Praxis World Languages case studies
Praxis World Languages · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Praxis World Languages is one of the Subject Assessments in the Praxis® program run by ETS, the organization behind the educator-certification tests many states use when issuing a teaching license. Candidates who plan to teach a modern or classical language in U.S. schools generally take a world language test in the language they will teach, and each state decides which test code, passing score, and deadline apply to its own licenses - so the same exam can carry different requirements depending on where you intend to teach. The assessment is built around the modes of communication rather than around vocabulary lists: how well you understand spoken and written language, how precisely you write for a reader, and how fluently you speak in an unrehearsed exchange. The Praxis World Languages case studies are 5 cases and about 2,365 words.
1Slowing Authentic Audio in an Interpretive Listening Task
Okafor teaches French 3 to 14 students. She plans an interpretive listening task using an authentic three-minute radio segment in which a market vendor and a customer argue politely about the price of cherries.
547 words, about 3 min2Cognate Matching vs. Inference in an Interpretive Reading Task
Alvarez teaches Spanish 2 to 22 students. He creates a reading task from an authentic Madrid train schedule and a service notice about weekend engineering works.
492 words, about 2 min3Register and Task Completion in Interpersonal Writing
Delgado's Spanish 4 class completes an interpersonal writing task: reply to an email from a school principal in Morelia asking about a student's upcoming absence. The prompt specifies that the reply must use formal register.
425 words, about 2 min4Source Use and Length in Presentational Writing
In a French 5 unit on the environment, students write a 150-word persuasive essay answering “Should the city ban single-use plastic bags?” using two provided sources: a city council notice and a shopkeeper's blog. The rubric rewards thesis, organization, source integration, and language.
465 words, about 2 min5Repair and Scoring in a Simulated Interpersonal Speaking Task
During a simulated conversation in Chinese, 20 students each complete six turns with the teacher as interlocutor. The prompt asks students to respond to a friend's invitation, decline politely, suggest an alternative, and confirm a time.
436 words, about 2 min