TExES-117 Retired: What Replaced It and What Carries Over

Historical TExES-117 Scope

The TExES English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (117) was a professional certification exam administered by TExES. It covered five distinct domains, including oral language, reading development, and writing. This exam is officially retired as of 2021-12-31. The official successor is the English Language Arts and Reading 4–8 (217) exam. Candidates must now focus their professional efforts on the specific requirements and content of the 217 exam to achieve their state certification goals for teaching these subjects.

Who TExES-117 Was For

This exam was intended for educators seeking certification to teach English language arts and reading in grades 4–8. Current candidates must pursue the 217 successor exam to meet state certification requirements for this grade level and subject area.

Skills You Should Be Ready to Demonstrate

• Oral language and listening
• Reading development and foundational skills
• Reading comprehension and analysis
• Written language
• Research and inquiry

How to Reuse Your Preparation

Do not prepare for the retired TExES-117 exam. Instead, focus your study on the 217 exam. While foundational knowledge of reading pedagogy and language arts remains relevant, you must review the specific framework for the 217 exam. Use official preparation materials to understand the current testing requirements, as the 217 exam structure and content may differ significantly from the retired version. Ensure you are aligned with the current state standards.

Historical Domain Guide

Oral Language and Listening: Historical Scope

This domain covers the development of oral language and listening skills, emphasizing how spoken communication supports literacy and vocabulary growth in students. It provides a framework for understanding how verbal interaction facilitates the acquisition of complex language structures and listening comprehension abilities.

• Oral language development
• Listening comprehension strategies

Reading Development and Foundational Skills: Historical Scope

This domain focuses on reading development, including phonics, decoding, and the relationship between spoken sounds and written letters in the English language. It examines the foundational skills required for students to become fluent readers who can accurately interpret various types of printed text.

• Phonics instruction
• Decoding strategies
• Word analysis

Reading Comprehension and Analysis: Historical Scope

This domain addresses reading comprehension and analysis, focusing on how students make sense of texts, analyze meaning, and apply active reading strategies. It emphasizes the cognitive processes involved in evaluating literature and informational texts to derive deeper meaning and synthesize information effectively.

• Comprehension strategies
• Text analysis
• Literary evaluation

Written Language: Historical Scope

This domain covers written language, including the mechanics of writing, personal storytelling, and persuasive writing techniques across the curriculum. It highlights the importance of teaching students to organize their thoughts, use proper grammar, and communicate ideas clearly through various forms of written expression.

• Writing strategies
• Spelling and mechanics
• Grammar usage

Research and Inquiry: Historical Scope

This domain involves research and inquiry skills, focusing on how students gather information and use evidence to support their learning and writing. It covers the systematic process of identifying research questions, locating credible sources, and integrating findings into coherent and well-supported academic projects.

• Research methods
• Inquiry-based learning
• Source evaluation