Testing Requirement - Basic Skills

 

The basic skills testing requirement is waived for students in the MAT-Traditional Pathway

 

Registration and Timing

 

Students who do not meet the testing requirement at admission to Winthrop through the ACT or SAT are encouraged to take (or retake) the ACT, SAT, or Praxis Core as early as possible in their undergraduate career. Admission to the Teacher Education Program is dependent on meeting the minimum score required on the tests. These testing requirements also apply for recipients of the South Carolina Teachers Loan. There are no exceptions to these policies.

 

Students may take their Praxis test at any offered site. When registering for Praxis Core, it is critical that you list Winthrop University (5910) and the South Carolina Department of Education (8108) as score recipients. As of December 10, 2020, test takers must wait at least 28 days from the unsuccessful test date to retake a Praxis test. This includes any and all subtests for Praxis Core and the Praxis Subject Assessments. The previous window was 21 days. Waiting refers to timing of retake not the date they register for retake.

 

Close attention to the accuracy of information provided during the registration process is also necessary to ensure timely reporting of scores to Winthrop University. Many tests now provide a preliminary score before the candidate leaves the testing location. However, official scores are required for meeting stated testing expectations and these can take two to four weeks to be received by Winthrop.

 

Requirements

 

For examinations taken beginning September 1, 2019:

Students can meet requirements with a single composite score or with sub-area scores from a variety of examinations. All students must meet the requirements in mathematics, reading, and writing to satisfy the state testing requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program which gives access to registration for restricted coursework.

Students who are not sure how to interpret their scores are encouraged to print all test reports and meet with their advisor outside of the regular advising window. 

 

Option 1: Composite Score

ACT Composite of 22 covers all requirements

SAT Composite of 1100 covers all requirements

Praxis Composite Score of 464 (with alternative minimums per sub-test of 146 in mathematics, 152 in reading, and 154 writing) covers all requirements. 

 

Option 2: Individual Subtest Scores

This option allows students to mix and match subtests from multiple tests when the composite option above was not reached.  Note that this method requires slightly higher scores on individual Praxis Core areas and students must have a passing subtest score for mathematics, reading, and writing.

 

Test type

 

Minimum Score Required

Areas Met

  ACT

Subset—English

22

  Reading and
  Writing

Subset—Mathematics

22

  Mathematics

  SAT

Subset-Evidence-based Reading & Writing

550

  Reading and
  Writing

Subset-Mathematics

550

  Mathematics

  Praxis
  Core

Subset-Mathematics

150

  Mathematics

Subset-Reading

156

  Reading

Subset-Writing

158

  Writing

 

For examinations taken from September 1, 2016 to August 31, 2019 (79 kb)

For examinations taken prior to September 1, 2016 (177kb)

 

Related Links

Praxis Subject Assessment Information (146K)

Praxis Voucher Request Form (226K) -

Praxis Voucher orders are submitted to ETS on a weekly basis each Friday by 9:00 AM EST during the academic year when the University is open. Orders can take up to 7-10 business days to be received. Students are encouraged to plan proactively when scheduling their Praxis exams. 

Electronic signature fields are not viewable through the acrobat reader when you pull them up in your browser. Right click the link for the pdf and “Save As” to download these to your computer - those fields will then be present. You can then add your electronic signature and e-mail to mooreke@winthrop.edu.

Praxis Core Study Materials

Praxis Test Retakes