UPCOMING DEADLINES
The Northwest Professional Education Program is approved by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Therefore, all persons seeking certification must first complete all requirements for a Missouri Teaching Certificate to be recommended for certification in Missouri. In addition, all Northwest graduates are required to meet at least the minimum qualifying score for their major(s) on the Missouri Content Assessment. All students must successfully complete the Missouri Content Assessment in order to complete their teacher education program and be recommended for certification. Furthermore, all teacher candidates will be required to attempt the appropriate initial certification, state-mandated content examination(s) (MoCA) prior to finalizing placement into student teaching.
A valid test score is required for each major and/or minor teaching area. If you take the Content Assessment in Missouri, your scores will automatically be reported to DESE.
Missouri's required licensure tests and scores are subject to change. 220 is the minimum qualifying score for EACH Content Assessment. For specific test questions or information, please contact your advisor, and/or the DESE website or call DESE at 573.751.0051.
Alternative Measure of Content Area Competency: Candidates who have earned a content area GPA of 2.75 or 2.99 for the required content knowledge courses will be eligible for initial certification if they pass the required Missouri Content Assessment at +1 Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) above the Missouri Qualifying Score. This alternative measure of content competency will be effective for candidates completing their certification program beginning in fall 2017. A list of the Missouri Content Assessments and their +1 SEM scores can be found here.
To register for the Missouri Content Assessments, please go to https://www.mo.nesinc.com or contact the Northwest Assessment Office at 660.562.1452. The registration process includes payment for the exam. The price of the exam varies between content areas.
A memo from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that outlines changes to the Missouri Content Assessments beginning on Monday, August 31, 2015 can be found here.
The Missouri Content Assessment score reports will be emailed directly to you in a PDF file. Candidates should IMMEDIATELY download and save the score report. It is important for each educator to take care of his/her test report(s) and other professional certification documentation! When registering for each tests, please be sure to include your university code so that the institution receives a copy of your score report.
For more information regarding taking the exam on the Northwest campus, please refer to the Assessment Office website.
Questions regarding registration or available sessions? Please contact the Assessment Office at 660-562-1452 or oaia@nwmissouri.edu
Questions regarding which test to take? Contact your advisor or the TESS Office.
