State Testing - Baltimore Requirements

Urban Teachers and the states in which we serve students require new teachers to complete a pre-professional test prior to the start of a teacher preparation program. For Baltimore, that is the Praxis Core.  

You take and pass these tests no later than May 10, 2021. Upon evidence of passing the Praxis Core or providing official scores from the ACT, GRE, SAT or Praxis I and getting accepted into Johns Hopkins University, you will be officially accepted into the Urban Teachers program. You will receive an official notification once official test scores and JHU acceptance is complete.

State exams need to be passed prior to attending Summer Institute (mid-June 2021) to join our 2021 cohort. We suggest taking any exams before March 2021 to confirm you have met the requirement or allow retakes for the May deadline requirement for passing scores. Below are some additional resources and information regarding these exams.

Acceptable Tests and Passing Scores: All testing options are provided on the ETS website. 

When to Sign Up

You should create a test plan within 10 days of signing a Letter of Intent from Urban Teachers.

If you are planning on taking the Praxis Core instead of submitted previous exams (SAT, ACT, GRE, Praxis I scores), please register for a test here and be sure to include the Urban Teachers Code (Baltimore - #5822) so we can receive the official scores. 

ETS is temporarily offering select Praxis tests at home while many test centers are closed or have limited seating due to COVID-19. Click here for more information on taking the test at home.

Cost of Exams

Praxis Core (combined tests #5752)  - $150 (or $90 per exam if taken separately).  You must take and pass the Praxis Core Reading, Writing and Mathematics exams.  It is up to you whether you would like to take them in one sitting (combined tests #5752) or separately (Reading - #5713, Writing -  #5723, and Mathematics - #5733).

ETS offers fee waivers for Praxis Core for individuals that qualify, but you need to act fast using this link: https://www.ets.org/praxis/about/fees/fee_waivers/.

Deadline to Complete Fee Waiver Form	Praxis Core taken within these dates
August 27, 2020	September 2020 – November 2020
November 25, 2020	December 2020 – February 2021
February 25, 2021	March 2021 – May 2021

For individuals that do not qualify and still have financial need, Urban Teachers will reimburse for tests, retakes, and additional resources (if you have trouble passing the test) only for candidates who complete our selection process and sign the “Letter of Intent”.  You must complete a financial need request form given to applicants after signing the Letter of Intent form. We require diagnostic results from testing supports prior to providing additional funding for an upcoming test registration. We also have free online, on-demand courses available. Please email admissions@urbanteachers.org if you have further questions.

 

GRE, ACT, or SAT Scores

Baltimore placements are able to submit appropriate ACT, SAT, or GRE scores in lieu of Praxis Core. 

What you will need to do:

Send visual proof of your scores. This can be a screenshot and will be sent to monique.howard@urbanteachers.org. 

After that, please to do the following:

You will order an official score report to be sent directly to yourself. You must scan/save this score report as a PDF and email it to monique.howard@urbanteachers.org with your first name, last name, and "test scores" in the subject line.

GRE scores: Either options below are valid official GRE scores to submit.

• Free Online Official Copy: You can access an electronic copy of your scores for free from your GRE account and download Test Taker Score Report pdf (sample).
• Order Paper Copy: You can order a paper copy of your GRE scores to be sent to your own address for $27 with this form.

SAT scores: Either options below are valid official SAT scores to submit.

• Free Online Official Copy: You can access an electronic copy of your scores for free from your CollegeBoard account.  Click your name in the top right corner, then click mySAT.  Scroll down to "My Scores" and click on "View Score Sends".  On the top right, click download report for a pdf copy of your scores.
• Order Paper Copy: You must call to order a paper copy of your official SAT scores to be sent to your own address for $12 per entity (there is an additional $31 fee for a rush order). The SAT line is 1-866-756-7346. You will be prompted to answer a series of verification questions about your home address, high school, SSN, etc. Scores should be sent within 5-7 business days for rush orders or 14 business days for regular orders.

ACT scores: 

• Order Paper Copy: You can order a paper copy of your ACT scores to be sent to your own address for $39 with this form. 

Preparation for Exams

We recommend that you view our webinar to learn more about testing requirements.

Khan Academy: Now available! This new, free, online resource will help you build the reading, writing and mathematics skills you need to succeed on the Praxis^® Core tests.

Urban Teachers’ Prep for Praxis Core Math includes a wide range of free instructional resources offered on one easy-to-use platform, including instructional videos, practice tests, and sample questions all related to the content of the mathematics portion of the Praxis Core exam.

Other Resources: We also recommend that you review practice questions and study materials before taking the test. The resources below are all free.

• Praxis Study Companion for Reading, Writing, and Math.
• Free Comprehensive Study Guide
• In-Depth Prep Courses in Reading, Writing, and Math
• Free Practice Tests for Reading, Writing, Math
• Free Skill Building Exercises for English and Math(Scroll down to the bolded heading)
• Free Practice Test

 

Retaking an Exam

If you do not pass any of the sections of the Praxis Core exam, you can sign up to retake it. You would only need to retake the portion that you did not pass, but you must wait 35 days, not including your initial test date before ETS.org would allow a retest.