• Testing Guidelines

  • Testing is a vital part of the licensure and certification process.  Testing is used to ensure that an educator has demonstrated the required knowledge and skills necessary to teach competently and to obtain a desired credential. This Testing Guidelines page includes the following sections:

     

    Introduction

    Delaware requires the verification of test scores achieved on exams such as the Praxis II examinations or the American Council on the Testing of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) testing, as applicable to the area of certification sought. The applicant must achieve a passing test score as established by the Professional Standards Board (PSB), where applicable.

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  • Defining Official

    Test scores used for licensure and certification purposes must be official. Candidates should designate the Department as a recipient of their test scores. 

    Before ordering a transcript to use as a means of score verification, one should be certain that the desired scores and related data do in fact appear on the transcript. Official college transcripts, for example, do not always include scores. Even in cases where scores may appear on an unofficial college transcript, they may not appear on the official version of that same transcript.

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  • Certification Related Testing

    Praxis II Tests:

    • Praxis II testing requirements are outlined in the  Educational Testing Services (ETS), or visit the specific PSB certification regulation that states the test number that a candidate must pass and the qualifying cut scores for passing.
    • A candidate may register for PRAXIS II, or have scores sent to the Department, in one of two ways:
    • When registering for the test and sending scores, a candidate should provide the Department’s Recipient Code of R7065.
    • Praxis II scores are sent to the Department electronically and become accessible to Department personnel approximately two-three weeks after a test-taker receives his or her mailed score report. Candidates should keep this delay in mind when viewing their scores in their DEEDS profile.
    • Praxis II scores can be viewed in an educator's DEEDS profile under “What Can I Do Today,” “View Documents Received” and “Test Scores.”
    • Please note before registering and sending scores that the State of Delaware has not approved a PRAXIS II test for all certificated areas. Moreover, areas exist where Education Testing Service (ETS) may offer more than one version of a PRAXIS II area test, and only one of which has been approved by the State of Delaware. It is the responsibility of the educator to make sure that he or she is registering for the proper test, or that (in the case of out-of-state educators) he or she is not requesting that ETS send a PRAXIS II score that the State of Delaware will not recognize. Tests may have similar names, so one should register by test number and name. Please refer to the Educational Testing Services (ETS) for all approved tests.

    American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Tests:

    • The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) scores must be received officially, meaning they must be sent electronically by ACTFL or received in an approved, unopened envelope.
    • ACTFL testing requirements are outlined in the specific PSB certification regulation that states the test that a candidate must pass and the qualifying scores for passing.
    • Educators should register for the appropriate assessment through Language Testing International (LTI). 
    • When registering for the test and arranging for scores to be sent, a candidate should have an official copy of the scores sent to:

    Delaware Department of Education
    Licensure & Certification
    Collette Education Resource Center
    35 Commerce Way, Suite 1
    Dover, DE 19904
    Email: deeds@doe.k12.de.us

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    Resources

    American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

    Educational Testing Services (ETS)

     

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Last Modified on July 19, 2022