FTCE/FELE Strategies I used to help me pass
Studying and preparing for my test can be nerve wrecking. We are not bad test takers, it the
lack of having a sure-fire strategy to use each time.
Let me give you a little back story about me. My college degree has nothing to do with
education. My BA degree is in Interdisciplinary Studies. I chose this degree because I was a
teen parent right out of high school, enrolled in college (no direction or plan on what I
wanted to do, but I knew I wanted a degree. I could not settle with just having a high school
diploma. Before I finished college, I got married, had more kids, then went to work for a
large insurance company for several years. Then came the unknown illnesses and the
constant hospital stays. It was then I decided it was time to leave the insurance world. Did I
have a plan on what I would do next? I did not know what would be next for me.
I can’t remember the year, but in Florida, they allowed you to apply for a teaching
certification if you had a Bachelors degree in any field, I thought about it, then put it at the
back of my mind. I wasn’t ready because I felt I wasn’t a good test taker. I knew this
because of a life experience. You see, in high school, during my senior year, the state
changed the test. They took away the FCAT and went to the FSA. My math classes
consisted of: Algebra 1, Liberal Arts Math (LAM), and Geometry during my time in high
school. The NEW FSA was full of mainly Algebra and other concepts that I had not been
taught (or I could not remember). When it came time to take the NEW FSA, I failed it, then
again, and again. I failed it 6 TIMES !!!. I was never going to graduate. But eventually I went
back to high school for a half year, took it for the 7th time and passed. That is when I
enrolled in college.
Ok, back to what I was saying earlier, from raising children who were constantly sick,
several hospital admissions, to the cost of childcare (yes, even in 1999 it was expensive.
We had 4 kids at the time.), I decided I would become a substitute teacher. I did this for
maybe 2 years before I was permanently hired with a charter school. The principal at the
school had asked me several times whether I would consider getting my teaching
certificate, I would decline or give an excuse about why I wasn’t ready. So, I continued to
work at the charter school as a small group teacher doing pull out with struggling readers
and on occasion, I would substitute as well.
I bet you are wondering what all this has to do with my tips, trust me. This all matters. You
see, I had heard horror stories from people who had taken the test and how inconsistent
the questions were to what they had studied. Knowing this and remembering the number of
times I had to retake my exam in high school, in just knew there would be no way I would
FTCE/FELE Test Taking Tips By: Shawndrea Gibson
, pass one, let alone the big three. What are the big three,… the General Knowledge Test, it
consists of ELA, Math, and Reading + the Written response, the Subject Area- I focused on
the K-6, and the Professional Education Test.
I purchased the book and located resource online, yet and still, here it came, NOT PASSED.
I thought I studied everything I would need to pass, but here I was again, failing. I studied for
the Elementary Education K-6, wrote down EVERYTHING from the study guide, I basically
recreated the book! Yet, I still failed it. Like, girl, when are you going to give up, I would tell
myself, I wasn’t meant to be a teacher, or so I thought. I knew I had to think of a better
strategy.
Now it came down to crunch time. The same principal saw me in the hall one day, she
pulled me to the side and said “hey, I see you mentioned that you are almost done with your
Masters degree, have you considered becoming certified as a teacher?” This time felt
different, I can’t explain it, but I had worked under her for a little over a year and a half and
she saw the amount of dedication and skill I had and how I had what it takes to be a great
teacher. Well, the next day when I showed up to work, I was placed in a 3rd grade classroom
as a teacher. The teacher had been fired for drinking on the job. Yes, drinking at school, in
her car on school property and let’s not talk about the amount of days she came in late and
drunk.
So here I am a new 3rd grade teacher. The principal then stops by my room and days; they
can give me 30 days to take the K-6 to keep the job. WHAT IN THE WORLD, this was not my
plan. There is a good and bad to this. The good thing is, I had been placed in the class a few
days after we returned from Thanksgiving Break, so with Christmas Break around the
corner, I told myself I have more than 30 days because we would return to school until
January. The bad new is that my salary would not change until I presented the information
of Passing the exam. I studied and studied, but this time, I went about differently.
There is a document, located at Scoring Information (Florida Depart of Ed. Scoring
Information Section) called the Maximum Percentage Table. It shows you the number of
correct answers needed to pass a multiple-choice (MC) test. The FTCE/FELE Maximum
Percentages table shows the maximum percentages of questions that must be answered
correctly in order to pass any of the MC tests/subtests and the passing score information
for all performance tests/subtests that are currently being administered may slightly vary
from one form of the test to another. It is updated regularly as new tests are created, so be
sure to check it before you take your exam to verify the percentage to pass is accurate. Yes,
I know you need 200 or higher, but there is simple system to follow. And no, it won’t cost
you thousands of dollars.
FTCE/FELE Test Taking Tips By: Shawndrea Gibson
Studying and preparing for my test can be nerve wrecking. We are not bad test takers, it the
lack of having a sure-fire strategy to use each time.
Let me give you a little back story about me. My college degree has nothing to do with
education. My BA degree is in Interdisciplinary Studies. I chose this degree because I was a
teen parent right out of high school, enrolled in college (no direction or plan on what I
wanted to do, but I knew I wanted a degree. I could not settle with just having a high school
diploma. Before I finished college, I got married, had more kids, then went to work for a
large insurance company for several years. Then came the unknown illnesses and the
constant hospital stays. It was then I decided it was time to leave the insurance world. Did I
have a plan on what I would do next? I did not know what would be next for me.
I can’t remember the year, but in Florida, they allowed you to apply for a teaching
certification if you had a Bachelors degree in any field, I thought about it, then put it at the
back of my mind. I wasn’t ready because I felt I wasn’t a good test taker. I knew this
because of a life experience. You see, in high school, during my senior year, the state
changed the test. They took away the FCAT and went to the FSA. My math classes
consisted of: Algebra 1, Liberal Arts Math (LAM), and Geometry during my time in high
school. The NEW FSA was full of mainly Algebra and other concepts that I had not been
taught (or I could not remember). When it came time to take the NEW FSA, I failed it, then
again, and again. I failed it 6 TIMES !!!. I was never going to graduate. But eventually I went
back to high school for a half year, took it for the 7th time and passed. That is when I
enrolled in college.
Ok, back to what I was saying earlier, from raising children who were constantly sick,
several hospital admissions, to the cost of childcare (yes, even in 1999 it was expensive.
We had 4 kids at the time.), I decided I would become a substitute teacher. I did this for
maybe 2 years before I was permanently hired with a charter school. The principal at the
school had asked me several times whether I would consider getting my teaching
certificate, I would decline or give an excuse about why I wasn’t ready. So, I continued to
work at the charter school as a small group teacher doing pull out with struggling readers
and on occasion, I would substitute as well.
I bet you are wondering what all this has to do with my tips, trust me. This all matters. You
see, I had heard horror stories from people who had taken the test and how inconsistent
the questions were to what they had studied. Knowing this and remembering the number of
times I had to retake my exam in high school, in just knew there would be no way I would
FTCE/FELE Test Taking Tips By: Shawndrea Gibson
, pass one, let alone the big three. What are the big three,… the General Knowledge Test, it
consists of ELA, Math, and Reading + the Written response, the Subject Area- I focused on
the K-6, and the Professional Education Test.
I purchased the book and located resource online, yet and still, here it came, NOT PASSED.
I thought I studied everything I would need to pass, but here I was again, failing. I studied for
the Elementary Education K-6, wrote down EVERYTHING from the study guide, I basically
recreated the book! Yet, I still failed it. Like, girl, when are you going to give up, I would tell
myself, I wasn’t meant to be a teacher, or so I thought. I knew I had to think of a better
strategy.
Now it came down to crunch time. The same principal saw me in the hall one day, she
pulled me to the side and said “hey, I see you mentioned that you are almost done with your
Masters degree, have you considered becoming certified as a teacher?” This time felt
different, I can’t explain it, but I had worked under her for a little over a year and a half and
she saw the amount of dedication and skill I had and how I had what it takes to be a great
teacher. Well, the next day when I showed up to work, I was placed in a 3rd grade classroom
as a teacher. The teacher had been fired for drinking on the job. Yes, drinking at school, in
her car on school property and let’s not talk about the amount of days she came in late and
drunk.
So here I am a new 3rd grade teacher. The principal then stops by my room and days; they
can give me 30 days to take the K-6 to keep the job. WHAT IN THE WORLD, this was not my
plan. There is a good and bad to this. The good thing is, I had been placed in the class a few
days after we returned from Thanksgiving Break, so with Christmas Break around the
corner, I told myself I have more than 30 days because we would return to school until
January. The bad new is that my salary would not change until I presented the information
of Passing the exam. I studied and studied, but this time, I went about differently.
There is a document, located at Scoring Information (Florida Depart of Ed. Scoring
Information Section) called the Maximum Percentage Table. It shows you the number of
correct answers needed to pass a multiple-choice (MC) test. The FTCE/FELE Maximum
Percentages table shows the maximum percentages of questions that must be answered
correctly in order to pass any of the MC tests/subtests and the passing score information
for all performance tests/subtests that are currently being administered may slightly vary
from one form of the test to another. It is updated regularly as new tests are created, so be
sure to check it before you take your exam to verify the percentage to pass is accurate. Yes,
I know you need 200 or higher, but there is simple system to follow. And no, it won’t cost
you thousands of dollars.
FTCE/FELE Test Taking Tips By: Shawndrea Gibson
