No Child Left Behind (NCLB), an Act passed by congress in 2002, states, “Every child is entitled to a ‘highly qualified’ teacher.” Educational Testing Services (ETS) developed nation-wide exams (Praxis I, II, III) to assist states in providing evidence of their teachers' content knowledge. (www.ets.org/praxis). Each state has selected which of the 217 Praxis tests must be passed in the teaching major and teaching minor for a teacher to be “highly qualified.”

To graduate from BYU and apply for a Level I licensure in Utah one Content Praxis Test approved by the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) must be taken and the scores sent to BYU prior to graduation (see list).

Praxis II tests assess content knowledge in specific areas (e.g. a student’s major or minor).  As of July 1, 2006 all students licensing to teach in Utah will be required to take a Praxis Test in their Major and in their Minor to teach in their Major and Minor.  Taking the Praxis test in the Teaching Major is required before graduation if a USOE test is available.  If no test in the major is available, students test in their teaching minor.

Students planning to leave Utah following graduation, may elect to wait to test in the minor until they see what tests are required in the state where they will teach.

All teaching majors require a Praxis score to graduate except Dance, Theater, Music & Art as no tests have yet been approved for those majors. If students graduating in Dance, Theater, Music & Art have a teaching minor, they must test in their minor.

Students testing should be in pre-student teaching practicum semester.

• Every Advisement Office has a list of the Praxis II tests required to graduate and license in Utah.
• Visit the State-by-State Requirements section of the ETS website.

Students register in classes or seminars. Registration forms will be provided with instructions by calling Daniela Cisternas at 422-4962 to schedule a class registration. It takes about 15 minutes.

Students register in a class as a group…pre-student teaching or in a student teacher/intern seminar.  Your instructors and university supervisors have instruction sheets to assist you with your paper registration or you can call 422-4962 for assistance with a group registration.  Paper registration is required for bulk registrations. Online registration is reserved for special cases and must be approved by Daniela Cisternas.

You will need to contact ETS as soon as possible by following the instructions provided at the praxis website. If you declare a disibility, it is very important to check your disability status with ETS one month before the test to verify your paperwork was processed correctly.

The registration fees we send to ETS are non-refundable. If we have students who don't show up BYU loses that money.  For that reason, if you don't show up for your exam (We check the roster at the Testing Center after every examination.), WE WILL CHARGE YOUR BYU STUDENT ACCOUNT.

• If you register and do not take the test, it is your responsibility to call ETS to transfer your registration to a new test date and call Daniela Cisternas (422-4962) OR we will charge your student account for the full amount of the test ($115).

Register for the next available test. 

• BYU Testing Center gives Praxis tests five times a year (Nov, Jan, Mar, June, Aug)
• Register online up to 30 days before the test, pay your own fees, then ask MSE for reimbursement after you receive your test scores. This option must be approved by calling Daniela Cisternas (422-4962) before registering.

No, BYU will pay for one Praxis II Test per student from the USOE required list. The BYU student must be an undergraduate majoring in a teaching program. However, as a service we will assist current BYU sudents in registering for a second Praxis II test and charge the student's BYU account $115.

You MUST test in your teaching minor if a test has been identified by USOE for your minor.

Dance is the only major without a required test, hence these students will test in their teaching minors.

Test in your teaching major. This is the test BYU will pay for.

However, as a service we will assist current BYU sudents in registering for a second Praxis II test in their minor and charge the student's BYU account $115.

Tests are still being identified- check the ets.org or USOE websites for the most current state testing requirements.  If no test is listed in your major and minor areas, you will be given a Level 1 License but you will be required to test as soon as a test is identified. The school district you employ with will keep you posted.

No, USOE will not accept any tests not listed on their approved Praxis II list.

BYU will not pay for tests not on the USOE approved list.

• You can pick up your registration form in 301 MCKB within a few days of your registration before it is mailed.
• If the forms have already been mailed, call ETS 1-800-772-9476 to request a change to another test day and contact Daniela Cisternas 422-4962.
• There is a $40 transfer fee that BYU will not cover. Sometimes ETS will allow students to reschedule without the fee if they are contacted early.

Call Daniela Cisternas 422-4962 as soon as possible after the test. If you have documentation of your illness or hospitalization (e.g. Dr. note, emergency room bill, etc.) we will contact ETS with your name and documentation.

• They may change your registration to a later date without a fee.
• They may deny our request and ask you to contact them directly and pay the $40 transfer fee.

Six strategies have been helpful to students in the past.

1. You may benefit from reviewing notes and textbooks from past course work, especially as it relates to the “Topics Covered” section of the Test at a Glance (TAAG) publication, which is available online at no charge at www.ets.org/praxis
2. You may find it helpful to practice with the sample test questions in TAAG and review your responses in light of the answers provided in the booklet.
3. You might also consider asking a mentor or professor to discuss the sample questions.
4. You are encouraged to form study groups with other examinees, and to prepare for the tests as you would for any professional examination.
5. Study Guide Books are also available for some Praxis II tests. Ask your major supervisors or look at the lists available in each advisement center. It would be helpful to complete the sample tests.
6. You may purchase your own copy of a study guide from www.ets.org/praxis for $35.00.