PRAXIS -- PPST Alternate Scoring Method

Information about alternate PRAXIS Scoring methods for students in the Penn State College of Education.

PRAXIS - Alternate Scoring Method

To fulfill the PRAXIS Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) requirement, all teacher certification programs at Penn State will accept either the Original or the "Alternate Scoring Method" established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

The Original Scoring Method established by PDE requires the following “Qualifying scores” for each test. (A minimum Total Score is not required)

Original Scoring Method
173 PPST Math
172 PPST Reading
173 PPST Writing

The Alternate Scoring Method requires the following minimum scores for each test plus a minimum Composite score of 521:

170 PPST Math
169 PPST Reading
170 PPST Writing

*Note that the minimum test scores do not total 521, so candidates must achieve higher scores on one or more tests to reach the required minimum Composite score.

In the acceptable example below, the scores for each test and the Composite score exceeded the minimum scores required for the Alternate Method:

Alternate Scoring Method
178 PPST Math
169 PPST Reading
174 PPST Writing
521 Composite score

In the unacceptable example below, the scores for each test exceeded the required minimum scores for the Alternate Method, but the required Composite score of 521 was not achieved.

Alternate Scoring Method
172 PPST Math
176 PPST Reading
171 PPST Writing
519 Composite score(Note that the minimum Composite score of 521 was not achieved)

In another unacceptable example, the required Composite score of 521 was met, but one of the individual scores was below the required minimum score

Alternate Scoring Method
168 PPST Math (Note that the minimum score of 171 was not achieved)
176 PPST Reading
177 PPST Writing
521 Composite score

Students may choose to use either scoring method for entrance to and exit from teacher certification programs. At this time, Penn State’s online degree audit is able to list only PDE's original PRAXIS PPST qualifying scores for the Entrance to Major requirements, so students qualifying for the "Alternate Scoring Method" must submit the standard Academic Exception Petition Form to their program areas for processing. The program areas will update the degree audits through the usual exception process by indicating "Requirement Completed", which will change any of the PPST deficiencies (i.e. " - " notations) to " + " notations. The program area also will formally notify the student that the audit has been updated, and send a copy of the petition form to Tammy Thal in 228 Chambers for her to maintain during the certification application process.