AEPA case studies
AEPA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) are Arizona's educator certification testing program, administered through a Pearson-run testing system. They are used by candidates seeking Arizona credentials across a wide range of roles: elementary and secondary classroom teachers, middle grades teachers, special education teachers by disability area, reading and library media specialists, adult education instructors, and school administrators such as principals, superintendents, and supervisors. Most candidates take the content test or tests that match the certificate they want, and many also take the Essential Academic Skills subtests and a Professional Knowledge test. The program is far broader than one exam. The AEPA case studies are 5 cases and about 3,485 words.
1The Pacing Guide vs. the Item Analysis
Alvarez teaches fourth grade in a K–5 building of 520 students. On the end-of-unit quiz on multi-digit multiplication, 9 students scored 90% or higher, 10 scored between 60% and 79%, and 7 scored below 50%.
663 words, about 3 min2Accurate but Halting: Diagnosing a Second-Grader's Reading
Okafor teaches second grade. Midway through the year, one student, D., reads a grade-level passage with 97% word accuracy but only 42 words correct per minute, well below the mid-year benchmark of roughly 70 wcpm.
646 words, about 3 min3The Placement Request Before the IEP Meeting
A sixth grader, M., has an IEP for a specific learning disability in mathematics. spends about 80% of the day in general education, including a co-taught math class, and receives 30 minutes of resource support four days a week.
726 words, about 4 min4Cross-Multiplying Without Quantities
A seventh-grade teacher has 28 students in a unit on proportional relationships. On the quiz, 21 of 28 students correctly solve the equation 3/4 = x/6 for x.
721 words, about 4 min5Forty-One Percent and Four Skeptics
A new principal arrives at a PreK–5 school of 480 students; 62% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Third-grade reading proficiency is 41%, against a district average of 53%.
729 words, about 4 min