Study Strategy
Remember exam key points: real world, student centered w/family involvement, diversity, collaboration, Blooms, Piaget, and ALL the levels of ELL (student and teacher). Make sure you go over ELL levels, Bloom's Taxonomy, and Erikson's stages of psycho-social development. Also, make sure you know what horizontal alignment and vertical alignment mean. I reviewed the T-Cert, Quizlet, the TEA study materials, and YouTube PPR. Also, know Piaget's cognitive development stages and understand abstract, high-order thinking and problem solving scenarios. Make sure you study ELL, Special Ed, GT, at risk teaching approaches, assessments and your responsibilities associated with these students. Know IDEA, IEP, ARD, different language proficiency levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced, advanced high and examples). Know human development at ages and examples. Most questions aim to test how you would teach different age groups. Make sure you understand acceptance use, fair use, copy right, FERPA, etc. I mostly used the PPR Review through Texas Teachers. I also did the online interactive practice test provided by TEA. T-Cert through Tarleton University has a free study guide and a short test. You just need to register and you will have access to it. The Mississippi Library Commission has 2 free online full length tests. It took me a while to find the test, but keep searching the website and you will find it. I bought a book but it had the same questions that that TEA online test had. I used REA PPR study book ‘Are you Ready to Pass the TExES’. Also learn about teacher resources/instructional support and when it is appropriate to use each (this includes mentor teacher, head of curriculum department, other teachers, etc.) One more thing to study is Piaget's developmental levels, the stages of play and learning styles.
Testing Strategy
It was a little easier than expected. I was told beforehand that there's many ELL questions and they were right! Just re-do the ELPS lesson from your intern portal. It's equipped with info, quizzes, and great links you can print to study. This helped me the most with ELL. Make sure you know the difference between beginner, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high. I made sure to reread all questions and answers. Think perfect world scenario.