College of Education: Test Information
Testing Requirements for Oregon Initial Teaching Licensure
All candidates for Initial Teaching Licensure programs must pass a basic skills test for admission. Candidates with an earned master's or doctoral degree, conferred prior to admission, are exempt from taking the basic skills test. All other applicable tests must be passed prior to the start of student teaching.
- Undergraduate Education & Learning (ECE and Elem authorizations)
- Basic Skills
- Elementary Education Examination
- Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
- Master of Arts in Teaching – Fifth Year and Flex ECE/Elem
- Basic Skills
- Elementary Education Examination
- Protecting Student & Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
- Master of Arts in Teaching – Fifth Year and Flex Elem/MS
- Basic Skills
- Elementary Education Examination
- Middle Level HQ Examination
- Protecting Student & Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
- Master of Arts in Teaching – Fifth Year and Flex MS/HS
- Basic Skills
- Elementary Education Examination (if you want to teach at the middle level)
- Subject Matter Examination
- Protecting Student & Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
- Master of Arts in Teaching – Special Education (all authorizations – ECE/Elem or MS/HS)
- Basic Skills
- NES Special Education Exam
- Protecting Student & Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
- Elementary Education Examination (required for HQ)
- The following subject areas require two authorizations (ECE/Elem, Elem/MS, or MS/HS) and do not require the Multiple Subjects Examination (All other licensure tests still apply for these endorsements):
- Art
- ESOL and ESOL/Bilingual
- Music
- Physical Education
- Reading
Passing Test Scores Required For Oregon Initial Teaching License – Basic Skills
Candidates must show evidence of having competency in basic skills by submitting passing scores on one of the following tests: Essential Academic Skills Test (EAS), Praxis I: Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST or C-PPST), California Basic Educational Skills Test Computer-Based Test (CBEST CBT), or Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B). You can obtain information about test dates, locations, and on-line registration at the ORELA (www.nesinc.orela.com), Praxis (www.ets.org/praxis) and CBEST (www.cbest.nesinc.com) websites. Note: Candidates with an earned master's or doctoral degree, conferred prior to admission, are exempt from taking the basic skills test.
| Basic Skills | Test Number |
Score |
|---|---|---|
| EAS Subtest I: Reading | 220 |
|
| EAS Subtest II: Writing | 220 |
|
| EAS Subtest III: Mathematics | 220 |
|
| PPST: Mathematics | 10730 |
175 |
| PPST: Reading | 10710 |
174 |
| PPST: Writing | 20720 |
171 |
| C-PPST: computer version requires the same score for each section. | ||
| CBEST CBT: A total score (the sum of reading, mathematics, and writing scaled scores) of 123 is required for passing status. The minimum passing score for each test is 37. |
||
| WEST-B: Mathematics | 240 |
|
| WEST-B: Reading | 240 |
|
| WEST-B: Writing | 240 |
|
Passing Test Scores Required For Oregon Initial Teaching License Authorization Levels & Endorsements
Elementary Education
Candidates for the early childhood (grades PreK-4), elementary (grades 3-8), and middle school (grades 5-9) authorization levels must show evidence of
competency in multiple subjects by passing the NES Elementary Education Exam.
You can obtain information about the tests, testing locations, and on-line registration at the ORELA website
(www.orela.nesinc.com).
| Multiple Subjects Examination | Passing Score |
|---|---|
| Subtest I | 227 |
| Subtest II | 228 |
Middle Level Subjects Requiring Highly Qualified Status
Candidates for the middle level authorization level (grades 5-9) may become highly qualified to teach in core subject areas by
showing single subject mastery in one or more of the following ORELA tests. You can obtain more information about the
tests, testing locations, and on-line registration at the ORELA website (www.orela.nesinc.com). Note: Candidates must also meet state licensure
requirements for the middle school authorization level by passing the NES
Elementary Education Exam.
| Middle Level HQ Tests | Passing Score |
|---|---|
| Middle Grades English Language Arts | 222 |
| Middle Grades General Science | 228 |
| Middle Grades Social Science | 227 |
| Note: Middle level tests for language arts, science, and social studies are only valid to teach at the middle school level. | |
| Middle Level Basic Math Endorsement | Passing Score |
| Middle Grades Mathematics (Basic Math) | 225 |
| The Basic Math endorsement is valid to teach any course in middle school or high school at or below Algebra I including Remedial Math; Mathematics; Basic Math; Math Concepts (grades 6-8); Pre-Algebra; Introductory Algebra; Basic Algebra; Algebra I; Competency Mathematics; Consumer Mathematics; General Math I & II; Mathematics Fundamentals; Math Lab; Middle Mathematics Skills; Problem Solving; and other math-related courses at or below the Algebra I level. | |
Subject Matter Endorsements (High School Authorization Levels)
Candidates for the high school authorization level (grades 9-12) must show single subject mastery in each endorsement area by
passing the appropriate subject area test(s). You can obtain information about tests, testing locations, and on-line registration
at the ORELA website (www.orela.nesinc.com). Candidates who pass these exams are qualified to teach the endorsement at
the middle school level (unless noted) if they have met the authorization level requirements (multiple subjects test; practicum;
developmental psychology and other appropriate coursework). Candidates seeking endorsements in the following areas (Art,
ESOL, ESOL Bilingual, Music, Physical Education, Reading, Special Education) must qualify, through approved academic
preparation in the desired authorization levels and through supervised work experience or student teaching, for authorization
at any of the following two levels: early childhood and elementary; elementary and middle level; or middle level and high
school. The NES Elementary Education Exam is not required for these
dual authorization endorsement areas. Taking these tests prior to admission may be in your best interest.
| Subject Endorsements | Passing Score |
|---|---|
| Art (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | 230 |
| Biology (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 220 |
| Note: Valid to teach Biology; Agriculture; Animal Systems; Chemistry; Life Science; Natural Resources; Plant Systems; and Zoology and other specialized courses. | |
| Business Education (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 234 |
| Chemistry (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 220 |
| Note: Valid to teach Chemistry; Integrated Science; Life & Physical Sciences; Physics; Technical Science and other specialized courses. | |
| Chinese (Mandarin) (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 220 |
| French (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 220 |
| German (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 220 |
| Health (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 240 |
| Note: Valid to teach Health Education; Advanced Health; Food and Fitness; Drug Education; Health Promotion; Health and Wellness Education; Individual Health Projects; Chemical and Substance Abuse Education; Family Living, and other health-related courses or activities. | |
| Integrated Science | |
General Science |
TBD |
| Note: Valid to teach Agriculture; Astronomy; General Biology; Botany; General Chemistry; Earth Science; Integrated Science; Life & Physical Science; Natural Resources; General Physics and other specialized courses. | |
| Language Arts (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | |
|
236 |
| *Marketing (see below) | |
| Mathematics, Advanced (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | |
|
225 |
| Note: Valid to teach Advanced Algebra; Trigonometry; Pre-Calculus; Calculus; Statistics & Probability; Geometry; Survey Geometry; Trigonometry Analysis; and Other math-related courses. Required to teach above the Algebra I level. | |
| Mathematics, Basic (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | |
|
225 |
| Note: Valid to teach any course in middle school or high school at or below Algebra I including Remedial Math; Mathematics; Basic Math; Math Concepts (grades 6-8); Pre-Algebra; Introductory Algebra; Basic Algebra; Algebra I; Competency Mathematics; Consumer Mathematics; General Math I & II; Mathematics Fundamentals; Math Lab; Middle Mathematics Skills; Problem Solving, and other math-related courses at or below the Algebra I level. | |
| Music (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | 220 |
| Physical Education (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | 224 |
| Note: Valid to teach games and sports skills; Gymnastics; Movement; Personal & Social Development; Physical Fitness and Body Development; Rhythms; Adaptive motor skills, and athletic training. | |
| Physics (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 232 |
| Note: Valid to teach Astronomy; Chemistry; Integrated Science, Life & Physical Sciences; Meteorology, Physics, Robotics, Technical Science and other specialized courses. | |
| *Reading Specialist (see below) | |
| Social Studies (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | |
|
237 |
| Spanish (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) | 226 |
| Special Education (requires two authorization levels – ECE/Elem or Elem/MS or MS/HS) | 228 |
*The following tests are currently being offered as part of the Praxis II series through ETS. You can obtain information about test dates, locations, and on-line registration at the Praxis website (www.ets.org/praxis).
| Subject Endorsements | Test Number |
Passing Score |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing (High school authorization level only) | ||
|
10561 |
163 |
| Reading Specialist (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | 0301 |
164 |
Endorsements Which Have No Examinations Assigned
A transcript evaluation is required to qualify for these endorsements. In addition, to be recommended for an endorsement in
either Japanese or Russian, candidates must achieve a score of Intermediate High or above on the American Council on the
Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview and the Writing Proficiency Test. See ACTFL website for
additional information.
| Drama (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) |
| Japanese (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) |
| Russian (Middle school and/or high school authorization levels) |
Other Tests Required For Licensure
Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination
The ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination is required of all candidates
seeking Oregon initial licensure, including authorizations at the early childhood, elementary, middle, and/or high school levels.
| Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination | 240 |
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement
The NES English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Examination is required of candidates seeking licensure as
ESOL teachers. You can obtain information about test dates, locations, and on-line
registration at the ORELA website (www.orela.nesinc.com). Candidates seeking this endorsement must qualify, through
approved academic preparation in the desired authorization levels and through supervised work experience or student
teaching, for authorization at any of the following two levels: early childhood and elementary; elementary and middle level; or
middle level and high school. The Elementary Education Exam is not required for these dual authorization endorsement areas. Taking these tests prior to admission may be in your best interest.
| ESOL (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | |
| NES ESOL | 227 |
| ESOL Bilingual (requires two authorization levels – ECE/ELEM or ELEM/MS or MS/HS) | |
| NES ESOL | 227 |
| Note: In addition, candidates must achieve a score of Intermediate High or above in a target language on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Oral Proficiency Interview. | |
Fee Waivers
Fee waivers for ORELA and NES tests may be available for college students who meet the eligibility criteria indicated below. You may receive only one fee waiver per year. Requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. To be eligible for a fee waiver, you must meet the following conditions:
- You must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
- You must be currently receiving financial aid.
- You must meet certain eligibility income guidelines.
To apply for a fee waiver, submit a completed Fee Waiver Request Form
Document before registering to test.
For More Information
Contact Person: Diana Watkins, Assistant Director of Graduate & Professional Admissions
Email: teach@pacificu.edu
Phone: 503-352-1435