TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science Online Center
This TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science Online Center brings together practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Choose the resource that matches the skill you want to work on next.
TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science Practice Center
Take a full 55-minute form, then read the explanation under every question you missed. Six of the eighteen competencies are about teaching science rather than content, so watch which kind of item is costing you.
Opens on this page
TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science at a glance
Eighteen competencies across forty-five questions is the widest spread of any Core Subjects subtest, which means most competencies carry two or three items and no single topic can carry you. The first six competencies are not content at all. They cover lab safety, the nature of science, how children learn science, and assessment. Together that is a substantial share of the test, and it is the part candidates skip.
| Subtest code | 904 (Science) |
|---|---|
| Part of | TExES Core Subjects EC-6, test code 391, alongside English Language Arts and Reading (901), Mathematics (902), Social Studies (903), and Fine Arts, Health and Physical Education (905). Each subtest can be taken and retaken on its own. |
| Number of questions | 45 selected-response questions |
| Answer options | Four per question |
| Time limit | 55 minutes |
| Format | Computer-administered. Items include direct questions, investigation descriptions, data tables, described figures, and classroom situations. |
| Competencies | Eighteen, running from safety and inquiry through physical, life, and Earth and space science. |
| Passing score | A scaled score of 240. |
Texas does not publish how many questions come from each competency on this subtest. With eighteen competencies and forty-five questions, the arithmetic tells you most of what you need: nothing gets many items, so a gap anywhere is expensive, and the six teaching-focused competencies at the start are worth as much attention as any content area.
The eighteen competencies, in plain language
Texas states each competency in one sentence. Here they are, with what each one asks of you.
Competency 001: Safety in science
The teacher understands how to manage learning activities, tools, materials, equipment and technologies to ensure the safety of all students.
- Lab and field safety rules for elementary students
- Safe storage, handling, and disposal of materials
- Live organisms and field trip safety
- Supervision and emergency procedures
Competency 002: Nature of science and inquiry
The teacher understands the history and nature of science, the process and role of scientific inquiry and the role of inquiry in science instruction.
- Science as a body of knowledge and a way of knowing
- Hypothesis, variables, controls, and fair tests
- Evidence, inference, and revising a claim
- Inquiry as the way science is taught, rather than a topic that is described
Competency 003: Science in daily life and society
The teacher understands how science impacts the daily lives of students and interacts with and influences personal and societal decisions.
- Science and technology in everyday decisions
- Weighing evidence in a public issue
- Careers and applications of science
Competency 004: Unifying concepts across the sciences
The teacher knows and understands the unifying concepts and processes that are common to all sciences.
- Systems, order, and organization
- Models and scale
- Change, constancy, and measurement
- Form and function
Competency 005: Teaching science and how students learn it
The teacher has theoretical and practical knowledge about teaching science and about how students learn science.
- How children build science understanding
- Misconceptions and how to surface them
- Hands-on investigation and the 5E sequence
- Sequencing science instruction across EC-6
Competency 006: Assessment in science
The teacher knows the varied and appropriate assessments and assessment practices for monitoring science learning in laboratory, field and classroom settings.
- Formative checks during an investigation
- Performance assessment in lab and field
- Rubrics, science notebooks, and portfolios
- Using results to adjust instruction
Competency 007: Forces and motion
The teacher understands forces and motion and their relationships.
- Motion, speed, and direction
- Balanced and unbalanced forces
- Gravity, friction, and magnetism
- Simple machines
Competency 008: Properties and changes of matter
The teacher understands the physical and chemical properties of and changes in matter.
- States of matter and phase change
- Physical and chemical properties
- Physical versus chemical change
- Mixtures, solutions, and separation
Competency 009: Energy and its interactions with matter
The teacher understands energy and interactions between matter and energy.
- Forms of energy and energy transfer
- Heat, light, sound, and electricity
- Conduction, convection, and radiation
- Waves and their properties
Competency 010: Energy transformations and conservation
The teacher understands energy transformations and the conservation of matter and energy.
- Energy changing form
- Conservation of matter and of energy
- Energy in food chains and in machines
Competency 011: Structure and function of living things
The teacher understands the structure and function of living things.
- Cells and the levels of organization
- Plant structures and their functions
- Human and animal body systems
- Classification of living things
Competency 012: Reproduction and heredity
The teacher understands reproduction and the mechanisms of heredity.
- Life cycles and reproduction
- Inherited traits and learned behaviors
- Genes, dominant and recessive traits
Competency 013: Adaptation and evolution
The teacher understands adaptations of organisms and the theory of evolution.
- Structural and behavioral adaptations
- Natural selection and evidence for evolution
- Fossils and change over time
Competency 014: Organisms and the environment
The teacher understands the relationships between organisms and the environment.
- Food chains, food webs, and energy flow
- Producers, consumers, and decomposers
- Habitats, niches, and populations
- Human impact on ecosystems
Competency 015: Earth systems
The teacher understands the structure and function of Earth systems.
- Rocks, minerals, and soil
- Plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes
- Layers of Earth and surface features
- Texas landforms and natural resources
Competency 016: Cycles in Earth systems
The teacher understands cycles in Earth systems.
- The water cycle
- Rock cycle
- Carbon and nitrogen cycles
- Day, night, and seasons as cycles
Competency 017: Energy in weather and climate
The teacher understands the role of energy in weather and climate.
- Solar energy and uneven heating
- Weather versus climate
- Fronts, clouds, and severe weather in Texas
- Reading weather instruments and data
Competency 018: The solar system and the universe
The teacher understands the characteristics of the solar system and the universe.
- Earth, Moon, and Sun system
- Phases, eclipses, and tides
- Planets and the solar system
- Stars, galaxies, and the scale of the universe
A study routine that fits 55 minutes of testing
Seventy-three seconds a question, and some of them carry an investigation you have to read first. Recall has to be fast so the reasoning items get the time.
Complete lesson map
Forty-four lessons across Earth and space, life, and physical science. Each one opens in a new tab so you can keep this page open while you work.
Reading and interpreting science
Scientific reasoning
Experimental design
Data: tables, charts, and graphs
Life science
Heredity, evolution, and ecosystems
Matter and reactions
Earth and space science
- 34Earth’s Layers and Plate Tectonics↗
- 35Rocks and the Rock Cycle↗
- 36The Water Cycle and Weather↗
- 37Climate and the Greenhouse Effect↗
- 38Natural Resources↗
- 39Atmosphere, Oceans, and Earth Systems↗
- 40Natural Hazards and the Age of Earth↗
- 41The Solar System↗
- 42Earth, Moon, and Sun: Days, Seasons, Phases, Tides↗
- 43Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe↗
- 44Eclipses and Stellar Life Cycles↗
Before test day
The spread is the difficulty here. Eighteen competencies means you cannot bet on a strong area carrying a weak one, and the six competencies about teaching science are the cheapest points on the test because the answers follow from a handful of principles rather than from remembered content. Learn those cold, keep the four common misconceptions in mind, and read every investigation for what it actually controlled.
A USEFUL NEXT STEP
TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science: study questions
What can I study in this TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science Online Center?
This TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science Online Center includes practice, lessons, worksheets, flashcards and review tools. Topics on the page include Competency 001: Safety in science, Competency 002: Nature of science and inquiry, Competency 003: Science in daily life and society.
How should I use the TExES Core Subjects EC-6 Science resources?
Choose a topic or practice activity from this Online Center. Review the linked explanation, try the practice, and use the result to decide what to study next. Check each resource’s directions for its format and access requirements.
Resources from Effortless Math · Editorial standards