Section 1: About the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
Texas Administrative Code §230.21(a) requires every person seeking educator certification in Texas to perform satisfactorily on comprehensive examinations. The purpose of these examinations is to ensure that each educator has the prerequisite content and professional knowledge necessary for an entry-level position in Texas public schools. The TExES program serves this purpose. The authority for implementing this assessment program resides with the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
All TExES exams are criterion-referenced examinations designed to measure a candidate's knowledge in relation to an established standard of competence (a criterion) rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates. The TExES Educator Standards, based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), form the foundation for the TExES exams.
All of the exams in the TExES program contain selected-response questions. Some exams also include constructed-response questions (e.g., essay or oral responses).
Exam Development Process
Key components of the exam development process for TExES exams are summarized below.
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Develop Exam Frameworks | Test Specialists work with Exam Development Committees, composed of Texas teachers and teacher educators, to develop exam frameworks that are based on the Educator Standards. These frameworks outline the specific competencies to be measured on the TExES exams. |
| Conduct Job Analysis/Content Validation Surveys | A representative sample of Texas educators are surveyed to confirm the relative job importance of each competency outlined in the exam framework. These educators include certified practitioners in the fields related to the certification exams as well as those who prepare the practitioners in those fields. |
| Develop and Review Exam Questions | Texas item writers develop draft questions that are designed to measure the competencies described in the exam framework. Questions undergo review by Test Specialists and Texas educators to ensure that they reflect the exam framework. The questions are also reviewed for accuracy and appropriateness of content, difficulty, clarity, and potential ethnic, gender, and regional bias. Additionally, constructed-response tasks are also pilot tested with an appropriate sample of candidates to ensure they will elicit an appropriate range of responses and perform as intended. |
| Develop and Review Exam Forms | TExES examinations are constructed to reflect the content in the exam framework. The completed exam forms undergo review to ensure that they accurately reflect the exam framework, that the exam questions reflect an appropriate sample of the construct, and that all questions are fair, valid, and accurate. |
| Set Passing Standard | A committee of Texas educators participates in a standard-setting study to recommend a passing score for the exam. TEA presents the recommendation to the Commissioner for consideration. The Commissioner makes the final determination regarding the passing score. |