Praxis Elementary Education For Dummies

Carla C. Kirkland, Chan Cleveland

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781119187868
• eBook ISBN: 9781119187882
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teacher Training

Increase your chances of scoring higher on the Praxis II Elementary Education test

Contrary to popular belief, the Praxis II Elementary Education test isn't a measure of academic performance, which is why many test-takers who achieve perfect grades in college don't always pass it. Studying such a broad range of topics and enduring such a long testing processing can be challenging, so what's the best way to prepare for it? Turn to Praxis II Elementary Education For Dummies with Online Practice! It offers easy-to-follow subject reviews, test-taking strategies and advice for multiple choice and essay questions, sample practice questions, two full-length practice tests with detailed answers and explanations, and more.

If you're one of the more than 600, 000 aspiring teachers who take this test each year, this hands-on, friendly test prep guide gets you up to speed on everything you need to know to pass the Praxis II Elementary Education text with flying colors. This helpful guide covers Reading and Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Art, Music, and Physical Education. It leaves no stone unturned by offering tips on registering for the exam, as well as a detailed overview of the test and how it's administered.

• Practice with hundreds of authentic Praxis II questions
• Hone the skills needed to ace the exam and start your career as a licensed teacher
• Boost your confidence and do your best on test day
• Get one year of online access to five Praxis II exams to sharpen your test-taking skills

If you're a future educator gearing up to take the Praxis II Elementary Education test, this is your ultimate guide to one of the most important tests you'll ever take.

Part 1

Getting the Ball Rolling

IN THIS PART …

Get the details about who takes the Praxis 5017 and 5018, what’s on the tests, and how your score is calculated.

Figure out how to schedule your study time in advance of test day, figure out what to expect on test day, and get some pointers if you’re retaking the test.

Try out some practice questions to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Develop a study plan to make your weaknesses your strengths.

Chapter 1

The Praxis Elementary Education: CIA Test (5017)

IN THIS CHAPTER

Finding out what’s on the Praxis

Seeing how the Praxis is scored

Taking some practice questions

Reviewing the results of your practice

For decades, teacher candidates have been taking assessments in order to meet certification requirements. You may have taken a Praxis Core exam (or some earlier version) to get into a teaching program at a college or university. Once you completed it, perhaps you thought that was the last you would see of Praxis.

Not so fast! If you want to become a teacher, you are likely to encounter more Praxis exams on your road to certification. Many states use the Praxis Core and/or one or more Praxis subject exams as certification tests to show that you’ve mastered the skills needed to be a highly competent teacher. Praxis Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (5017) (or Praxis Elementary Education: CIA) is one of these subject exams. Teaching licenses often are directly tied to passing this exam and perhaps other subject tests as well. This chapter gives you an overview of what you need to know about this exam.

According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS) this exam is designed for prospective teachers in the elementary grades. It covers the breadth of material a new teacher needs to know while assessing content knowledge, pedagogical principles, and processes. To be successful on this exam, candidates must show mastery of curriculum planning, instructional planning, and assessment planning in the areas of reading and language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, and physical education. Luckily, you have this book to help you make the Praxis Elementary Education: CIA exam a milestone rather than a roadblock.

Also included in this book is the preparation for the Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (5018). This exam differs from the 5017 designation in that candidates must show mastery of content in four areas: reading and language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science. This knowledge is exhibited through questions assessing conceptual understanding, procedural awareness, interpretation, integration, and application.

The items presented on both exams will be aligned to the appropriate state and national standards for that subject area. Examinees should also note that the tests may contain some questions that will not count toward their score. Almost every state in the country uses some form of the Praxis. Contact your state department of education for specific licensure details.

For details on preparing for the Praxis Elementary Education: Content Knowledge, proceed to Chapter 2. Content review chapters for this test are 4, 5, 6, and 7. The practice test and explanations are Chapters 17 and 18.

Analyzing the Format of the Test

The newly developed Praxis Elementary Education: CIA exam uses 120 questions to evaluate your curriculum development, instructional, and assessment abilities in five subject-area groups:

• Reading and language arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social studies
• Art, music, and physical education

To date, all 120 questions are selected-response type questions. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean the questions are easy!

The topics the test covers

According to the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the 120 questions of the Praxis Elementary Education: CIA exam are divided among five subject-area groups according to the proportions you see in Table 1-1.

TABLE 1-1 Breakdown of Praxis Elementary Education

Test Subject	Approximate Number of Questions	Approximate Percentage of the Exam
Reading and language arts	37	31%
Mathematics	31	26%
Science	20	16%
Social studies	17	14%
Art, music, and physical education	15	13%

In each of the five subject areas, questions are related to relevant national standards and test your knowledge of how to help students develop an understanding of particular areas of knowledge or how to help them acquire and use key skills.

The questions about each subject are focused on curriculum, instruction, or assessment.

• Curriculum: Curriculum questions require you to show that you understand developmentally appropriate curriculum planning. Specifically, you need to be ready to demonstrate that you can sequence lessons; plan strategies to enhance students’ understanding and, inevitably, correct their misunderstandings; and make connections to and from one subject and other subject areas, such as connecting reading and math concepts, or social studies and science.
• Instruction: Instruction questions require you to show that you understand how to design instruction to meet the culturally and academically diverse needs of your students. They also test your ability to select and use developmentally appropriate instructional methods, strategies, and resources that support learning in the major focus areas of each subject.
• Assessment: The assessment questions for every subject area require you to show that you know how to evaluate the effectiveness of your instruction and your students’ progress in each subject area. To answer these questions correctly, you need to be ready to show that you can design, use, and interpret a variety of formative and summative assessments. You must be able to recognize the misconceptions students may develop and devise ways to reteach in order to correct those misconceptions.

Reading and language arts

The topics addressed by questions in the reading and language arts section reflect the state and national standards for language arts. You’ll see questions about:

• Reading foundational skills: These questions test your understanding of how to help students develop concepts of print, phonological awareness, phonics and word-analysis skills, and fluency.
• Reading literature and informational texts: These questions test your understanding of how to help students comprehend literature and informational texts; ask and answer questions about t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Part 1: Getting the Ball Rolling
• Part 2: Subject Area Content Knowledge
• Part 3: The Principles of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
• Part 4: Praxis Elementary Education Practice Tests
• Part 5: The Part of Tens
• About the Authors
• Cheat Sheet
• Advertisement Page
• Connect with Dummies
• End User License Agreement