The Arizona Department of Education announced today that it is adding 25 NES® (National Evaluation Series™) tests to its teacher certification program. These tests join other Pearson-delivered licensure tests that are part of the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA), to fulfill the testing requirements for Arizona teacher certification. NES tests are comprehensive, computer-based exams offered year-round, by appointment, at Pearson test centers throughout Arizona and at more than 1,000 secure test centers in the United States and around the world.
Arizona teacher candidates will now take the NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge tests to fulfill the professional knowledge testing requirement for Arizona teacher certification. These tests assess candidates’ knowledge of essential areas such as student development and learning; assessment, instruction and the learning environment; and the professional environment in both elementary and secondary education.
Teacher candidates seeking certification in one of 23 subject areas will now be required to take NES Subject Knowledge Tests. Aligned with the Arizona academic and professional standards, including the Arizona Common Core Standards, the NES tests include Art, Biology, Business Education, Chemistry, Chinese, Elementary Education, English Language Arts, French, General Science, German, Health, History, Mathematics, Middle Grades Mathematics, Middle Grades English Language Arts, Middle Grades General Science, Music, Physics, School Library Media Specialist, Spanish and Special Education.
To support them as they prepare for the NES tests, Arizona teacher certification candidates have access to a full complement of NES preparation resources and tools, available for all NES test fields, including:
- NES Profile: free, online study guides that include the essential information a candidate needs about a NES test, such as the format and content covered, as well as sample test questions.
- NES Practice: full-length, online practice tests designed to simulate the experience of taking a NES test.
- NES Prep: interactive, online study guides that feature a diagnostic test, review exercises, a review of test competencies and, for 13 fields, instructional content for additional study.
