The Praxis Core Math exam has been a requirement for education majors all over the country for some years now. It is an exam that is used to determine if an education major can be accepted into a Virgina education program. This test can be waived, however, if the education major has a high enough math score in the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or ACT (American College Testing). This can be a huge disadvantage for students who weren’t able to take the SAT or ACT due to COVID-19 or financial struggles. Another issue that has been pointed out by the education major Allie Hanson is that having multiple standardized tests determining whether or not students get into the program is unfair for them. They had to take the Praxis and the VCLA (Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment). The VCLA is a broader standardized exam that covers reading and writing rather than math. According to another elementary education major, Karina Yoder, the VCLA is more fair to education majors who struggle testing in math since it has a broader subject base. But this claim can be countered by students who prefer or are better at math, so these tests really come down to personal preference. Allie Hanson, who had to take the Praxis Math this summer stated that she was “already stressed about the VCLA, and having another test right before it made it even more stressful.”
As of Nov. 1, 2022 the Praxis Math exam is no longer a requirement for admission into a teacher education program. The CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) and VDOE (The Virginia Department of Education) decided that high quality candidates will still enroll in Virginia education programs without taking the Praxis Math exam.
Now what does this mean for future and current education majors? It mostly means there are fewer exam requirements to get into the education program for the new education majors. And for students who have already taken the Math Praxis, there are some ways to get reimbursed for the exam cost.
This is not to be confused with the Praxis exams required later on in education majors careers. The Praxis Math that is being removed from curriculum is the one that was previously required to get into the education program.
