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About This Book
REA’s The Best Teachers’ Test Preparation for the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA): Elementary Education (Field 01) is a comprehensive guide designed to assist you in preparing to take the AEPA Elementary Education Test. This examination is not the only one that Arizona requires of elementary candidates applying for teacher certification; elementary candidates must pass the following:
• A subject knowledge test that matches the desired type of certification or endorsement (in this case elementary education)
• A professional knowledge test
• The Constitutions of Arizona and the United States test—unless they have completed successfully course work that the Arizona Department of Education has approved for exemption of this requirement
The AEPA is a criterion-referenced test (CRT). In CRTs, each student is measured against uniform objectives or criteria; candidates are not scored in relation to the scores of the other examinees, as they are in norm-referenced tests (NRTs). CRTs allow for the possibility that all students can score 100 percent, because the students can determine ahead of time the concepts on the examination. If students properly study for the
test, their scores should be high. This type of test is noncompetitive, because students are not in competition with one another for a high score; there is no limit to the number of candidates who can score well.
The purpose of the AEPA is to identify the certification candidates who demonstrate the skills and the professional knowledge that the Arizona Department of Education considers to be important for a state educator who will (1) enhance student achievement and (2) meet the needs of the changing and diverse student population in the Arizona schools.
The candidates for teacher certification in the state of Arizona should check with their preparatory institution, National Evaluation Systems, Inc. (NES), and the Arizona Department of Education for the latest information about certification requirements, test dates, and so forth.
AEPA Program
National Evaluation Systems, Inc.
PO Box 660
Amherst, MA 01004-9011
800-239-8105 or 413-256-2883
7 a.m.–6 p.m. (Mountain Standard Time)
413-256-8032 (TTY)
www.aepa.nesinc.com
Arizona Department of Education
Certification United States
PO Box 6490
Phoenix, AZ 85005-6490
www.ade.az.gov/certification
This book helps in your preparation for the AEPA Elementary Education Test. This test guide does the following:
• Identifies the 38 objectives in five subject areas (language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts) that form the foundation of the content of the AEPA. Objectives are broad statements whose language is a reflection of the professional knowledge, skills, and understandings that a beginning educator needs for effective performance in the elementary classroom in Arizona.
• Provides an explanation of the skills and the knowledge that the objective covers in a statement that follows each objective; these objectives and statements reflect
Arizona’s curriculum standards and materials, certification standards, and teacher preparation programs.
• Identifies some of the important information about the AEPA Elementary Education Test.
• Presents an accurate and complete overview of the AEPA.
• Summarizes the content of the AEPA for a quick review of content.
• Provides sample questions in the AEPA format.
• Suggests tips and strategies for successfully completing standardized tests.
• Provides two practice tests that (1) replicate the format of the AEPA Elementary Education test, (2) provide an opportunity for the candidate to rehearse before the test date, and (3) represent the types and the levels of difficulty of the questions that appear
on the AEPA.
• Supplies the correct answer and detailed explanation for each question on the two practice tests included in this book. This explanation feature enables you not only to identify correct answers but also to understand why they are correct and, just as important, why the other answers are incorrect.
• Provides sample performance assignment responses and the score that the response would typically receive on the test. In producing this guide, the editors considered the
most recent test administrations, other test guides, and professional standards; they also researched information from the Arizona Department of Education, professional
journals, textbooks, other educators, and the most recent information from National Evaluation Systems (NES).
In addition to guiding your preparation for certification, recertification, out-of-field certification, or multiple certifications, this book is a valuable source for college and university personnel and in-service trainers. They will find the guide helpful as they construct help sessions and recommend resources for a test candidate.
The guide may even suggest topics or content to include in a college course syllabus.
Although this book is intended to help you succeed on the AEPA, you should not consider it a replacement for any college course, a duplicate of the test, or a complete
source of subject matter to master. Like knowledge itself, the AEPA test can change.
This book includes the best test preparation materials based on the latest information available from test administrators. The number and distribution of questions can vary from test to test. Accordingly, prospective examinees should pay strict attention to their strengths and weaknesses and not depend on specific proportions of any subject areas appearing on the actual exam.
About the Test
Who Must Take the AEPA Elementary
Education Test?
In November 1997 the State of Arizona adopted certain rules and regulations governing the evaluation of educators applying for state teacher certifications, endorsements,
and credentials. One of these rules requires candidates for teacher certification to pass certain tests: the subject matter test that matches the certification or endorsement area, a professional knowledge test, and the Constitutions of the United States and Arizona test.
To obtain an elementary education teaching certificate, then, a prospective elementary teacher must demonstrate mastery of subject matter knowledge, as indicated by a
passing score on the AEPA Elementary Education test (01) and on the AEPA Professional Knowledge Test: Elementary (91).
People taking the test typically include (1) individuals seeking initial teacher certification in Arizona and (2) educators who are making changes in their teaching
career.
How Is the Test Scored?
On the AEPA, the selected-response (multiple-choice) section counts for 90 percent of your total score, while the performance assignment (essay) counts for 10 percent.
Once you take the test, your raw score—based on the number of questions you answer correctly—is converted to a scaled score based on a weighting value unique to the
administration of your particular test. The scaled scores possible on the AEPA range from 100 to 300; 240 or higher is a passing score. (Your actual scaled score is provided
only if you do not pass the test.) For all practical purposes, on the sample tests in this book, if you write a good essay and correctly answer roughly 70 percent of the questions,
you will approximate a passing score on the AEPA.
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