State Assessments for Educator Certification

• Art (Grades EC-12)  
• Bilingual Education Supplemental-Spanish 
• Core Subjects (Grades 4-8)  
• Core Subjects (Grades EC-6)
• Early Childhood: PreK-3
• Early Childhood: PreK-3 with Special Education EC-12
• English Language Arts and Reading (Grades 4-8)  
• English Language Arts and Reading (Grades 7-12)  
• English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies (Grades 4-8)  
• English as a Second Language Supplemental
• History (Grades 7-12)  
• Life Science (Grades 7-12)  
• Mathematics (Grades 4-8)  
• Mathematics (Grades 7-12)  
• Physical Education (Grades EC-12)    
• Principal as Instructional Leader (Grades EC-12)  
• Reading Specialist (Grades EC-12)  
• School Counselor (Grades EC-12)  
• School Librarian (Grades EC-12)  
• Science (Grades 4-8)  
• Social Studies (Grades 4-8)  
• Social Studies (Grades 7-12)  
• Special Education (Grades EC-12)   
• Superintendent (Grades EC-12)  

Create and submit your PSP to StateAssessments@uhcl.edu  

• Initial Certification PSP Document (PDF)
• Advanced Certification PSP Document (PDF)

Only Word or PDF files (.docx, .pdf) will be accepted. 

To determine which state assessments are required for your certificate, refer to the TExES Initial Certification Exam Chart (PDF) or contact your College of Education Advisor. 

Refer to the UHCL TExES Exam Policy for requirements for taking and passing your certification exam. 

• UHCL Initial Certification TExES Exam Policy (PDF) 
• UHCL Advanced Certification TExES Exam Policy (PDF)

After submission of a PSP for a TExES exam, students must take a TExES representative practice exam and achieve a minimum passing score; please note that not every testing program offers a representative practice exam. Students may select the one that best meets their needs. Requesting approval to take practice exams is not necessary. 

• REA (typically utilized during the TCED 4100/4102 courses)
• CertifyTeacher (Texas Resources)
• 240 Tutoring: TExES
• Pearson Interactive Practice Exams - Limited exams available
• Exam Edge - Requirement for all Librarian certification candidates

Upon completion of required representative practice exams, students will submit the final score report document to StateAssessments@uhcl.edu to request TExES certification exam registration approval. 

Initial Certification Students

1. Initial certification students will be given approval to take their certification exams after they are admitted to the Teacher Education Program (TEP).

2. Register for the TExES State Exam  (www.tx.nesinc.com).

   Reference:  Creating a Testing Account, Registering and Scheduling Your Exam

3. Report score to StateAssessments@uhcl.edu and your College of Education Advisor. 

4. If you fail your certification exam, refer to instructions on the UHCL Initial Certification TExES Exam Policy for next steps. 

Advanced Certification Students

1. Advanced certification students will be given approval to take their certification exams upon completion of required courses as designated in the Advanced Certification TExES Exam Policy (PDF). 

2. Register for the TExES State Exam (www.tx.nesinc.com).

   Reference: Creating a Testing Account, Registering and Scheduling Your Exam (PDF)

3. Report score to StateAssessments@uhcl.edu and your College of Education Advisor.

   If you fail your certification exam, refer to instructions on the UHCL Advanced Certification TExES Exam Policy (PDF) for next steps.

External Webinars

• TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Webinar by 240 Tutoring (pre-recorded)
• Amplify's Science of Reading is for Everyone February webinar series

UHCL Sponsored Workshops

• Spring  workshops are being scheduled for spring 2023. 

Initial Certification Study Aids

• PPR, Core Subjects, Generalist (PDF)
• Secondary Content (PDF)
• Social Studies (PDF)
• ESL, BTLPT, Bilingual Education, SPED (PDF)
• ESL Proficiency Standards Study Video
  
  • ELPS Made Easy Highlighted Video Guide
  • ELPS Sample For Lesson Plan (PDF)

Advanced Certification Study Aids

• Principal, School Librarian, School Counselor, Reading Specialist, Superintendent (PDF)
• Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL 368)
  • PASL Candidate and Educator Handbook (PDF)

CertifyTeacher provides online interactive practice tests/readiness reviews at a discounted price for UHCL students using promo code UHCL4728 and an account with their UHCL email address.

Our discounted, one-time fee provides access for up to three years or until you pass your state assessment, whichever comes first. Discounted prices are below: 

• Content Titles: $35/student - regularly $80
• Science of Teaching Reading (293): $35/student - regularly $80
• Reading Specialist (151): $35/student - regularly $80
• School Counselor (152): $35/student - regularly $80
• Principal as Instructional Leader (268): $165/student - regularly $180
• Superintendent (195): $100/student - regularly $115

Procedure:

1. Go to https://www.certifyteacher.com.
   
   
2. Select the study guide you wish to purchase.
   Make sure to select the online version option. You will have access to the program until you receive a passing grade from the state.
   
   
3. Click Login under the Apply Promo Code option on the My Shopping Cart page.
   
   
4. Click Sign In under “I Don’t Have an Account Yet” to create your account.
   You must use your UHCL email (include @uhcl.edu). The promo code will not work for any other email.
   
   
5. Enter the promo code, UHCL4728 when prompted. The displayed price will drop to the discounted price after entering the promo code.
   
   
6. Complete the purchase by providing your credit card information.
   You can access your online readiness review solution seconds after the purchase transaction is complete.
   
   
7. Read How to Use CertifyTeacher (PDF) for the recommended approach to the modules in the program.

240 Tutoring provides free online interactive practice tests/readiness reviews. There is a monthly subscription which gives you access to all the state or test series study guides, diagnostic tests, and practice exams, including the Science of Teaching Reading certification exam. 

240 Tutoring offers a lesser subscription rate for users who create an account via invitation sent directly to your UHCL email.

If you would like to access this discounted subscription, please email stateassessments@uhcl.edu and request to be added to the 240 UHCL subscription list.  Please include your Full Name, UHCL ID#, and UHCL email address all in the body of the email. 

You MUST use your UHCL email address to access this discounted subscription rate link.  You will receive an email invitation directly from 240 Tutoring.  The cost of this access would be $20/month and your subscription can be cancelled at any time.  

If you are an existing user, you will log into your existing account and cancel the current subscription from the profile tab. Once this is done you can accept the new invite sent to your UHCL email and sign in using your existing credentials instead of creating a new account. So when accepting the invite you should click "Sign in" on the registration page. 

The TEA Learn is provided to you for free at no cost by TEA.  This is a module self-paced course, meaning you set out a dedicated time to work. This will help build continuity and prepare for your exams. 

You must register and complete the modules assigned.  For each course completed you can earn Professional Development credit hours, and also log into your PSPs. 

To register visit TEA Learn

Preparation materials are available for every exam. Select an exam from the dropdown list to access preparation materials by exam, or choose from a variety of tools, resources and support material directly from the testing provider. Visit the Prepare section of the Texas Exam Website for more information. 

Pearson's TExES Interactive Practice Exams are designed to simulate the actual testing experience. They include questions representative of the actual exam.

Each interactive practice exam offers:

• Convenient online access
• An interactive exam simulation featuring sample exam questions
• Comprehensive, immediate feedback on your performance for the selected-response questions
• A realistic online experience similar to an actual computer-administered testing environment.
• The fee for each interactive practice exam is $10.
• Limited selection of TExES certification exams available. 

Review the TEA STR Requirements and Timelines Powerpoint (PDF).

Visit our STR Study Aids webpage for more help including help with the constructed response questions. 

The following STR Test information is taken from the TEA Science of Teaching Reading webpage. 

Overview of the STR Exam Requirements

House Bill 3, passed during the 86th Texas Legislature, established the requirement that all teacher candidates who teach students in grades Pre-K-6 demonstrate proficiency in the science of teaching reading on a new, standalone certification exam. This requirement takes effect on January 1, 2021.   

• Early Childhood: EC – Grade 3
• Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading: Early Childhood–Grade 6
• Core Subjects with Science of Teaching Reading: Grades 4–8
• English Language Arts and Reading with Science of Teaching Reading: Grades 4–8​ 
• English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies with Science of Teaching Reading: Grades 4–8​

Teachers who are currently standard certified in Core Subjects: EC-6, Core Subjects: 4-8, English Language Arts and Reading: 4-8, or English Language Arts and Social Studies: 4-8 will not be required to pass the STR exam for renewal of their certificate. The STR exam requirement only impacts candidates seeking certification after January 1, 2021.  

Content, Standards, Design, and Framework

The Science of Teaching Reading Content and Design document (PDF) provides information on the structure of the exam. 

STR Preparation Manual

The Preparation Manual for Science of Teaching Reading (293) is now available on the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website. 
This preparation manual includes:

• The STR examination framework
• Approaches to answering different question types
• Sample selected-response questions
• In-depth rationales for correct and incorrect responses
• A sample constructed response question, including the video exhibit
• Sample strong and weak constructed-responses and rationales
• A list of preparation resources 

• Exam Edge Scholarship - Created to help students pass all certification exams.
• TExEStest.org Future Teacher Scholarship  - Scholarships to provide financial support for future Texas teachers.

Visit UHCL's Neumann Library for state educator certification exam test preparation resources, links to applications and resources and grade-specific textbooks on various subjects in the curriculum library:

• TExES preparation books and ebooks:
  • Most are traditional study guides (e.g., Barrons, Research & Education Association).
  • Some support the study of a content area such as "A Young Person's History of the United States" or "Everything You Need to Know about English Homework."
  • Print books are on reserve behind the circulation desk and may be checked out by currently enrolled UHCL students for 3 weeks.
• Learning Express Library - Free for UHCL students
  
  Create an account in Learning Express to access practice exams:
  
  • PPR EC-12
  • Core Subjects (EC-6): Social Studies
  • Core Subjects (EC-6): Mathematics
  • Core Subjects (EC-6): Science
  • Core Subjects (EC-6): Fine Arts, Health, and Physical Education
  • Core Subjects (EC-6): English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) & the Science of Teaching Reading
• Multicultural/Bilingual links:
  • Bilingual education
  • Study and teaching of the English language
  • Spanish language juvenile materials
  • Spanish language reference materials
  • Neumann Library's Databases A-Z page has additional Spanish-language content such as Referencia Latina, MedicLatina, AHFS Consumer Medication Information, DSM-5 Library (includes Spanish-language edition) and Fuente Academica Premier

Success Coaching with Student Success Center
Meet regularly 1-on-1 with an success coach either one hour/week or every other week at to master academic skills. Or, request a one-time session on one skill.

Skill areas include:

• Organization and time/task management
• Academic reading speed and strategy 
• Note taking
• Test-taking strategy
• Critical thinking
• Public speaking

Check your UHCL email for upcoming review sessions, which occur periodically.

• How to study and prepare for a TExES exam
• How I passed the PPR exam
• Passing the TExES exam on my FIRST try
• TExES CORE Subjects EC-6: Social Studies (w/Practice Questions)
• TExES CORE Subjects EC-6: Math - What You Need to Know
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6: Science - Everything You Need to Know to Pass
• FTCE Elementary Education K-6: Language Arts (w/ Practice Questions)