Your score report shows your Passed/Not Passed status. Your Total Scaled Score shows how you performed on the exam as a whole and determines whether or not you passed the exam. Scaled scores are comparable across all versions of the same exam. The exam's scaled score range and the minimum passing score are shown in this area of the score report.

Minimum passing standards were established by the Commissioner of Education with input from committees of Texas educators. The passing scaled score for each certification exam reflects the minimum level of knowledge required for effective performance by beginning educators in Texas public schools.

For most exams, information is provided about your performance in major content areas, called domains. For many exams, information is also provided about your performance in specific content areas within domains, called competencies. For each domain, and each competency where applicable, the number of scored questions on the exam and the number you answered correctly are indicated.

These counts are provided for informational purposes only. Individual domains/competencies do not have passing scores.

To more fully understand your performance within specific areas covered by the exam, refer to the list of domains and competencies provided in the exam preparation manual for the exam you took.

It is important to use caution when interpreting data reported by domain and, especially, by competency. The reliability of data based on a small number of questions, generally fewer than 10, is insufficient to make meaningful interpretations. Competency scores are provided only to show the number and variety of content areas represented in the total exam and to show the number of correct answers used in calculating your total test score. Note that the number of scored questions within a given domain or competency may vary across different versions of an exam.

For those exams shown in the tables below, holistic scores are provided for the constructed-response components. Each point on the holistic score scale represents the degree to which the required performance characteristics were demonstrated in your response(s).

Domains III and IV consist of constructed-response questions. In each of these domains, the number of raw score points earned is weighted (as described in detail below) to reflect the relative contribution of constructed-response questions versus selected-response questions to the total test score.

Domain III consists of five spoken-response questions. Each response can earn as many as 3 raw score points from each of its two scorers, for a maximum of 6 raw score points per question. The number of raw score points for each response is then weighted through multiplication by 1.5, resulting in up to 9 (weighted) Points Possible for each of the five questions and a total of 45 (weighted) Points Possible for the entire domain. For example, if your score report shows that you earned 7.5 points for a response in this domain, that response received a total of 5 raw score points from its two scorers (i.e., 2 points from one scorer and 3 from the other).

In Domain III, when the sum of the Points Earned for all five questions includes a half point, that sum is rounded up to the next whole number. For example, if you earned a total of 39.5 points for the five questions, that sum would be rounded up and your score report would show that you earned a total of 40 points for the entire domain.

Domain IV consists of three written-response questions. Each response can earn as many as 3 raw score points from each of its two scorers, for a maximum of 6 raw score points per question. The number of raw score points for each response is then weighted through multiplication by 2.0, resulting in up to 12 (weighted) Points Possible for each of the three questions and a total of 36 (weighted) Points Possible for the entire domain. For example, if your score report shows that you earned 10 points for a response in this domain, that response received a total of 5 raw score points from its two scorers (i.e., 2 points from one scorer and 3 from the other).

Domain V consists of three written-response questions. Each response can earn as many as 3 points from each of its two scorers. So, with 6 points possible for each response, the total number of Points Possible for all three responses in this domain is 18.

Domain VI consists of three spoken-response questions. Each response can earn as many as 3 points from each of its two scorers. So, with 6 points possible for each response, the total number of Points Possible for all three responses in this domain is 18.

The final sub-area "Instructional Practices (Pedagogy)" consists of two written-response questions. Each response can earn as many as 3 points from each of its two scorers. So, with 6 points possible for each response, the total number of Points Possible for the two responses in this domain is 12.

Domain IV consists of twelve Pronunciation tasks that are scored. There are three types of pronunciation tasks, with four tasks of each type that are scored. A fifth task of each type is included in the exam for pretesting purposes and is not scored.

• Each of the four Word Pronunciation responses can earn up to 1 raw score point from each of its two scorers (for a total of 8 raw score points possible for the four tasks of this type).
• Each of the four Phrase Pronunciation responses can earn up to 2 raw score points from each of its two scorers (for a total of 16 raw score points possible for the four tasks of this type).
• Each of the four Sentence Pronunciation responses can earn up to 3 raw score points from each of its two scorers (for a total of 24 raw score points possible for the four tasks of this type).

The total number of raw score points possible for the twelve pronunciation tasks is 48.

In calculating the total test score, the raw score points earned from the twelve Pronunciation tasks receive less weight than the points earned from the selected-response questions. It is the raw (unweighted) points that are shown as Points Possible and Points Earned for Domain IV on score reports.

Selected-response questions are scored by computer immediately after the exam is completed. On all AAFCS, PACT, and TExES exams, each selected-response question that is answered correctly earns one raw score point. The total raw score is the number of scored questions answered correctly on the entire exam.

Responses that are produced by the test taker (including those that are written, typed, brailled, spoken, or signed) are scored by professionals who are experts in the appropriate content areas. These scorers are carefully trained and monitored to ensure that they consistently apply standardized scoring methods in a fair and accurate manner.

For exams with large numbers of test takers, an independent double-scoring model—in which two scorers assign initial ratings to each response—is used. In this model, if the two initial ratings differ by more than an acceptable amount, typically 1 point, additional ratings are obtained.

For exams with a smaller number of test takers, a consensus-scoring model—in which trained, calibrated scorers, including a scoring leader, review together each constructed response and reach consensus on its score—is used.

The total scaled score reflects a combination of the selected-response and constructed-response sections of the exam.

The total number of questions indicated on your score report is typically lower than the total number of questions on the exam. Most exams that contain selected-response questions include embedded pretest questions, which are not used in calculating your score. Pretesting allows for the analysis of actual test-taker performance on proposed new questions in determining whether to include them in future versions of the exam.