Your Road to Success: �The TExES Core Subjects EC-6

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Housekeeping

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Network:

Password:

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Materials Access

• A printed copy of the deck is included in your folder
• You can also access the digital version and additional study materials here:

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We’re Celebrating You This Week!

Your dedication, persistence, and commitment to your students matter.

Thank you for showing up today and investing in your growth.

We’re glad you’re here and excited to support you as you prepare for certification.

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Objectives

Review and analyze data to understand successes and opportunities for growth on the TExES.

Practice low-performing competencies on the TExES exam to ensure mastery.

Build confidence with test-taking skills and mastery.

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Meeting Agenda

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Shared Norms

• Confidentiality: What's said here stays here, what’s learned here leaves here.
• Vulnerability: We're here to learn from each other. Be open about what's working and what's not. No one has all the answers, and that's okay.
• Be Present: Active listening and participation are key to a rich discussion.
• All Voices are Valued: Listen to understand, not just to respond.
• Stay on Topic: Keep the conversation focused on the agenda and the shared purpose of the Certification Workshop.
• Keep Students at the Center: Remember why we’re here. Ground discussions, decisions, and reflections in what will most benefit students.

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Write this down: What is one norm you will prioritize today?

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Connections

Community Building: Quiz-Quiz-Trade

• On a note card, write down your favorite team building question, or come up with one of your own
• Stand up, Hand Up, Pair Up
• Listen for who goes first
• Ask the question you’d like to hear the answer to from your partner
• Trade cards!

• Question 1:
• What’s your favorite color? What does this say about your personality?
• Question 2:
• Where did you grow up? What’s your favorite part about it?
• Question 3:
• Why do you want to be a teacher?

Instructions

Questions

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Analyzing Diagnostic Data

TExES Exam Reminders

Exam Name: Core Subjects EC-6 (391)

Exam Code: 391

Total Questions: 210

Total Time: 5 hours

English

Language Arts & Reading

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• 1 hour and 10 minutes
• 45 questions

Social Studies

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• 50 minutes
• 40 questions

Fine Arts, Health, & PE

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• 35 minutes
• 40 questions

Mathematics

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• 1 hour and 10 minutes
• 40 questions

Science

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• 55 minutes
• 45 questions

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Track Your Progress

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• Fill out your progress so far
• Identify where you want to focus your time today

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10 Minutes

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Celebrate Successes

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• Which competencies are you most confident or strongest?
• Why?

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5 Minutes

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Identify Opportunities

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• Which competencies are you least confident or weakest?
• What caused misunderstandings?

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10 Minutes

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Study Strategies:

You Can Do

Hard Things!

You have what it takes

You have (or will have!) the content knowledge

You have the desire

You can study to improve

• Knowledge is something that is gained through experience, and you have the experience to learn!
• Write down something you are excited about teaching from your content

• There are students across the city, state, country, and world who need a teacher like you.
• Write down an experience you’ve had with an excellent teacher and what they did to help you succeed.

• Carol Dweck has written about the power of a growth mindset. Trust in your ability to become better!
• Write down something that you have grown in in the past. What did becoming better at that skill teach you?

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Test Taking Strategies

Note Taking

Vocabulary/Factual Understanding

Determining What to Study

• Use Cornell Notes with big themes and questions on the left and more detailed notes on the right
• Consolidate the biggest key point or understanding at the bottom

• Use flashcards to study key vocabulary terms and dates
• Create Frayer Models for tricky concepts and vocabulary words
• Use notes with highlighted key points

• Start with the easiest bubble competency and master that one
• Build momentum by creating a priority list
• Work up to the hardest

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Study Flow

• Understand the competency by identifying larger concepts, vocabulary words, and trends in the test items
• Identify within the competency the key knowledge (vocabulary) and skills (ways of solving or understanding) needed to understand this competency

• Study the concepts
• Take the time to deeply explore the concepts
• Work for understanding of the competency, not for getting a good grade on the quiz (that comes later!)
• Develop a working definition of the competency on your own

• Test yourself - did you learn it?
• If you get multiple questions incorrect, see it as an opportunity to go and learn more.
• Write your index cards, create Frayer models, write down your own questions and explain your answers, research on other sites and watch videos – do whatever you have done before to be successful in studying!
• Take another quiz and repeat as necessary

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Study Flow

Frayer Model

Cornell Notes

Growth Mindset

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Mastery Machine

What is Mastery Machine?

Mastery Machine is a practice that:

• Allows you to practice on standards that you need more support on.
• Gives you ample time to ensure mastery on each standard you’ve identified as needing growth.
• Provides you with the structure to harness your growth mindset.

Today you will:

• Work on standards that are not at mastery yet.
• Practice until you’ve reached 75% on at least 3 different assignments in the mastery machine.
• Check your work using the provide answer keys.
• Work with some experts on particularly tough objectives.
• Learn so much!

If you finish:

• Practice a skill you scored high on but are feeling iffy about.
• Ask if you can support as an expert.
• Take another diagnostic.

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Instructions

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Stay in the same test until you’ve mastered every low competency

Step 1: Select the test you want to practice

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It may appear more than once!

Step 2: Look for your prioritized competency

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Implement study techniques (ex: Frayer Model, Cornell Notes) to review the content

Step 3: Review the instructional content

Step 4: Take a Practice Quiz

Step 5: Move on to the next competency

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Let’s Practice

1. Open your study resource.
2. Go to the exam you want to practice with.
3. Choose one of the competencies you’d like to focus on.
4. Start studying!

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Teach Yourself to Teach Others

Time to Learn, Time to Quiz

Choose a competency that’s a strength or one that you improved on today!

Do a deep dive into this competency. Use your study resource, look for other materials on other sites, find videos, etc. You want to learn this competency all the way down.

Write one big-picture question on the front of the note card and the answer on the back.

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Quiz, Quiz, Trade!

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If you need specific content support, we are here to help!

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Test-Taking Strategies -

You Will Succeed!

Test Taking Strategies

The test is a game - play it!

Pedagogy first!

Question types

• If a question takes you 25-30 seconds to understand, mark it for review and come back to it
• Use the process of elimination
• If you don’t know, guess! You’re not penalized for incorrect answers

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• On pedagogy questions focus on developmentally appropriate answers and:
• Ideal Teaching Scenarios
• Scaffolding
• Active Learning
• Every student every time

• Stimulus-based
• Single Responses
• Clustered Responses
• Interactive
• Scenario-based
• Passage-based

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Mindsets for Success

Understanding the Question Strategies

Multiple Choice Strategies

General Strategies

• Pay attention
• Note interesting or odd details and vocabulary
• Make an outline of the text as you read
• Talk to the text!

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• Slow down
• Rephrase the question
• Put your finger on it (on the line questions)
• Try/test all the options
• Don’t stress

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• Breathe
• Take breaks as needed
• Sleep well the night before,
• Have a light but filling breakfast
• Make the morning as perfect as possible

Which of your own strategies do you see here? Which might you add to your own toolbox?

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Mastery Quiz

Instructions

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• You have 30 minutes to complete the mastery test

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Take the mastery test

80% or greater!

60-79%

50-59%

Below 50%

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Scan to access answer keys

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Instructions

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• X/Total Number of Questions Answered - X is how many you got right!
• Sign the Victory Wall in the Corresponding Color
• Update your tracker!

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Track Your Progress!

80% or greater!

60-79%

50-59%

Below 50%

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Celebrations!

Planning for Success

What are some things that might help you continue the work you’ve done today?

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What might you do to monitor your progress with your areas of growth?

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What will you do to create time and space to work on those areas? How will you practice in those areas?

How will you celebrate your wins?

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Action Plan

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• Action plan looking at your calendar
• Determine content to review
• Determine your plan to reassess

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5 Minutes

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Are you registered?

Pre-Registration

Registration

Please make sure you’re registered!

TExES Registration Instructions

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Intern Certificate and Fingerprinting Instructions

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Accommodation for Test

Must be registered to apply for accommodations

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Takes ~3 weeks to approve, so plan appropriately!

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Give the gift of feedback!

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Scan to complete the end of session survey.

<ADD LINK OR QR CODE HERE>

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Final Reminder

Before You Leave

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• Please take all personal belongings with you
• Help us clean up any food or trash
• Return tables to their original setup

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Thank you!