The Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) exam was designed in order to maintain a group of educators within Arizona that are able to encourage student success and meet the needs of the diverse public. There are now regulations in place that require future teachers to pass a certification exam that tests both their professional and subject knowledge of subjects in the field that they are trying to get licensure for. The AEPA is the exam that ensures the public that teachers have passed the certification test and possess needed knowledge to teach in Arizona’s public schools.
The AEPA covers areas that address the Arizona Academic Standards, the Arizona Professional Administrative Standards and the Arizona Professional Teaching Standards. In order to test the knowledge of the test takers, there are tests that cover professional knowledge, subject knowledge, the administrator tests and the Constitutions of the United States and Arizona tests. These tests are designed to measure knowledge in relation to a preset standard of performance.
The tests are made up of both selected-response questions and extended response questions. Selected-response questions are those that allow the test taker to choose an answer from four given options. The extended-response questions either require a written response or a spoken response. Each test is meant to evaluate the test taker’s basic knowledge and skills in a particular field of study. The content of the test is broken down into subareas which are then defined by two statements. The objective statement is a broad definition of the subject matter and the descriptive statement provides examples of knowledge and skills covered by the test. The tests are written in language that simulates the knowledge, skills and understanding of subject matter that a teacher needs in order to teach well in Arizona schools.
The questions on the test are in different formats that will best test the knowledge of test takers. There are selected-response questions, single questions, questions that utilize stimulus material, and questions that require either a written or spoken response.
• Selected-response questions are those in which an answer is selected from a group of options that are provided.
• Single questions are those that have a problem presented and a direct question follows. When approaching a single question it is best to read the question carefully and think about what is being asked and then selecting the answer.
• Those that involve stimulus material may be in regards to a graph, chart, table, map, reading passage or classroom situation. The number of questions for each is specified in a clear manner so that the test taker knows how many questions follow each. The best method for these questions is to study the stimulus material and note how the information is presented and then read the questions and determine the correct answer.
• The performance assignment tests can be formatted in two different ways: as a written performance response and as an oral performance response.
o The written response is formatted to evaluate the ability of the test taker to prepare a well-thought out response to a certain prompt.
o The oral performance response is formatted in the same way to evaluate the test taker’s ability to prepare a well-thought out response as well, but in a spoken form. Both responses need to reflect the test takers ability to organize thoughts, express reasoning to support statements using accurate information and present the response to a given audience.
Understanding the formats of the questions used in AEPA tests is a good way to passing the exam. Knowing what the questions are asking and being able to understand the questions goes a long way in passing the test along with having sufficient knowledge in all the areas covered on the test.
Zack Fair writes for a Study Guides website, Teaching Solutions that offers study guidelines for PRAXIS II, CSET, TExES, and NCLEX.
