When it describes combining subjects, think integrated.
Question: What distinguishes a Assessment of Teaching Skills Written certified professional from a non-certified practitioner?
Answer: B. Certification validates competency through standardized assessment against established benchmarks
Explanation:
The correct option says certification validates competency through standardized assessment against established benchmarks. That is the purpose of a credential: it gives objective evidence that someone meets a defined standard. Experience is not what separates the groups, so the option claiming certified professionals always have more years is wrong, because an experienced person may be uncertified. The claim that there is no meaningful difference ignores the verified benchmark. The claim about larger organizations is an unsupported generalization.
Rule to remember: be wary of absolute words such as always, only and exclusively. The best answer usually ties the credential to verified standards.
Question: What role does collaboration play in critical thinking for ATSW professionals?
Answer: B. It enhances outcomes through diverse perspectives and shared expertise
Explanation:
Collaboration enhances outcomes through diverse perspectives and shared expertise, which is why that option is correct. Colleagues can spot gaps, challenge assumptions and bring different knowledge to a problem. The option saying it slows work unnecessarily treats a normal professional practice as a cost. The option limiting it to emergencies misses that it helps in routine planning and review. The option saying it reduces individual accountability is wrong because people still answer for their own contributions.
Rule to remember: in professional-practice questions, answers that describe shared problem solving with maintained responsibility are usually correct.
Start with the official material. Read the content areas listed above and the department's current certification pages so you know what applies to your situation. Then use our sets to find weak spots.
Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so treat them as a way to review ideas, not to predict a test.
No. The Board of Regents record states that beginning on July 1, 2018, the ATS-W would no longer be available and candidates could no longer register for or take it. Check the New York State Education Department and the NYSTCE site for the assessments that apply to your certificate now.
For the Secondary ATS-W (091), the official page listed 4 hours and 15 minutes total appointment time, and the test time itself was 4 hours. Other versions may have differed, so the official NYSTCE pages are the place to confirm details.
The NYSTCE retake policy said you must wait 60 days after taking a safety net test or assessment before retaking the same test. Because the ATS-W is retired, this matters now only as background or for similar safety net rules.
A NYSTCE registration was valid for 1 year from the date of issue, according to the official fees and payment page. Check the current NYSTCE rules before relying on this for any other test.
No. We wrote these questions with AI tools to help you review teaching topics such as assessment, curriculum, learning theory and professional ethics. They are not copied from any exam, and doing well on them does not predict a result on any official test.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.