How to pass the Praxis III

Look at students frequently while teaching.

The Praxis III is an assessment of teachers during their first or second year of teaching that involves a process of interviews and observations. It is required in Arkansas. The assessment focuses on lesson planning, teacher instruction, student learning and classroom management. The test does not affect school district employment decisions for teachers who are already employed.

Things You'll Need

• Lesson plan

Instructions

1. Write a lesson plan that you are going to teach while the assessor is observing you. Include your name; the grade level; school student body demographics; subject, learning objectives; opener (including stimulating students' prior knowledge); accommodations (including special needs and English as a Second Language learners); materials; classroom management; procedure; closure; evaluation/assessment; and rubric. Also, include the time you take to complete each part of the lesson.

2. Practice answering interview questions. They are available to you before the observation and interviews, which all occur on the same day in the following order: preobservation interview, assessor observation and post-observation interview. The preobservation interview questions deal with the parts of your lesson plan. The post-observation questions deal with your assessment of how you taught the lesson, including your successes and areas which you feel need improvement.

3. Set up your classroom for optimal classroom management and maximum learning. Make bulletin boards neat and lively and include rules, consequences, student work, subject area information and other text-rich materials on them.

4. Organize your materials, lesson plans and classroom. Make sure your materials are easily located. Check to see if students have required materials before the lesson, including pencils and textbooks.

5. Pace yourself during instruction. Speak slowly and clearly during the lesson. Check frequently for student understanding. Use gestures and images to provide context for the concepts you are introducing.

Tips & Warnings

• Get plenty of sleep the night before your Praxis III assessment.

• Wear professional clothing.

• Move around the room, checking that students are on-task.

References

• Praxis Prep Info: Praxis III Assessment
• The Praxis Series: Overview of the Praxis III® Assessments
• Teacher Lingo: Modified Praxis III Final Portfolio Lesson Plan