College of Education learners enrolled in Teacher Education Programs (with institutional recommendation [IR]) beginning with the 2009-2010 Academic Catalog must pass their state-specified basic skills and content area exams or Praxis I® (Basic Skills) and Praxis II® (Content Area) prior to student teaching. Arizona residents will be required to take the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPAs).
Teacher candidates residing in states that do not have state-specified basic and/or content exams will be required to take the AEPA exams or the Praxis series®.
The AEPA Basic Skills Test is a three (3) part exam: Reading, Writing, and Math. Other state-mandated basic skills test examples follow:
Teacher candidates requiring Arizona certification in application for their local state licensure will need to complete the appropriate AEPA exams prior to receiving an Arizona IR. For content areas outside the approved AEPA areas, teacher candidates seeking Arizona certification will be required to hold 24 units in the certification content area.
There are comparable out of state exams that may be accepted by the Arizona Department of Education in lieu of the AEPA. A passing score on a comparable (Content) Knowledge examination from another state agency taken within the past seven (7) years may meet the requirements of the AEPA Subject (Content) Knowledge examination. The Arizona Department of Education maintains a list of comparable out of state exams which will be accepted in lieu of the AEPA. The learner's Teacher Education Specialist can discuss the details of this option upon request.
Information regarding payment, test day, test dates, registration deadlines, admission tickets, study guides, score reports, alternative testing arrangements, and refunds can be found on the AEPA website or on the Praxis website.
Most states, including Arizona, also require learners to take a Professional Knowledge exam for certification. Learners may take their Professional Knowledge exam at any time, up to and including, during student teaching, but must have it completed prior to certification.
Additional Resources
GCU Basic Skills Resources
Test Taking
Reading (Language Arts)
Writing (Language Arts)
Math
Science
