COST Praxis & State-Specific Testing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher certified in Ohio wants to teach in Texas. Which Texas-specific exam series would she most likely need to pass?
- Praxis Core Academic Skills
- Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) (Correct answer)
- edTPA portfolio assessment
- Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)
Correct answer: Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
Texas uses its own TExES exams rather than Praxis for certifying teachers in most subject and grade-level areas.
Question 2: Which of the following states does NOT require the Praxis Core as a prerequisite for initial teacher certification?
- Georgia
- Pennsylvania
- California (Correct answer)
- Virginia
Correct answer: California
California uses its own CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) instead of Praxis Core for basic skills screening.
Question 3: The Praxis Subject Assessments are primarily designed to measure:
- Classroom management competency
- Content knowledge in a specific teaching field (Correct answer)
- Interpersonal communication skills
- Student engagement strategies
Correct answer: Content knowledge in a specific teaching field
Praxis Subject Assessments evaluate a candidate's mastery of the content they will teach, such as mathematics or biology.
Question 4: A teacher holds a valid Praxis II score in Elementary Education. She moves from Delaware to Florida. What should she expect regarding Florida's acceptance of her scores?
- Florida automatically accepts all Praxis II scores from any state
- Florida may have its own minimum score requirements that differ from Delaware's (Correct answer)
- Florida does not accept any out-of-state test scores
- She only needs to retake the exam if her scores are over 5 years old
Correct answer: Florida may have its own minimum score requirements that differ from Delaware's
States set their own passing score thresholds for Praxis exams, so Florida's required score may be higher than Delaware's.
Question 5: The edTPA is best described as:
- A multiple-choice content knowledge exam
- A performance-based teacher assessment using classroom evidence (Correct answer)
- A background check system for educators
- A salary benchmarking tool for new teachers
Correct answer: A performance-based teacher assessment using classroom evidence
edTPA is a portfolio-style, performance-based assessment in which candidates submit lesson plans, video recordings, and student work samples for evaluation.
Question 6: Which organization administers the Praxis series of teacher licensure exams?
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
- Educational Testing Service (ETS) (Correct answer)
- American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
Correct answer: Educational Testing Service (ETS)
ETS (Educational Testing Service) develops, administers, and scores the Praxis series of educator assessments.
Question 7: A teacher who passed the Praxis II: Mathematics Content Knowledge exam in Michigan wants to use those scores for licensure in North Carolina. Which statement is most accurate?
- The scores are automatically transferred and accepted nationwide
- North Carolina will accept the scores if they meet NC's required cut score (Correct answer)
- Praxis II scores are only valid in the state where the exam was taken
- She must retake the exam at a North Carolina testing center
Correct answer: North Carolina will accept the scores if they meet NC's required cut score
Praxis scores are portable across states that use the same exam, provided the candidate meets the receiving state's passing threshold.
COST Praxis & State-Specific Testing 2
A teacher certified in Ohio wants to teach in Texas.
Which Texas-specific exam series would she most likely need to pass?