UPCOMING DEADLINES
The Northwest Professional Education Program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Therefore, all persons seeking certification must first complete all requirements for a Missouri Teaching Certificate to be recommended for certification in Missouri. All students must successfully complete the appropriate content area assessment in order to complete their teacher education program and be recommended for certification. Furthermore, all teacher candidates will be required to attempt the appropriate initial certification, state-mandated content examination(s) (MoCA if prior to July 1, 2024 or Praxis II on July 1st or after) prior to finalizing placement into student teaching.
Please note that beginning July 1, 2024, Praxis Exams through ETS will replace MoCA exams for the content assessment requirement for teacher certification in Missouri. MoCA exams passed prior to July 1, 2024 will still be accepted for certification. The one exception to this is the Elementary Education content assessment. If only one subtest of the Elementary Education MoCA has been passed by July 1, 2024, then a teacher candidate will need to pass the Praxis Elementary Education tests for certification in Elementary Education.
A valid test score is required for each major and/or minor teaching area. If you take the Content Assessment in Missouri, your scores will automatically be reported to DESE.
Missouri's required licensure tests and scores are subject to change. 220 is the minimum qualifying score for EACH MoCA Content Assessment. The minimum qualifying score for the Praxis assessments vary by test and can be found HERE. (Select Missouri in State or Agency drop-down menu.) For specific test questions or information, please contact your advisor, and/or the DESE website or call DESE at 573.751.0051.
Alternative Measure of Content Area Competency: Candidates who have earned a content area GPA of 2.75 or 2.99 for the required content knowledge courses will be eligible for initial certification if they pass the required Content Area Assessment at +1 Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) above the Missouri Qualifying Score. This alternative measure of content competency will be effective for candidates completing their certification program beginning in fall 2017. A list of the Content Assessments and their +1 SEM scores can be found here.
To register for the Praxis, please go HERE or contact the Northwest Assessment Office at 660.562.1452. The price of the exam varies between content areas.
Candidates should IMMEDIATELY download and save their content assessment score report. It is important for each educator to take care of his/her test report(s) and other professional certification documentation! When registering for each tests, please be sure to include your university code so that the institution receives a copy of your score report.
For more information regarding taking the exam on the Northwest campus, please refer to the Assessment Office website.
Questions regarding registration or available sessions? Please contact the Assessment Office at 660-562-1452 or oaia@nwmissouri.edu
Questions regarding which test to take? Contact your advisor or the TESS Office.
