Getting Ready for the 2011–12 Testing Year

Look to the Praxis™ website in late July for information about the upcoming 2011–2012 testing year, including updated state requirements, registration and test preparation.

Clients and candidates can expect more from their Praxis™ program this testing year, including:

• An expansion of the number of tests available on computer
• Additional centers for computer-delivered testing
• A new registration system
• Regenerated tests

Computer-Delivered Tests

More than 30 tests will be added to the Praxis computer-delivered offerings in 2011–12, making it possible for 80 percent of Praxis test takers to have computer delivery of their licensure examinations.

Additional Centers

In addition to Prometric® Test Centers, candidates choosing computer-delivered tests will have an expanded network of campus-based test centers available to them. A total of 440 computerized test centers are in the network and additional sites are being established to meet candidates' needs.

Enhanced Registration System

Enhancements to the Praxis Registration System will be introduced this fall, making it possible for candidates to register for paper and/or computer tests at the center of their choice and to view real-time seat availability for the date and time of their choice.

Regenerated Tests

The Praxis program will bring 15 regenerated tests to test takers for the 2011–12 testing year. Ongoing test regeneration is important to maintain currency and quality of the Praxis tests. As part of the test regeneration, three test titles will move to the Praxis Score Scale and the remainder of the regenerated tests will require the establishment of new passing scores. For the full list of regenerated tests read the New Praxis Test Offerings for 2011–12 article in the April newsletter.

Praxis Client Relations Directors will continue to work directly with Praxis state and agency users to assure that their programs are ready to begin the 2011–12 testing year.

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What's in a Code?

As Praxis titles are transitioned to computer delivery, we will be updating the codes so that the computer-delivered test codes begin with a five (Praxis titles) or six (SLS titles) and paper versions begin with zero or one. An example of this is the Elementary Education: Content Knowledge test. For paper delivery, the test code is 0014 while the computer-delivered version is 5014.

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Important Note for the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA)

The SLLA assessment will be transitioning to computer delivery beginning in January 2012. With this transition, the test will no longer be offered in paper-delivered administrations. The last paper-delivered administration of the SLLA will be September 17, 2011. For the remainder of the 2011–12 testing year, the test will be offered on four-day testing windows in the months of January, April and July.

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New Test Preparation

ETS has launched the Middle School English Language Arts Interactive Practice Test. This innovative practice test allows candidates to simulate a testing experience with a fully interactive, retired practice test for the Middle School English Language Arts test (code 0049).

Features of the interactive practice test include:

• A countdown timer allowing candidates to simulate a testing experience
• Rationales for correct answers
• Interactive scorecard grouped by topics, allowing candidates to quickly see on which topic
  area(s) they should focus their preparation

The new interactive test is available in the ETS store for $17.95 and is available as a 90-day subscription from the first launch of the practice test.

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The Praxis Client Conference

This year's Praxis Client Conference was held May 2–5 at the Chauncey Conference Center on the ETS campus in Princeton. Welcoming 50 clients from 34 states and territories was Walt MacDonald, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Linda Tyler, Vice President.

Highlighting the agenda were keynote speakers Dr. Stephen Sireci from the University of Massachusetts and Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Delaware State Secretary of Education. Conferees also visited ETS's Ewing campus to learn how test center administrators and call center personnel are trained.

During the event, Praxis program officials discussed program updates including the computer-delivered rollout plan, innovative measures in testing to improve content knowledge for teaching, and updates on the professional licensure project. Clients can contact their Client Relations Director for more information about any of the topics and information presented at the event.

The 2012 Praxis Client Conference will be held the first week of May. Stay tuned for more information.

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Research

Toward Increasing Teacher Diversity: Targeting Support and Intervention for Teacher Licensure Candidates

National Education Association (NEA) and Educational Testing Service (ETS) have been working collaboratively to support teacher candidates in preparing for The Praxis Series of teacher licensure assessments. NEA and ETS wanted to better understand why and how minority candidates struggle with teacher licensure assessments in order to improve interventions that could help address the problem. The report summarizes the results of the data analysis and interviews to provide insight and direction to intervention, describes some model intervention programs that have been developed to assist students, and offers commitments and recommendations for the future.
Download the report >

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Teacher Leader Model Standards

After two years of research and collaboration, the 39-member Teacher Leadership Exploratory Consortium released the Teacher Leader Model Standards. The Standards are designed to stimulate dialogue among stakeholders of the teaching profession about what knowledge, skills and competencies teachers need in order to assume leadership roles in their schools, districts and profession, and how teacher leadership can be distinguished from, but work in tandem with, formal administrative leadership roles to support good teaching and promote student learning.
Download the standards >

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