Glossary of Terms

Actual TExES Exam
These are the TExES exams required for teacher certification in Texas. All teacher candidates must pass, at a minimum, a Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) TExES exam and a TExES exam in the desired content teaching field and grade levels. 

PREP Review
A PREP Review allows a student who has taken the practice TExES exam to review the test items and to receive explanations regarding correct and incorrect answers. This review should be done if a student has taken and passed the practice exam or taken the practice exam at least twice without passing. This is a very useful activity to prepare for the actual state TExES exam. The PREP Review is completed on Blackboard and can be accessed only by scheduling a time to come to the TExES PREP Center and complete the Review at the Center. The PREP Review is currently only available for the PPR practice exam.

State Board for Educator Certification
The State Board for Educator Certification was created by the Texas Legislature in 1995 to recognize public school educators as professionals and grant educators the authority to govern the standards of their profession. The Board oversees all aspects of the preparation, certification and standards of conduct of public school educators and meets quarterly to rule on issues affecting educator preparation programs. Staff and administrative support for the SBEC is provided by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Educator Preparation Services, Office of
The Office of Educator Preparation Services (OEPS) is part of the College of Professional Education (COPE). Staff in the OEPS coordinate advising, certification, testing, and record keeping for TWU’s educator preparation program. It is located in Stoddard Hall 211 (940-898-2829). In order to be approved to take your actual TExES exam you will need to send an email to copeadvising@twu.edu with your TWU student ID and the name of the exam for which you are requesting approval. OEPS staff will verify that you have passed your practice exams or completed your TExES Success Plan before providing approval for you to take your state exam.

Texas Administrative Code
Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §230.5(b) 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.

Texas Education Agency
This is the state agency responsible for administering state rules, regulations, policies and procedures for primary and secondary education in Texas. Among their responsibilities is the preparation and certification of educators.

Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES)
The Texas Examinations of Educator Standards™ (TExES™) are criterion-referenced examinations designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge in relation to an established criterion rather than 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 tests.

TExES PREP Workshop
These are face-to-face workshops that are provided by the TExES PREP Center each semester on the TWU Denton campus. Currently workshops are provided on five of the TExES exams, the PPR, EC-6 Core Subjects, 4-8 Core subjects, ESL/Bilingual Supplemental, The Special Education Supplemental. Workshops for additional exams may be added later.