When you are deciding whether or not to take the Praxis, the first thing you need to know is, “do all states require the Praxis?” The short answer: most do, but not all. Read on to find out if your state requires the Praxis or not.
Most States Require the Praxis
All states require teachers, at least public school teachers, to be licensed. The Praxis is a way to prove you are qualified and earn your certification. There are other tests out there, for instance, Colorado’s PLACE test, but the Praxis is the most widespread. Often, even states that do not require the Praxis will accept the Praxis for proving your knowledge.
40 states require the Praxis, so odds are, your state is one of them. To check the specific requirements for your state, visit the ETS website. If you aren’t sure what the language means, you can read a couple of other states. States that require the Praxis will state that explicitly, states that do not may give you the option of taking another state-approved test.
Praxis Can be Used for some Colleges
There are some colleges and universities that use the Praxis, according to ETS. Often this is part of your teacher training program: proving you know the material before you are allowed to student teach, for example. Some schools may also ask for passing scores on the Praxis Core before admission, but this is a little less common. Usually, your school won’t require the Praxis if it is in a state that does not require it.
Benefits of the Praxis
One benefit of the Praxis is that because it is so widely accepted, it can make it easier to transfer your licensure from state to state after you take it initially. If you think you may move to a different state once you finish your licensure program, or in the next couple of years, taking the Praxis now may make that an easier transition (no guarantees, though, this is bureaucratic red tape we are talking about!).
So, do all states require the Praxis? No, but most of them do, and almost all of them will accept it.
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