Step 3: Certificates + Required Exams
Testing (Certification Exams)
Step 3: Certificates + Required Exams
Content Exam: The subject you want to teach.
PPR: Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility. This exam is a required assessment for all Texas teachers; it is not a certification area in and of itself.
Supplemental Exam(s): Exams such as the English as Second Language (ESL), Bilingual Supplemental, and Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Exam (BTLPT).
- EC-6 certification: ESL or Bilingual Supplemental and BLTPT exams are required, in addition to the EC-6 exam and PPR, depending on your declared certification area.
- Special Education certification: EC-6 and ESL exams are both required, in addition to the Special Education exam and PPR.
Two Certification Areas: If you declare two certification areas, you must pass both content exams to be eligible for either certificate.
Science of Teaching Reading (#293 STR): The state is requiring the new Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam for teacher certification beginning January 1, 2021, for all candidates (undergrad, grad, post-bacc) seeking certification in EC-6 ESL, EC-6 Bilingual, 4-8 ELAR, 4-8 ELAR/SS, 4-8 Generalist, and Special Education. This state law was enacted in the 2019 legislative session as part of the HB3 school finance package and applies to candidates for the listed certification areas not certified by December 31, 2020. Click here for more details.
| Certificate | Required Exams |
|---|---|
| Elementary (EC-6) | |
| Early Childhood - 6th Grade/ESL (Generalist/ESL) | #160 PPR, #391 Core Subjects EC-6, #154 ESL, #293 STR |
| Early Childhood-6th Grade/Bilingual-Spanish (Generalist/Bilingual) | #160 PPR, #391 Core Subjects EC-6, #164 Bilingual Supplemental, #190 Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT), #293 STR |
| Middle School (4-8) | |
| Core Subjects (Grades 4-8)(Generalist 4-8) | #160 PPR, #211 Core Subjects 4-8, #293 STR |
| English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies (Grades 4-8) | #160 PPR, #113 ELAR/SS, #293 STR |
| Mathematics (Grades 4-8) | #160 PPR, #115 Math 4-8 |
| Mathematics/Science (Grades 4-8) | #160 PPR, #114 Math/Science 4-8 |
| Science (Grades 4-8) | #160 PPR, #116 Science 4-8 |
| High School (6-12, 7-12, 8-12) | |
| Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (Grades 6-12) | #160 PPR, #272 Ag, Food & Natural Resources |
| Chemistry (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #240 Chemistry |
| Dance(Grades 6-12) | #160 PPR, #279 Dance |
| English Language Arts and Reading (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #231 ELAR |
| Family and Consumer Sciences Composite (Grades 6-12) | #160 PPR, #200 AAFCS exam |
| History (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #233 History |
|
Hospitality, Nutrition, & Food Science (Grades 6-12) |
#160 PPR, #201 AAFCS exam |
| Human Development and Family Studies (Grades 8-12) | #160 PPR, #202 AAFCS exam |
| Journalism (Grades 7-12) (NOTE: offered only as a 2nd teaching field) | #160 PPR, #256 Journalism |
| Life Science (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #238 Life Science |
| Mathematics (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #235 Math |
| Physical Science (Grades 6-12) | #160 PPR, #237 Physical Science |
| Physics/Mathematics (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #243 Physics/Math |
| Science (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #236 Science |
| Social Studies (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #232 Social Studies |
| Speech (Grades 7-12) | #160 PPR, #129 Speech |
| Technology Education (Grades 6-12) | #160 PPR, #171 Technology Education |
| All-Level: Early Childhood - 12th Grade (EC-12) | |
| Art EC-12 | #160, #178 Art |
| French EC-12 | #160 PPR, #610 French |
| German EC-12 | #160 PPR, #611German |
| Health EC-12 | #160 PPR, #157 Health |
| Music EC-12 | #160 PPR, #177 Music |
| Physical Education EC-12 | #160 PPR, #158 PE |
| Spanish EC-12 | #160 PPR, #613 Spanish |
| Special Education EC-12 | #160 PPR, #161 Special Education, #391 Core Subjects EC-6, #154 ESL, #293 STR* |
| Theatre EC-12 | #160 PPR, #180 Theatre |
| Professional Certificates | |
| Principal | #268 Principal as Instructional Leader, #368 PASL |
| Superintendent | #195 Superintendent |
| Reading Specialist | #151 Reading Specialist |
| School Counselor | #252 School Counselor |