Carla Kirkland - Praxis Core For Dummies, with Online Practice Tests

Praxis Core For Dummies

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Chapter 1

In This Chapter

Knowing why youre taking the Praxis

Finding out whats on the Praxis

Seeing how the Praxis is scored

For decades teacher candidates have been taking assessments in order to meet certification requirements. Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators is the latest version of these tests that measure core skills in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics for potential teacher candidates. This chapter gives you an overview of what you need to know about the exam.

If you want to become a teacher, you may face the Praxis at some point on the road to certification. You may take it to get into a teaching program at college, or you may take it to get your teaching license before starting a second career. If youre lucky, you may only take it once, but our bet is that youll take it twice before youre fully qualified to work in a classroom.

Colleges and universities use the Praxis Core testing series to determine whether teaching program candidates meet the minimum requirements to enter into the field of teaching. Most colleges and universities wont allow admission into their teacher preparation programs until candidates complete this basic skills exam. Undergraduate students generally take the Praxis early in their college career. Some students may be able to skip taking certain parts of the Praxis if they have a high score on college entrance exams like the ACT.

Most states also use the Praxis as a certification test to show that youve mastered the skills needed to be a highly competent teacher. In many cases, teaching licenses are directly tied to this test. Age doesnt get you out of this standardized test.

Almost every state in the country uses some form of the Praxis. Contact your state department of education for specific licensure details.

The newly developed Praxis Core evaluates the core academic abilities of prospective educators in the areas of reading, writing, and math. Previously, this test was called the Praxis I Pre Professional Skills Test, but ETS (Educational Testing Services, the folks who create the exam) decided to make a change to reflect the requirement to get potential teachers up to the level needed to meet the Common Core State Standards. According to ETS, the test is broken down into the following three parts:

• The reading test: This test poses multiple-choice questions based on reading passages and statements.
• The writing test: This test is divided into two sections. The multiple-choice section tests grammar usage, sentence correction, revision in context, and research skills. The test also requires you to write two essays based on information presented; one is an argumentative essay, and the other is an explanation of a topic.
• The mathematics test: This test measures multiple mathematics topics up to the advanced high-school level. The format of the test has numeric entry questions and multiple-choice questions that may require you to select one or more choices. They do give you access to an on-screen calculator.

The following sections give you more details about the subtests and the question types so you dont encounter any (or too many) surprises when you sit down to take the test.

Just like most other standardized tests youve taken, the Praxis includes long reading passages, complicated math problems, and detailed essay topics. Youll have a set number of questions about certain topics to answer in a given amount of time. Check out Table for the breakdown.

Table 1-1 Breakdown of the Praxis

Each subject is broken down further into specific concepts:

• Reading:
  • Key ideas and details: