The Praxis tests measure the academic skills and subject-specific content knowledge needed for teaching, and are part of the certification process required by many states and professional licensing organizations. It is recommended that candidates take Praxis Core as early as high school if they are interested in entering the profession. Some potential and aspiring candidates need resources and supports.
Praxis and Diversity in the Teaching Profession
However, regardless of the education or training path candidates take on the way to becoming a teacher, Praxis and other licensure tests can create barriers to entering the profession. This is particularly true for candidates of color. It has been largely documented that standardized test are culturally biased, and these assessments may prevent candidates from becoming teachers of record.
Praxis should not be the sole reason that candidates are denied entry into the profession. Teacher preparation programs should find alternative ways to measure candidates’ readiness and preparedness to address these barriers.
