Seal of approval!

I just received my content exam results and I passed with a 92 percent. I consider this pretty respectable considering the fact that I did not study for the exam. I spent the majority of my time studying for a content exam in a field that I have MUCH LESS experience in as far as taking classes is concerned. The results were very detailed and explained how I did in each of the “competencies” that were tested. I did well on everything but the one topic in my field that I never took a class in and I scored perfectly in those competencies that were most familiar.

In the state of Texas, and in accordance with No Child Left Behind (NCLB), teachers are required to take and pass an exam that tests their knowledge on the content that they will be teaching. Depending on the exam the questions vary. For the content exam I majored in (both as an undergrad and graduate student) most of the questions were based on knowledge within the field. The other exam I took, one of the “core” subjects taught in public schools, the questions were split. Fifty percent were based on knowledge of the subject and the other fifty percent were related to how you would teach a student the material (i.e., when a child lacks the ability to do X, you should do which of the following things…).

It will be another week until I find out my results for the other exam, but for now I am going to celebrate by putting up rain gutters to stop the flood that is currently turning my front yard into a pool. Peace!

UPDATE: I passed the other exam! WHOT!