When I received my certification, we weren't required to take the Praxis, but instead something called the Teacher Competency Test, so I'll admit that I don't have any personal experience with the Praxis.
I think I screwed up or they changed the way they score the test. I completely forgot the 1 in front of the other two numbers. I had to check my test scores (in the file cabinet in the basement) after I went to the praxis link. My friend, scored a 164 on the social studies test (for NJ). My husband figured that to be an 82%. If it goes by straight percentages. I scored 186 which he figured to be in the 90 something percent. We didn’t figure out percentiles. the test result gives *your score* and Possible score range* - which is 100-200. He figured the highest score would be 200 so since I got a 186, he said I scored in the 90something percent. So min score would be 100 and max would be 200.
My test results state that 153 is the passing score for NJ but the link says 157 so maybe they raised it since I took the test?). PA, on my test results state a 157 as the required passing score for that state and says the same on the site. A 157 would be around a 78% so that’s not as bad as I thought.
When I first received my initial certification in PA, back in the 80’s, they didn’t have a test for secondary ed social studies so we had to take the NTE along with the PA state boards (we called them that, it was the required state teacher test - not sure what the official name was).
A few years ago, PA required all teachers teaching content areas (middle or junior high) to take the praxis, regardless of how long they’d been teaching. Some philly schools are K-8, some are K-6 then they move onto to 7-9 junior high and high school is 10-12. My best friend teaches in a K-8 school. She attended a junior high for 9th grade since she went to our catholic school through 8 grade and the public high school started at 10th grade. I taught in a K-8 philly school but taught 6,7,8 grade content areas. The philly school district is a mess. Even with all the charter schools or “magnet” schools.
Anyway, she’s been teaching for close to 20 years in the same school and she’s close to giving it all up (tenure, pay, etc) to teach in NJ. She’s worried about taking the praxis (required in NJ now) - she’d pass no question imo.
When I first received my initial certification in PA, it was good in NY and NJ. A few years ago, I had to take the praxis in order to get NJ certification, they didn’t care I was certified in PA and NY. Even before that, I had to get a county sub certificate in order to sub, which costs about $78 and s-m background check and fingerprints which cost about another $100 or so. IMO, it was a racket. I didn’t have to take the competency test though, which cost even more money, because of the MS and MA degrees. And, I was told, never looked into it, that if I wanted to sub in another county that I’d have to apply and pay for each county sub cert. But the s-m background check would still be good. Since I’m certified in NJ now, per the praxis, the county stuff doesn’t matter.
I also received emergency teacher status before I took the praxis because the sd was in a bind and needed a long term sub.