The TExES exams, or the Texas Examination of Educator Standards, are exams that are developed and administered by the Texas State Board for Educator Certification and the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
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The TExES exams are given in a variety of subject areas, and they are used to determine if a person has the professional and content knowledge necessary for an entry-level teaching position in a Texas public school. All people who want to become certified to teach in the Texas public schools must take a TExES exam. The exams are based on the TExES educator standards, which are in turn based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Registration for any of the Texas teacher certification exams can be accomplished in several ways. Registration can be performed online on the website for the State Board for Educator Certification/Texas Education Agency. Registration can also be done by mail, using the registration form that can be found in the Registration Bulletin online, or downloaded from the TEA website. You may also register over the phone by calling 1-866-902-5922 from 8am-5pm Central Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
When registering, a test date and location must be selected. Test dates and locations can be found online. In addition, a test session must also be selected. Tests are given in both the morning and the afternoon on a given test date. Test-takers can take up to two tests during each test administration; one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Information concerning registration deadlines and fees can also be found online on the TEA website.
Once registered, all registrants will receive an admission ticket. People who registered over the phone or through the mail will get admission tickets in the mail. People who registered online can either request that a ticket be sent to them in the mail, or they can print the ticket from their computers. Specific information as to what to bring to the tests can be found online as well.
The TExES exams are given either on paper or on a computer. The majority of the exams are paper-based exams, however. These exams test a variety of subjects, and they are based on the TExES educator standards. All of the examinations consist of multiple-choice questions, however, some exams have other question formats, such as constructed response questions.
The types of questions and the test breakdown will depend on the specific TExES exam being taken. The exams may also contain some pilot test questions, and these items are not scored as part of the overall score. They are used to test questions for future TExES examinations. Specific details about each TExES exam can be found online at the TEA website.
The TExES exams are all scored using a scaled score. This score, for each test, ranges from 100 to 300, and a total scaled score of 240 is considered to be the minimum passing score. This minimum score represents the minimum level of professional and content knowledge that is required to obtain an entry level educator position in the Texas public schools in the field in which one was tested.
The scaled scores are used in order to be able to compare scores from a certain TExES exam taken on different testing dates, in addition to allowing for comparisons in scores across different test subjects. Scores on the TExES exams are reported to both the test taker and the TEA. Information on canceling scores or on rescoring examinations can be found online on the TEA website.
There are many things that can be done to prepare for the TExES exams. Learning what the test that is being taken covers and reviewing that material is very important. Taking some TExES practice tests is also useful in preparation. For the test day, knowing what one needs to bring to the test is crucial. Acceptable identification and an admission ticket are needed for admission to all TExES exams.
Information about acceptable forms of identification can be found online on the TEA website. Also, for certain examinations, a scientific calculator or a graphing calculator is recommended for use during the test. Information on what tests require calculators can also be found online on the TEA website. If taking a computer-based test, taking advantage of the 30 minute computer tutorial is also advantageous. And, pacing yourself during the exam, for both the paper-based and computer-based tests, is crucial.
- Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources 6–12 (272)
- Art EC-12 (178)
- Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) Spanish (190)
- Business and Finance 6-12 (276)
- Computer Science 8-12 (241)
- Core Subjects 4-8 (211)
- Core Subjects EC-6 (291)
- Dance 6-12 (279)
- Educational Diagnostician (253)
- English As A Second Language Supplemental (154)
- English Language Arts and Reading 4-8 (117)
- English Language Arts and Reading 7-12 (331)
- Health EC-12 (257)
- History 7-12 (233)
- Life Science 7-12 (238)
- LOTE Spanish (613) Practice Test
- Mathematics 4-8 (115)
- Mathematics 7-12 (235)
- Mathematics/Science 4-8 (114)
- Music EC-12 (177)
- Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC-12 (160)
- Physical Education EC-12 (258)
- School Librarian (150)
- Science 4-8 (116)
- Science 7-12 (236)
- Science of Teaching Reading (293)
- Social Studies 4-8 (118)
- Social Studies 7-12 (232)
- Special Education EC-12 (161)
- Special Education Supplemental (163)
- Speech 7-12 (129)
- Superintendent (195)
- Technology Education 6-12 (171)
- Theatre EC-12 (180)
The Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) is the new Texas teacher certification examination. The Examination for the Certification of Educators (ExCET) in Texas is being phased out.