Jump to:

• Overview
  • Required Exams: Core Academic Skills, Subject Area Assessments & edTPA
• Core Academic Skills Tests
• Subject Area Assessments
• To Complete Your Program: edTPA 
• Register, Prepare for & Take Your Subject Area Examinations
  • Know When & How to Register
  • Prepare for the Subject Area Assessment
    • Create a Schedule
    • Test Prep Resources
      • Provided by the Test Makers
      • Provided by Third Parties
  • Take the Test
  • View & Share Your Scores
    • Viewing Your Results
    • Reporting Your Scores

If you have any questions about the required assessments or this process, reach out to a TEACH Connecticut application coach or educator preparation program staff for support. We’re here for you.

Whether you’re applying to an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate program, you’ll need to submit scores for one or more tests to gain admissions. By the time you officially apply for your initial educator certification at the end of your program, you will need to complete all assessments required by the state. This guide explains the various tests, at what point you need to take them and how you can prepare.

Required Tests: Core Academic Skills, Subject Area Tests & edTPA

To apply for your EPP, you will need to prove mastery of core academic skills in reading, writing and math.You’ll also need to show you’ve mastered content in your chosen subject area or are in the process of completing your degree. Ultimately, you’ll likely complete three or more assessments before or during your educator preparation program:

• The Core Academic Skills Test: SAT, ACT, GRE, or Praxis I. You’ve probably already taken a core academic skills test—the SAT counts! If you haven’t, you’ll need to take the Praxis I before you apply to your EPP.
• The Subject Area Assessment: Praxis II, ACTFL, Foundations of Reading, or others. You’ll most likely need to take a subject area assessment at the end of your undergraduate program, or prior to/early in your post-baccalaureate program. The tests required vary depending on the grades and subject you wish to teach.
• edTPA: The Teaching Portfolio. While you won’t begin edTPA until you’ve entered your program, this guide will give you a head’s up so you’ll know what to expect when the time comes.

Out-of-state educators applying for certification in Connecticut must have their credentials reviewed by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE). Out-of-state educators may have already taken an equivalent assessment, but in some cases may still need to take one or more of the required assessments. You can read more in CSDE’s guide to Obtaining Connecticut Educator Certification.

Prior to the start of your program, you’ll need to submit scores from an approved core academic skills test in reading, writing and math. If you’re applying as a freshman to a college with an EPP, or if you are currently in college, you have probably already completed this step—the SAT counts (so does the ACT, if you took that one). If you are applying to a post-baccalaureate program, you can use your previous SAT/ACT scores or GRE scores, if you took that test.

Keep in mind that Connecticut high school students take the SAT for free as part of the standard high school assessments. If you find you need to take a core academic skills test, you can sign up for the Praxis I through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). 

While you will need to submit scores from one of these core academic tests, there is no required passing score. Your EPP will use the information as a diagnostic to help determine appropriate course placement.

Learn more about, register and prepare for the Praxis I: Core Academic Skills test on the ETS website. The combined reading, writing and math test for educators lasts five hours and costs $150.

Subject area assessments let EPPs and the state know that you’ve mastered content in the area you want to teach.

For most certification endorsements, you’ll take the Praxis II exam for your subject area. For world languages, you'll take the oral and written American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) tests. For elementary, special education and early childhood education, you’ll take the Foundations of Reading test. For certain specialty areas, like early childhood education, you may need to take other tests, too.

To see a full list of subject areas and the associated assessments, including the required passing scores, check out the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Guide to Assessments.

In general, here’s when you should be prepared to take the subject area assessment for your field:

• Are you applying to or enrolled in an undergraduate EPP? You’ll likely take your subject area assessment near the end of your program.
• Are you applying to a post-baccalaureate or graduate program? You’ll likely sign up for your subject area assessment before applying to your EPP. Some programs require you to submit official scores with your application. Others only require that you be registered before you apply. Either way, you’ll usually need to pass the test before you begin student teaching.

All candidates for initial educator certification in Connecticut must submit the edTPA portfolio, a performance-based, subject-specific assessment that demonstrates readiness to teach —and, beginning in September 2019, meet the minimum score requirements. You won’t begin this process until you’re student teaching, but it’s good to know about edTPA in advance.

What is edTPA?

Formerly known as the teacher performance assessment, and now simply edTPA, this assessment isn’t a typical test—there are no multiple choice questions. Instead, as part of your student teaching experience, you’ll develop a portfolio which will include a series of 3-5 lesson plans, sample student work and other teaching materials and artifacts, including videos.You will also write commentary on subject-specific prompts designed to assess how you work with diverse students, modify curriculum and develop assignments in your subject and grade level to produce learning outcomes.

In other words, your edTPA provides a summary of what you’ve learned in your EPP and how you’ve developed as an educator so far. This summative assessment is then scored by professional educators, and the results are shared with you and your program. 

While you don’t have to prepare for edTPA before you apply to your educator preparation program, you may want to research how the various EPPs help you prepare for the assessment. Want to learn more about edTPA in Connecticut? Visit the Connecticut State Department of Education’s edTPA page.

The test most candidates have questions about is the subject area assessment. We’ll guide you from registration through test preparation and score reporting. Read on!

Know When & How to Register

Check with your EPP to find out when you need to have taken and passed the subject area assessment and to verify which tests you’ll take. If you’re taking the Praxis II, head over to the ETS Praxis registration page. There, you will:

1. Click Register Online Now.
2. Select Create an Account.
3. Enter your personal information.
4. After you’ve created an account, select Register for a Praxis Test.
5. You’ll fill out a bit more demographic data.
6. To find the test you need, choose “Connecticut” as the certifying state and “CT Bureau of Education Studies & Certification” as the agency requiring the test.
7. Check the box next to the test(s) you need to take, then you’ll be able to choose your testing location, date and time. You’ll choose the date and time separately for each test you’ve selected (most candidates only need to take one test).
8. Choose where you want your score reports sent. If you know your program’s code, you can use that, or you can look up the program by state. 
9. After verifying the information you entered, it’s time to pay for your exam. The cost averages $120 per test.

If you need to register for the ACTFL test for world languages, you can do that on the Language Testing International website. If you need to take the Pearson Foundations of Reading test, you can register here.

Prepare for the Subject Area Assessments

There are some universal things you can do to prepare for your tests. There are also more specific study guides available for the Praxis,  ACTFL, Foundations of Reading and other tests. We cover them both below.

Remember: You’re taking these tests for a reason. You want to become a teacher in a specific subject, and this is your chance to prove you can handle it. Take the time necessary to truly understand the information. You’ll thank yourself for it (and your students will thank you, too).

We recommend a two-pronged approach to structuring your study time:

1. Create a work-back schedule. Start by writing down the day of the tests. Then, outline the steps you need to accomplish before that end date: 
   • Research test prep resources. Check out the next section for our recommendations.
   • Study your subject matter area. This is where the bulk of your time will be spent. Don't rush it.
   • Take practice exams. Take practice exams. Even when you know the information, you'll need to get used to the test-maker's phrasing and test organization.
2. Make smart choices right before the test. These are the obvious ones: Get plenty of sleep the night before, eat a decent breakfast the day of, bring a water bottle and show up early. Hanging outside the testing center 20 extra minutes is better than causing your brain undue stress minutes before having to think critically.

Test Prep Resources

There are a number of test prep options available from the test-makers directly, and some third-party services have come up with options, too. These resources offer a variety of prep strategies, from study guides and practice tests to one-on-one coaching.
 

You can start an application checklist, ask an application coach or sign up for a one-on-one chat with a current Connecticut educator through the Talk to a Teacher program.