To become a Pennsylvania educator in the middle grades 4-8, passing the Pennsylvania core assessment is one of the requirements. The Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment (5152) exam actually consists of three subtests:
There are a total of 240 questions. Each subtest contains 80 questions and thus comprises an equal third of the examination.
The Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment is a Praxis exam, created and administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). In many states, Praxis exams are often taken as part of a teacher certification program. For Praxis exams, an official study guide is available for free on the ETS website: www.ets.org.
The tests can be taken all together at once or separately. It's a candidate's personal choice, and they should take into account factors like how much time one can dedicate to studying and their study habits. Individuals who take the tests on different dates may be able to organize their study strategy over a longer period of time and focus extensively on certain categories of information.
If one takes the complete test at once, they'll need to remember all the topics that can be included among the test questions. Individuals who are confident or eager to start teaching may opt to take the three subtests on the same day.
In all cases, this is an incredibly comprehensive exam and all examinees must dedicate adequate time to preparation and studying. It's important to consider all of the content included on the exam and to develop and study routine. Consider the materials and information below when creating an individualized study plan.
The first place to go to prepare for the exam is the ETS website. Search for the exam name and download the PDF file, The Praxis Study Companion Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment (5152). Print it out and review it meticulously. It contains all the information examinees need to understand the exam's format and formulate a study plan. This document includes:
The following sections provide a breakdown of the content categories about the three subtests.
| Content Categories | Questions | Percentage of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum and Instruction | 21-24 | 30% |
| Adolescents as Learners | 18-20 | 25% |
| Professionalism | 17-20 | 25% |
| Assessment | 14-16 | 20% |
| Content Categories | Questions | Percentage of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| English Language Arts | 40 | 50% |
| Social Studies | 40 | 50% |
| Content Categories | Questions | Percentage of Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 40 | 50% |
| Science | 40 | 50% |
After carefully poring over The Praxis Study Companion, it's time to collect all the resources you'll use to review these. These can include:
Study.com offers a complete test preparation course for two of the subtests on the Pennsylvania Core Assessment. Each of these courses contains over 50 chapters!
The Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment - English Language Arts & Social Studies (5154): Study Guide & Test Prep includes chapters focused on topics such as:
Some of the main subjects included in the Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment - Mathematics & Science (5155): Study Guide & Test Prep are as follows:
