Teaching Texas, A Complete and Practical Approach to Understanding and Applying the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) TExES

If you're a Texas teacher candidate staring down the PPR TExES, this is your study map. Bingham converts 100 scenario-based questions and a 240 passing score into concrete habits: write objectives with ABCD, praise effort, put student learning first. Even experienced teachers retaking the exam will find the framework-by-domain structure clarifies what the test actually rewards.

1. 1Part I, Chapter 1

   The Five-Point Failure That Proves the Test Is Learnable

   The book includes the story of a teacher who fails the PPR TExES on his first attempt with a score of 235, missing the passing score of 240 by 5 points. The sting of that near-miss could end a career before it starts. Instead, he retakes the exam after studying the competencies for 6 weeks and passes with a score of 268. Bingham tells this story to drive home her point: the exam is 'learnable, not a measure of your worth as a teacher.'

   The idea

   A five-point gap feels like a verdict, but it's really a study plan waiting to happen. The PPR TExES rewards candidates who treat the competencies as content to master, not as personality traits they either have or lack. What surprises people is how small the distance between failing and passing can be — and how predictable the climb becomes once you study the right material.

   Try this: If you fail by a handful of points, schedule a six-week retake window and study the competencies domain by domain, exactly as the teacher in Chapter 1 did.

2. 2Part I, Chapters 1 and 3

   Four Domains, One Map of the Whole Exam

   Before you can study, you need the map. The PPR TExES exam covers four domains: Domain I (Designing Instruction and Assessment to Promote Student Learning), Domain II (Creating a Positive, Productive Classroom Environment), Domain III (Implementing Effective, Responsive Instruction and Assessment), and Domain IV (Fulfilling Professional Roles and Responsibilities). Every question on the test traces back to one of these four territories, and every chapter of her book does too.

   The idea

   Knowing the four domains turns a vague anxiety — 'Will I pass?' — into a checklist. You can diagnose which domain your practice is weakest in and aim your study hours there. Candidates who study randomly reread everything; candidates who study by domain spend their time where the points are.

   Try this: Write the four domain names on an index card and rate yourself 1–5 on each; start studying with your lowest number.

3. 3Part I, Chapter 2 (and Chapter 7)

   Praise the Effort, Not the Brain

   Bingham brings in Carol Dweck's growth mindset, writing that 'a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.' The classroom application is specific — praise effort, not just intelligence. A student told she's smart learns to protect that label; a student told her work paid off learns to work harder next time.

   The idea

   The words you choose when a kid succeeds shape what they do when they struggle. Effort praise keeps ability open to change; intelligence praise makes failure feel like exposure. On the exam, this shows up in scenarios where the right answer is the teacher who responds to a wrong answer by examining the process, not by reassuring the student they're still smart.

   Try this: For one week, replace every 'You're so smart' with a specific comment about what the student did — strategies, revisions, persistence.

4. 4Part II, Chapter 5

   Plan Backward: Start With Where You Want to End

   Bingham introduces backward design, attributed to Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, as starting with desired results (identifying desired results), then determining acceptable evidence, and finally planning learning experiences and instruction. To nail down those desired results, she teaches the ABCD format for measurable objectives — Audience (who), Behavior (what), Condition (how), Degree (how well).

   The idea

   Most teachers plan forward — pick an activity, then hope it leads somewhere. Backward design forces the destination first, so every activity has to justify itself against the evidence you'll accept. The ABCD format is the bridge: once an objective names who, what, how, and how well, you can tell whether a lesson worked instead of guessing.

   Try this: Rewrite one upcoming lesson's objective in ABCD form before you plan any activity for it.

5. 5Part II, Chapter 7

   Assessment For Learning vs. Of Learning

   Bingham splits assessment into two jobs. Formative assessment is 'for learning' — the ongoing checks during learning that let you adjust tomorrow's lesson. Summative assessment is 'of learning' — the end-of-unit evaluation after learning is done. Bingham describes norm-referenced tests (comparing students to peers) versus criterion-referenced tests (measuring performance against a set standard, not against each other). The TExES itself is criterion-referenced, and so is the STAAR, which is also a criterion-referenced test given in grades 3-8 and in high school.

   The idea

   Two distinctions, one payoff: you stop treating every quiz as a verdict and start using quick checks as steering. And once you understand criterion-referenced scoring, the exam's 240-on-a-100-to-300 scale stops feeling mysterious — you're measured against a standard, not against the person in the next seat.

   Try this: Pick one lesson this week and add a two-minute mid-class check you can act on before the next session.

6. 6Part II, Chapters 7 and 8

   Feed the Needs Before the Content

   Bingham brings in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and applies it to the classroom: students whose basic physiological and safety needs are unmet cannot reach higher-level learning. Her instruction is that teachers must 'address the needs before the content.' The hungry, scared, or exhausted kid in the back row isn't refusing to learn algebra; the conditions for algebra aren't there yet.

   The idea

   This reframes 'difficult' students as students with unmet prerequisites. The exam loves this logic: scenario answers that acknowledge a student's basic needs before pushing academic content are the ones that score. It's also just humane classroom practice — you can't lecture your way past an empty stomach.

   Try this: Before your next lesson, scan the room for unmet basics — hunger, safety, rest — and handle one before teaching.

7. 7Part III, Chapter 9

   Talk So Everyone Hears You: Four Channels

   Bingham describes verbal, nonverbal, and written communication as channels teachers use with students, families, and colleagues; the chapter also lists technological communication as a key component of effective communication.

   The idea

   Communication isn't one skill but a portfolio. The exam tests whether you can match the channel to the audience — a note home for documentation, face-to-face warmth for a struggling student, tech tools for ongoing family contact. Candidates who think 'communication' means just talking clearly miss half the domain.

   Try this: Audit your last week of teaching: which channel did you use least with families, and can you use it once this week?

8. 8Part III, Chapter 11

   Withitness: Eyes in the Back of Your Head, Systematized

   Bingham discusses withitness, a term from Jacob Kounin's research on effective classroom managers, describing a teacher's awareness of everything happening in the room simultaneously. The research also mentions 'overlapping.' The with-it teacher catches the whisper in the back corner while leading a discussion at the board, and the class knows it.

   The idea

   Kounin's finding upends the assumption that good managers have stricter rules. What sets them apart is awareness — students behave because misbehavior gets noticed, not because punishments loom. On the exam, the with-it teacher is usually the correct answer: the one who redirects early and quietly rather than the one who explodes late and loudly.

   Try this: During your next activity, deliberately name and redirect one off-task behavior within ten seconds of it starting.

9. 9Part IV, Chapter 12

   The Code of Ethics Is Written Law, Not Vibes

   Bingham walks through the Texas Educators' Code of Ethics, enforced by the Texas Education Agency and outlined in the Texas Administrative Code at TAC §247.2, covering conduct toward students, professional practices, and ethical conduct toward colleagues. She quotes it directly: 'The educator shall not intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly engage in deceptive practices regarding official policies of the school district.'

   The idea

   Candidates often treat ethics as common sense and lose points for vagueness. The code's three-part structure gives you a checklist: students, the profession, colleagues. And the quoted standard — no deceptive practices about district policies — shows how specific the language gets. On scenario questions, the ethical answer is the one that follows the code's letter, not just good intentions.

   Try this: Read TAC §247.2 once this week and note which of its three standard-of-conduct areas you could least explain to a new hire.

10. 10Part IV, Chapter 12

    You Are a Mandated Reporter — Know What That Costs

    Bingham explains mandatory reporting requirements in Texas for suspected child abuse or neglect: any person with cause to believe a child is being abused must report to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, demonstrating knowledge of the Texas Family Code.

    The idea

    Mandatory reporting removes the option of 'someone else will handle it.' The law's scope — any person, not just teachers — means the decision isn't yours to weigh; the report is. On the exam, hesitation or delegation is the wrong answer; direct reporting to DFPS is the right one.

    Try this: Save the Texas DFPS reporting hotline number in your phone today so you never have to search for it under pressure.

11. 11Part IV, Chapter 13

    Reflect in Action, On Action — and Never Alone

    The chapter describes reflective practice as the habit of systematically examining one's own teaching to improve it, a competency tested on the TExES. It discusses Donald Schön's concepts of 'reflection-in-action' and 'reflection-on-action.' Bingham describes professional learning communities (PLCs) as collaborative groups of educators who meet regularly to analyze student data and improve instruction.

    The idea

    Reflection alone can spiral into self-doubt; reflection with data and colleagues becomes improvement. Schön's split matters because the two modes need different habits — in-action reflection is adjustment, on-action reflection is analysis. PLCs make the second mode social, so your blind spots get caught by someone else's eyes.

    Try this: After your next lesson, write three sentences: what worked, what didn't, what you'll change — then share them with one colleague.

12. 12Part IV, Chapter 14 (and Part I, Chapter 1)

    The Best Answer Puts Students First

    Bingham explains that TExES questions are scenario-based, requiring candidates to select the 'best' answer among several plausible options; the correct answer usually reflects the most student-centered, developmentally appropriate choice — 'the best answer is always the one that puts student learning first.' The TExES PPR exam consists of 100 selected-response questions with a passing score of 240 on a scale of 100 to 300.

    The idea

    Scenario tests punish people who look for the 'true' answer; there isn't one, only a best one. The tiebreaker is always the same axis — which option centers the student's learning and developmental needs. Once you internalize that filter, plausible-sounding distractors start sorting themselves.

    Try this: On your next practice set, for every question where you're torn, ask which option puts student learning first — then commit to that one.

Texas teacher candidates preparing for the PPR TExES, especially first-timers and anyone retaking after a near-miss. Also useful for mentors and certification programs that want a domain-by-domain study framework to assign.

FAQ