- Preparation Manuals: The Preparation Manuals are free to access and should be your go-to guide to discover
what will be on your certification exam(s). Start by going to https://www.tx.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tests.html. and locate your exam. Most exams will be under the TExES tab, however if you are a
candidate seeking certification in Family and Consumer Sciences or Human Development
and Family Studies, your content exam will be located under the AAFCS tab. Each information
page will tell you the format of your exam, the time allotted, allow you to view available
exam dates and test center locations, and (under Prepare) will link you to your Preparation
Manual. In the Preparation Manuals, you will find important information about the
exams, tips on how to prepare, the Overview and Exam Framework that details the specific
content on your exam, sample questions you can practice with, and a list of suggested
resources to help you study.
- 240 Tutoring: The TExES Success Office has a partnership with 240 Tutoring that allows candidates
to receive a special discount on their monthly subscription service for $25/month.
To utilize this discount, you must sign up for a subscription at https://landing.240tutoring.com/unt-redeem-discount-video. 240 Tutoring has study guides available for most initial certification areas as well as the Principal as Instructional Leader (268) certification. The unique difference with 240 Tutoring, is that you $25/month subscription gives
you access to all the certification courses available on their site. If you have multiple
exams to prepare for, this is the most cost-effective solution for you. To get the most out of this service, you will take a Diagnostic Test that will assess
your areas of strengths and needs and build a study plan that will help target your
areas of need. There are flashcards and quizzes along the way to help you gauge your
understanding, as well as three full-length practice exams in each course. Students
who fully engage with the instructional content, flashcards, and quizzes and pass
a full-length practice exam are more likely to succeed on their real exam than those
who do not fully utilize the course materials.
- Passage Preparation: While UNT does not have an official partnership with Passage Preparation, they are
a TEA-approved CPE provider and, therefore, a recommended resource option for initial
certification candidates. Passage Preparation does have materials for certifications
that often have limited study materials available, such as Family Consumer Science, Physics/Math 7-12, and Art EC-12. They also offer materials for Educational Diagnostician, Principal as Instructional Leader, and School Librarian candidates. You can view their available courses and subscription prices at https://passagepreparation.com/states/texas/.
- Certify Teacher: UNT's partnership with Certify Teacher allows initial teacher candidates to access
the study materials they purchase for up to 3 years for a one-time $50 fee. For Educational
Diagnostician and School Counselor candidates, the fee increases to $60; for Principal
and Superintendent candidates the fee increases to $115. School Librarian candidates
will soon have materials available. If you have multiple exams that you need to prepare
for, you must individually purchase each course. You can view their available courses
at https://certifyteacher.com/texes. To utilize the UNT discount, you will need to select the Promo Code option, then
use the code UNT4728 at checkout.
The TExES Success Office has a limited quantity of study books available for students
to check out for 30 days from Matthews Hall, Room 208. If you would like to purchase
your own copy, the following companies are highly recommended and reliable resources.
- Ed Publishing: Pass the TExES: Offers both e-books and hard copy books for many certification areas. See their available
selection at https://www.passthetexes.com/all-texes-test-preps.
- Mometrix: Offers both e-books and hard copy books for nearly every certification area, including
the AAFCS exams (for Family & Consumer Sciences and Human Development & Family Studies) and TExES exams. Each book also comes with a link to online resources that include practice questions.
- REA Test Prep: Offers both online and hard copy options for more common certification areas like
Core Subjects EC-6, ESL Supplemental, PPR EC-12, Math 7-12, and Social Studies 7-12.
To view their selection, go to: https://store.rea.com/tstprep-teachcert-tx.html.
Resources are constantly being updated, but this list is not exhaustive. If there
are no resources listed for your specific certification, use the Preparation Manual
for your exam to help you look for specific resources you may need or email the TExES
Success Office for suggestion.
- TEKS for ELAR: It is important for you to be familiar with the Knowledge and Skills students should
achieve at every grade level for your certification. EC-6 Candidates should also be
familiar with the Pre-K Guidelines.
- Young Children's Oral Language Development
- 7 Stages of Language Acquisition in Children
- Six Stages of Second-Language Acquisition
- Oral Language & Explicit Instruction
- Basic Linguistic Concept Milestones
- Components of Language: Syntax, Morphology, Phonology, Semantics, and Pragmatics
- Understanding Morphology
- Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, & Phonological Awareness
- Stages of Language Development
- Structural Analysis
- Phonics and Structural Analysis
- Contextual Analysis
- Contextual Analysis Strategies
- Word Analysis
- 7 Ways to Teach Word Analysis
- Synonyms, Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs
- Assessment & Reading Instruction
- Bridge between Decoding and Reading Comprehension
- Reading Comprehension Basics
- Barrett's Taxonomy of Comprehension Skills
- Reading Comprehension Strategies
- Components of Fluency
- Types of Genres
- Effective Vocabulary Instruction
- Vocabulary Instructional Strategies
- Teaching Vocabulary
- Understanding Text Types
- Digital Composition and Multimodal Texts
- Writing Conventions
- "Writing Rope" Model
- The Writing Process
- Literacy Assessment
- Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel
on Language-Minority Children and Youth
- Stages of Reading Development
- Digraphs, Trigraphs, and Blends
- The Diphthong Song
- 44 Phonemes
- Voiced and Voiceless Sounds
- Phonological Awareness Continuum
- Phonemic Awareness Continuum
- Phonics Continuum
- Alphabet Knowledge
- Alphabetic Principle
- Four Key Language Skills (Speaking, Listening, Reading, Writing)
- Characteristics of Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
- ELL Accommodation Checklist
- Tiers of Vocabulary
- Word Formation
- Figurative, Connotative, and Technical Meanings of Words
- Building Background Knowledge
- Text Complexity
- Dramatic Structure
- Theme Development
- Dramatic Conventions
- Poetry: Rhyme & Meter
- TEKS for Mathematics: It is important for you to be familiar with the Knowledge and Skills students should
achieve at every grade level for your certification.
- Learning Theories in Math
- Key Principles for Teaching Primary Mathematics Effectively
- Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Math
- CRA Method
- Top 10 Tools for Math
- Careers that Use Math
- Khan Academy - Math : Reviews for Math grades K - 12 with focused topics on Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry,
Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Statistics, and Probability. There are even TEKS-specific
reviews.
- What is Arithmetic?
- Mental Math Tricks: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, & Division
- Number Properties (Commutative, Associative, Distributive, Identity)
- Rational, Irrational, and Real Numbers
- Real vs. Imaginary Numbers
- Number Patterns
- Order of Operations with Integers
- Multiplying & Dividing Fractions
- Adding Fractions with Common Denominators
- Subtracting Fractions with Common Denominators
- Adding & Subtracting Fractions with Unlike Denominators
- Adding & Subtracting Mixed Numbers
- Multiplying & Dividing Mixed Numbers
- Converting Between Fractions, Decimals, & Percent
- Prime & Composite Numbers
- Prime Factorization
- Greatest Common Factor & Least Common Multiple using Prime Factorization
- Alegbra Basics
- Solving 2-Step Algebra Equations
- Simplifying Algebraic Expressions
- Intro to Inequalities
- Graphing Inequalities
- Intro to Ratios
- Proportions
- Absolute Value
- Basics Geometric Concepts
- What is a Polygon?
- Two and Three Dimensional Figures
- Perimeter, Area, and Volume
- Area of Rectangles, Squares, Triangles, and Circles
- Area for Triangles
- Coordinate Planes
- Ordered Pairs
- Transformations
- Intro to the Metric System
- Mean, Median, Mode, & Range
- Basic Probability
- Probability Examples
- Theoritical Probability
- Graphs for Kids
- Types of Charts
The following resources are more appropriate for Math 7-12 Candidates.
- Khan Academy: Middle School Biology: Covers cells and organisms, reproductions, matter & energy in organisms, ecosystems,
inheritance, evolution, and natural selection
- Khan Academy: Middle School Earth/Space Science: Covers Earth-sun-moon systems, weather and climate, the geosphere, and earth and
society.
- Khan Academy: Middle School Chemistry: Covers matter, physical properties of matter, chemical change, and thermal energy
and heat.
- Khan Academy: Middle School Physics: Covers motions and forces, non-contact interactions, energy, and waves.
- Khan Academy: 8th Grade Science (TEKS): Covers classifying matter; properties of water; chemical reactions; motion and forces;
waves; space; weather systems; climate change; changes in ecosystems; cells, genes,
& traits; and natural selection and adaptation.
- Khan Academy: High School Biology
- Khan Academy: High School Chemistry
- Khan Academy: High School Physics
- Khan Academy: AP Biology
- Khan Academy: AP Chemistry
- Khan Academy: AP Environmental Science
- Khan Academy: AP Physics 1
- Khan Academy: AP Physics 2
- Khan Academy: Organic Chemistry
- Khan Academy: Cosmology and Astronomy
- Teach Write Learn: Matter and Energy
- Moon Phases Explained
- Core Subjects EC-6 Science Playlist
The following can also be accessed
TEAL Educator Account & Pearson Testing Account