Counseling Center

The Praxis Series: Professional Assessments for Beginning Teachers, developed and administered by ETS - Educational Testing Service with input from educators, state agencies, and professional organizations, are standardized, secure examinations that provide measures of academic achievements and proficiencies for individuals entering or completing college or provisional teacher preparation programs and for individuals in professional areas. The Praxis tests are administered at Wayne State College. Contact the Counseling Center, Room 103 in the Student Center, (402) 375-7321, for more information. See Praxis Tests on the testing schedule for information on test dates.

Praxis I - Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST)

These assessments are designed to be taken early in the student's college career to measure reading, writing, and mathematics skills vital to all teacher candidates. The assessments are available in two formats, paper-based (PPST®) and computer-based (CBT®). Wayne State College offers the paper-based PPST (Pre-Professional Skills Tests) test only.

Both formats measure similar academic skills, but the computer-based tests (CBTs) are tailored to each candidate's performance. They also offer a wider range of question types, provide an immediate score in reading and math, and are available on demand throughout the year by appointment, eliminating the need to register in advance. The paper-based tests, called the PPST® or Pre-Professional Skills Tests, are given four times a year (August, November, January, and April).

Test Preparation Webinars: ETS's free webinars deliver in-depth information and demonstrations about ETS test preparation products and services.
Preparation Materials: Select a Praxis™ test to see available test preparation materials, including Tests at a Glance (TAAGs), Study Guides, Practice Tests and more.
Strategies for Success Video: This new video provides useful information on resources and strategies that test candidates use to prepare for the Praxis tests.

Praxis II - Elementary Education: Curriculum Instruction and Assessment

Beginning with the 2006-07 academic year, graduates from WSC with endorsements in Early Childhood, Early Childhood Unified, Elementary Education, and Elementary Special Education will need to successfully pass the Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment (EECIA) test to be considered an NCLB qualified teacher. The EECIA is a test in the Praxis II series offered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

Test questions cover the breadth of material a new teacher needs to know, assessing knowledge of both principles and processes. Some questions assess basic understanding of curriculum planning, instructional design, and assessment of student learning. Other questions pose particular problems that teachers might routinely face in the classroom, and still others are based on authentic examples of student work. Although some questions concern general issues, most questions are set in the context of the subjects most commonly taught in the elementary school: reading/language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, fine arts, and physical education.

The scores required for Nebraska are:

Test/Code

Paper

Computer

Praxis I: PPST

  Reading / 10710

170

170

  Math / 10730

171

171

  Writing / 20720

172

172

Praxis II

  EECIA / 0011

159

Information for teaching in Nebraska can be found at the Nebraska Department of Education: Teacher Certification page. For states close to Nebraska and their applications and/or requirements for teachers, see links below:

South Dakota Department of Education: Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality

Colorado Department of Education: Educator Licensing

Iowa Board of Educational Examiners: General Licensure Information

Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board: PTSB Certification

Kansas State Department of Education: Teacher Education and Licensure

Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Educator Certification