Test Registration and Preparation
Testing vendors administer tests. You must have the approval to test unless you are a Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) candidate.
- 2019-20 Texas Educator Certification Tests with Test Codes (updates coming soon)
- Test Approval
TEA does not review or endorse test preparation material beyond what the testing company may have on its website. For assistance with test preparation, contact an Educator Preparation Program, school district, or a regional service center.
Testing Vendors
There are currently three testing vendors for obtaining Texas certification.
Pearson
Pearson (outside source) administers the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES), the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), the TX PACT (Pre-Admission content test), the edTPA pilot exams, and the Texas Assessment of Sign Communications (TASC and TASC-ASL).
- Program policies (outside source) provide rules and procedures related to testing, registration, and score reporting.
- Preparation materials (outside source) provide test information, sample questions, and general test-taking strategies.
- Alternative Testing Arrangements (outside source) are available for those needing special testing accommodations.
Phone, email, and chat support are available through the Pearson Customer Contact Center using the information found on the Contact Us page on the program website.
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (outside source), through its testing division Language Testing International (LTI) (outside source), administers tests in a number of languages for Texas teachers, for use with Bilingual Education and Languages Other Than English (LOTE) certificates. Each language certificate requires an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and a Writing Proficiency Test (WPT). LTI cannot send scores to TEA for exams that are older than five years.
The Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer (OPIc) will not be accepted in place of the OPI.
Call LTI at 1-800-486-8444 for registration assistance.
| Foreign Language and Bilingual Exams | |
|---|---|
| Arabic - LOTE and Bilingual | Korean - LOTE only |
| Chinese (Mandarin) - LOTE and Bilingual | Portuguese - LOTE only |
| Hindi - LOTE only | Russian - LOTE only |
| Italian - LOTE only | Turkish - LOTE only |
| Japanese - LOTE and Bilingual | Vietnamese - LOTE and Bilingual |
| Texas passing standards on ACTFL tests (PDF unavailable) | |
Applicants needing to take a PACT exam in Arabic, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, or Vietnamese must have an EPP submit their request to TEA through the Help Desk.
ETS
ETS administers the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL).
- Frequently Asked Questions about the PASL are available.
- Preparation materials include a PASL candidate and educator handbook, submission system user guide, assessment overview, virtual or hybrid environment guidance, plan template, observation form walk-through, and more that are valuable resources for completing the assessment.
- Alternative Testing Arrangements are available for test takers with disabilities or health-related needs.
- Out of State candidates will be asked to select an Educator Preparation Program during registration. Select “Texas” from the Select State drop-down list and then select the “Prepared Out of State (TX) (6918)” listing from the Educator Preparation Program drop-down list.
Call ETS at 1-855-628-5088 for assistance. You can also email ETS at pasl@ets.org.