New Praxis™ Test Offerings for 2013–14

The Praxis™ program is gearing up for the 2013–14 testing year with the launch of 13 regenerated test titles. Multistate Standard Setting Studies will have been completed for most of the following tests prior to their first use in 2013–14. Tests moving to the Praxis score scale only and tests with changes to content categories only do not require a standard setting study.

States will consider the recommended passing scores from the Standard Setting Studies when they set passing scores for their jurisdictions. Please note that most of the regenerated tests have a new test code number. See the 2013–14 Regenerated Tests chart below for more information about each of these tests. Any state wishing to review the new test should contact their Client Relations Director.

Regenerated Tests for 2013–14 testing year:

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New Delivery Methods for Institutional Score Reports

In response to user feedback, ETS is currently working on providing Institutional Score Reports via two new delivery methods: the ETS® Data Manager (EDM) and Web Service. These platforms will allow score recipients to retrieve individual test taker's scores more quickly, in a user-friendly format and without the need for separate decryption software. Institutions will be able to select one or both delivery methods.

ETS Data Manager (EDM)

Scores will be accessible within EDM by using different reporting features that allow the institution to return more focused results. Users can extract data using some of the report types below:

Report Date — retrieving data by specific report date and testing program

Keyword Search — search by first name, last name, Social Security number or candidate identification number

Advanced Search — search by specific test, test date, date range and variable

Annual History Report — create a report containing test takers who reported to the Designated Institution within a selected year

Web Service

Scores will be retrieved through a server-to-server connection. Each institution will perform an initial, one-time setup to determine parameters for time frame and format. Data can be exported into XML, making this an ideal choice for large files.

Development of these services is on track and set to launch in May 2013. To help ease the transition, Designated Institution Score Recipients will continue to receive score reports in their current format for at least 90 days following the launch. Please be on the lookout this spring for invitations to sign up for training sessions via Live Meeting. If you have any questions about the new services, please contact your Client Relations Director.

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Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests

The Praxis program is pleased to announce the new Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. These new tests are aligned to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) Standards and Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and will be administered for the first time in fall 2013. These tests will replace the Praxis I® Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST®) in Reading, Writing and Mathematics.

These new Core Academic Skills for Educators tests are more rigorous and measure critical thinking and academic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. These new tests will provide states and agencies with a better indicator if the candidate is qualified by delivering tests that measure 21st-century skills. Key changes include:

• Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading — contains a wider variety of text types, with an emphasis on informational text that reflects the intent of the CCSS. The test will also include sets of questions that require the integration and analysis of multiple documents, as well as some alternate response types (e.g., select in passage), to enhance the authenticity of the tasks.
• Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing — reflects the importance of both argumentative writing and informative/explanatory writing, and will contain two writing tasks for each writing type. In addition, multiple-choice questions will be added to address the importance of research strategies and assess strategies for revising and improving text.
• Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics — new response formats will include numeric entry that will allow the student's means of responding to better match the skill that is being assessed. Test takers will have access to an on-screen calculator to help ensure that questions are testing mathematical reasoning by reducing the chance that a candidate's wrong response comes from a simple arithmetic error.

For more information regarding the new Praxis Core Academic Skills Tests contact your Client Relations Director.

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Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Test

As part of the Praxis II® test series, ETS offers the Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) test.

The Praxis ESOL test (0361) is aligned to the latest TESOL/NCATE Standards for the Recognition of Initial TESOL Programs in P–12 ESL Teacher Education. It includes language, pedagogical and cultural knowledge questions that assess categories in:

• Foundations of Linguistics and Language Learning
• Planning, Implementing and Managing Instruction
• Assessment
• Cultural and Professional Aspects of the Job

Plus, the Praxis ESOL test contains new questions to reflect the classroom experience and current pedagogical practices in the ESOL classroom. The questions incorporate authentic stimulus material, including student writing and multiple samples of nonnative speech. Visit the website to find out more information regarding the Praxis ESOL test.

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Praxis Pre-Service Portfolio

ETS is currently developing the Praxis Pre-Service Portfolio assessment for student teachers and it is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2014. The Praxis Pre-Service Portfolio is aligned to the Common Core, InTASC and State Standards, and can be embedded in teaching and clinical experience.

The new portfolio goal is to provide consistency to teacher preparation and emphasize reflective practice and professional growth with formative and summative assessments. The assessment contains four tasks which are embedded in the learning process with mentor and faculty feedback.

• Task 1 — Knowledge of Students and the Learning Environment
• Task 2 — Assessment and Data Collection to Measure Student Learning
• Task 3 — Instruction and Technology
• Task 4 — Culminating Task with Video

As part of the development process, ETS will convene development committee meetings in April and August of 2013 to assist with the design of the assessment. A large-scale field test will be conducted in spring 2014, which will be completed online by teacher candidates. For more information regarding the Praxis Pre-Service Portfolio, contact your Client Relations Director.

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New On-Demand Praxis Test Preparation Video

Watch the Praxis Test Preparation Webinar Video (Flash, 11 min, 49 sec.) for teacher candidates preparing to take a Praxis test. This on-demand video gives candidates a perfect starting place for their test preparation and can be viewed online at their own convenience.

Similar to the live Praxis I® and Praxis II® webinar series, this free Praxis webinar video delivers in-depth information about the Praxis tests and provides prospective test takers with a plan to help guide their preparation.

The webinar video covers topics including:

• An overview of The Praxis Series™ tests
• How to learn what the test covers
• How to assess your content knowledge
• Where to collect the materials to prepare
• Establishing a comprehensive approach to prepare and practice

This new resource is in addition to our test prep products and services that include free live webinars and videos, as well as priced tutorials, study guides and practice tests. Visit the Praxis website to find the new Test Preparation Webinar Video and all official Praxis test preparation materials.

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The Praxis Client Conference

The 2013 Praxis Client Conference will take place May 2–3, 2013. This year's conference will be held at the Chauncey Conference Center located on the ETS campus in Princeton, N.J., and online in a virtual environment. We look forward to sharing how we continue to expand services to meet your state's specific needs while making innovative advancements in test design. We can't wait to show you our plans for the next generation of The Praxis Series assessments, their alignment with Common Core Standards and what our progress on professional licensure means for teaching quality. Stay tuned for more information about this event.

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Praxis Symposium at NASDTEC Conference

ETS is sponsoring a free, half-day symposium on "The Future of Teacher Licensure" held immediately following the NASDTEC conference in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

For those attending NASDTEC, please make sure your conference room reservation includes Tuesday night, June 11 so that you may join us on Wednesday for this symposium. Hotel rooms for Tuesday night, as well as breakfast and lunch on Wednesday are included as part of the ETS sponsorship of the NASDTEC conference for all non-profit educational personnel. As a result, attending this informative symposium on the future of teacher licensure is provided to you at no cost. The symposium ends following lunch on Wednesday, so please make your travel arrangements accordingly.

To register for the symposium, visit NASDTEC's website and select the "2013 Wednesday Symposium for Employees of Non-Profits and Government Agencies" session listed under "Optional Tickets". Our agenda will be sent to you when it becomes available and will be posted on the NASDTEC conference website. Please note that this symposium does NOT replace the ETS Client Conference being held at the Chauncey Conference Center in Princeton on May 2–3.

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ETS Wins Contracts for the Nation's Report Card

The U.S. Department of Education's National Center on Education Statistics (NCES) has awarded three contracts to Educational Testing Service (ETS) to design, administer and report results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The award continues ETS's 30-year involvement with "The Nation's Report Card." In addition, ETS will coordinate an alliance of organizations responsible for operational components of the program.

The five-year contract will require the alliance to design innovative test content that takes advantage of new technologies and advances in cognitive sciences and the science of measurement. As specified by the government's Request for Proposal, ETS bid with a team of four other contractors as the "NAEP Alliance."

The NAEP assessments provide regular snapshots of what fourth-, eighth- and 12th-grade students know and can do in major curricula like reading, writing, mathematics and science, and track their academic progress over time.

ETS has been transforming the work by introducing new systems, processes and people that allow us to leverage advances in cognitive science, computer technologies and the science of measurement to bring the next generation of assessments to NAEP and the education community.

The contract, which begins now and runs through March 2018, is actually an award for three separate parts of the program:

• The Design, Analysis and Reporting (DAR) contract includes designing each of the subject-area assessments administered by NAEP.
• The Item Development contract involves developing content for the subject-area assessments, including the survey questionnaires that are used to collect important background and contextual data.
• The Planning and Coordination contract includes strategic planning and coordination of all activities across the NAEP alliance.

For more information, read the full press release.

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The Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education Releases a Public Policy Report and a Technical Report

The Gordon Commission on the Future of Assessment in Education, a high-level, 30-member commission of educators and thought leaders formed to examine the future of education and its assessment, issued a policy statement and a technical report, calling upon policymakers and the field to commit to a long-term effort to develop assessments that place greater emphasis on providing timely and valuable information to students and teachers.

The Commission's goal is to stimulate a national conversation about the relationship between assessment, teaching and learning at a time when policy developments have heightened awareness of the critical relationships among more rigorous standards, curriculum, instruction and appropriate assessment.

The Gordon Commission endorses the Common Core assessment's emphasis on competencies such as critical thinking and problem-solving, rather than on the rote recall of information and more basic skills. The report warns, however, that the potential of new assessments might not be reached if their purpose is solely to hold teachers and schools accountable for performance. The nation must invest in the development of new types of assessments that work together to inform teaching and learning and still provide measures of progress for accountability purposes.

For more information visit the website at www.gordoncommission.org.

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ETS Creates New Center for Advanced Psychometrics

In response to fundamental shifts in societal views about teaching, learning, and assessment, ETS has created a new Center for Advanced Psychometrics (CAP). The Center will focus on developing and applying psychometric models to support the development, analysis and scoring of a new generation of assessments. Read the press release.

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