Assessing Candidates' Readiness to Test

Candidates can complete the Student Profile Worksheet to assess their readiness to test. Faculty advisors can review the completed worksheet in order to help assess candidate preparedness and guide further candidate preparation.

Select the link below to access the Student Profile Worksheet.

Student Profile Worksheet

Representative Examinations are used at State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC)-approved educator preparation programs (EPPs) throughout Texas and are designed exclusively to assist staff in measuring candidates' knowledge and skills in relation to the approved Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) exam frameworks. Unless otherwise previously stated by TEA, the Representative Examinations previously purchased and used by EPPs continue to be current. EPPs will be notified when new Representative Examinations become available.

The items on each Representative Examination are similar in design and difficulty to those found on actual TExES exams. They are not, however, exactly the same items as on the actual exam. Representative Examinations are not equated to operational certification exams. Results on the Representative Examinations are therefore not directly comparable to results on the actual exams. For this reason, passing a Representative Examination should not be used as a requirement for candidates to gain approval to test.

Representative Examinations are developed to match the specifications of the actual exams in both content and item difficulty. If the Representative Examinations or the exam items contained in the Representative Examinations are altered (for example, broken into smaller forms) they are no longer truly representative of the exams. Representative Examinations that have been altered to create two or more smaller exams will provide a very limited number of items in each domain and competency and would therefore be highly unreliable for determining candidate strengths and weaknesses.

To order a Representative Examination, authorized representatives from SBEC-approved EPPs can send a request for an order form to estestvoucher@pearson.com.

For information about Representative Examinations that are not currently available, email texas.support@pearson.com.

The following Representative Examinations are available to order:

TExES Representative Examinations

• Art EC–12 (178) (includes packet of 20 Book of Reproductions)
• Bilingual Education Supplemental (164)
• Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) Spanish (190)
• Chemistry 7–12 (240)
• Core Subjects EC–6 (391)
• Core Subjects 4–8 (211)
• Early Childhood: PK–3 (292)
• Educational Diagnostician (253)
• English as a Second Language Supplemental (154)
• English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (217)
• English Language Arts and Reading 7–12 (231)
• English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies 4–8 (113)
• Health EC–12 (157)
• History 7–12 (233)
• Journalism 7–12 (256)
• Life Science 7–12 (238)
• Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Spanish (613)
• Mathematics 4–8 (115)
• Mathematics 7–12 (235)
• Mathematics/Science 4–8 (114)
• Music EC–12 (177)
• Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC–12 (160)
• Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities for Trade and Industrial Education 6–12 (370)
• Physical Education EC–12 (158)
• Physical Science 7–12 (237)
• Principal as Instructional Leader (268)
• School Counselor (252)
• School Librarian (150)
• Science 4–8 (116)
• Science 7–12 (236)
• Science of Teaching Reading (293)
• Social Studies 4–8 (118)
• Social Studies 7–12 (232)
• Special Education EC–12 (161)
• Superintendent (195)
• Technology Applications EC–12 (242)
• Theatre EC–12 (180)

Upon receipt of a signed user agreement from an SBEC-approved EPP and the total payment, Pearson will send one Representative Examination CD-ROM that includes:

• the exam framework
• an exam administration manual
• the exam form
• an answer key
• an answer sheet

BTLPT Spanish (190), LOTE Spanish (613), and Music EC–12 (177) include a second CD-ROM containing the listening portion of the Representative Examination. To administer this section of the Representative Examination a CD player is required.

Additionally, BTLPT Spanish (190) and LOTE Spanish (613) may require a recording device to record test taker responses. While this is not required for administration of the Representative Examination, this may be desired.

Principal as Instructional Leader (268) and Science of Teaching Reading (293) include a second disc containing video clip(s) that are part of the scenario materials for some Representative Examination questions. Equipment (e.g., a computer, a CD-ROM drive, and a monitor) is needed for viewing these video clip(s).

Art EC–12 (178) includes a packet of 20 Book of Reproductions. The Book of Reproductions is needed to answer the items on the Art Representative Examination. Additional sets of 20 Book of Reproductions can be purchased separately from the Representative Examination.

Representative Examinations are confidential documents to be administered and scored independently by EPPs, and each EPP bears the responsibility of maintaining their security. While a Representative Examination is not an official version of a TExES exam and does not count toward meeting the testing requirements for certification, its usefulness depends upon candidates taking it with no prior knowledge of its content. The value of the Representative Examinations to both students and EPPs is seriously compromised if candidates have access to exam questions and/or answer keys.

Authorized users agree that they will not, directly or indirectly, disclose the Representative Examinations to any unauthorized person(s) or entity. Representative Examinations are only available for use by SBEC-approved EPPs and exclusively reserved for candidates who are admitted into an approved EPP. Note: Other uses, such as for out-of-state teachers not admitted into a preparation program or participants who are in a Pre-Admission Content Tests (PACT) program, etc., are prohibited.

Programs may make Representative Examinations available to candidates in electronic format; however, security of exam items must be maintained. Administering a Representative Examination on the computer in a location monitored by the EPP is appropriate, but posting Representative Examination items to a webpage that allows candidates to access items outside of a secure location is not. Even if the website is password protected, the EPP cannot ensure that only their candidates are viewing items and that the exam items are not being captured through digital or other means and being shared with unauthorized persons. If the security of the Representative Examination items and answer keys is not maintained, the Representative Examination loses its value and can potentially jeopardize activities at other EPPs.

Programs are also encouraged to review the recently amended 19 TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter C, §230.21 , which includes updates to provisions concerning ethical obligations relating to examinations.