Section 3: Overview and Exam Framework
History 7–12 (233)

Exam Overview

Table outlining the exam code, time, number of questions, and format.
Exam Name History 7–12
Exam Code 233
Time 5 hours
Number of Questions 100 selected-response questions
Format Computer-administered test (CAT)

The TExES History 7–12 (233) exam is designed to assess whether an examinee has the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools must possess. The 100 selected-response questions are based on the History 7–12 exam framework. Questions on this exam range from grades 7–12. The exam may contain questions that do not count toward the score. Your final scaled score will be based only on scored questions.

The Standards

Standard I

The social studies teacher has a comprehensive knowledge of the social sciences and recognizes the value of the social sciences.

Standard II

The social studies teacher effectively integrates the various social science disciplines.

Standard III

The social studies teacher uses knowledge and skills of social studies, as defined by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), to plan and implement effective curriculum, instruction, assessment and evaluation.

Standard IV

History: The social studies teacher applies knowledge of significant historical events and developments, as well as of multiple historical interpretations and ideas, in order to facilitate student understanding of relationships between the past, the present and the future.

Standard V

Geography: The social studies teacher applies knowledge of people, places and environments to facilitate student understanding of geographic relationships in Texas, the United States and the world.

Standard VI

Economics: The social studies teacher knows how people organize economic systems to produce, distribute and consume goods and services, and uses this knowledge to enable students to understand economic systems and make informed economic decisions.

Standard VII

Government: The social studies teacher knows how governments and structures of power function, provide order and allocate resources, and uses this knowledge to facilitate student understanding of how individuals and groups achieve their goals through political systems.

Standard VIII

Citizenship: The social studies teacher understands citizenship in the United States and other societies, and uses this knowledge to prepare students to participate in our society through an understanding of democratic principles and citizenship practices.

Standard IX

Culture: The social studies teacher understands cultures and how they develop and adapt, and uses this knowledge to enable students to appreciate and respect cultural diversity in Texas, the United States and the world.

Standard X

Science, Technology and Society: The social studies teacher understands developments in science and technology, and uses this knowledge to facilitate student understanding of the social and environmental consequences of scientific discovery and technological innovation.

Domains and Competencies

Table outlining test content and subject weighting by domain.
Domain Domain Title Approx. Percentage of Exam Standards Assessed
I World History 30% History 7–12 IV–X
II U.S. History 36% History 7–12 IV–X
III Texas History 20% History 7–12 IV–X
IV Foundations, Skills, Research and Instruction 14% History 7–12 I–III

Pie chart of approximate domain weightings outlined in the table above.

The content covered by this exam is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:

Domain I—World History

Competency 001—(Ancient World Civilizations): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments in ancient world civilizations, factors influencing the development of ancient world civilizations and major characteristics and contributions of ancient world civilizations.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Analyzes the influence of various factors (e.g., geography, processes of spatial exchange [diffusion], development of agriculture) on the development of early and classical civilizations.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events and issues that shaped the development of early and classical civilizations.
  3. Understands major political, economic and cultural developments in and interactions among the civilizations of Africa (e.g., Egypt, sub-Sahara), the Mediterranean basin (e.g., Greece, Rome), Mesoamerica (e.g., Maya), Andean South America (e.g., Inca tradition), Middle and Near East and Asia (e.g., China, India, Japan).
  4. Applies knowledge of the location, political organization, cultural characteristics and contributions and influence of ancient civilizations.
Competency 002—(World History from 600 A.D. to 1450 A.D.): The teacher understands significant historical events, developments and traditional points of reference in world history from 600 A.D. to 1450 A.D.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events, issues and traditional points of reference that shaped the development of world civilizations from 600 A.D. to 1450 A.D. (e.g., Mongol conquests, the founding of Islam, Charlemagne, the Norman Conquest, Silk Road).
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of major developments in and interactions among the civilizations of Africa (e.g., Egypt, sub-Sahara), Mesoamerica (e.g., Aztec tradition), Andean South America (e.g., Inca tradition), Europe (including Western and Eastern) and Asia (e.g., Islamic civilization, China, India, Japan).
  3. Knows how new political, economic and social systems evolved in Western Europe after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire (e.g., feudalism, manorialism).
  4. Understands the influence exerted by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church in medieval Europe.
  5. Compares social, political, economic and religious aspects of medieval Europe with previous civilizations.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of the political, economic, religious and social impact of the Crusades and other religious interactions.
Competency 003—(World History from 1450 A.D. to 1750 A.D.): The teacher understands significant historical events, developments and traditional points of reference in world history from 1450 A.D. to 1750 A.D.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events, issues and traditional points of reference that shaped the development of world civilizations from 1450 A.D. to 1750 A.D. (e.g., the fall of Constantinople, Martin Luther, the Black Death, Leonardo da Vinci).
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of major developments in and interactions among the civilizations of Africa (e.g., Egypt, sub-Sahara), the Americas (e.g., Inca, Aztec, Maya), Western and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Asia (e.g., China, India, Japan).
  3. Understands the importance of the European Renaissance and Reformation eras in shaping the modern world.
  4. Understands the causes of European expansion and the effects of that expansion on European and non-European societies (e.g., Columbian Exchange, Atlantic slave trade).
  5. Analyzes the impact of political, economic and cultural imperialism (e.g., conquest of the Aztec, expansion of the Ottoman Empire) on both colonizers and the colonized.
Competency 004—(World History from 1750 A.D. to the Present): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments in world history from 1750 A.D. to the present.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of developments, events, issues and interactions that shaped the development of world civilizations from 1750 A.D. to the present (e.g., the Great Depression, the Holocaust, decolonization).
  2. Analyzes the causes and effects of major political revolutions and independence movements of the eighteenth through the twentieth centuries (e.g., the American Revolution, the French Revolution, Napoleon, Simón Bolívar, Latin American wars of independence, Russian Revolution).
  3. Understands the impact of political, economic and cultural expansion (e.g., rise of the British Empire, Japanese imperialism).
  4. Analyzes the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution.
  5. Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of totalitarianism in the twentieth century (e.g., fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Soviet Union).
  6. Analyzes the causes and effects of World War I and World War II.
  7. Understands significant events related to the twentieth-century spread and fall of communism (e.g., Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War) and the post-Cold War world (e.g., globalization, radical Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism).
  8. Analyzes the influence of significant individuals of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries (e.g., Charles Darwin, Mohandas Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Nelson Mandela, Mao Zedong, Mother Teresa).
Competency 005—(Geography and Culture in World History): The teacher understands geographic and cultural phenomena in world history and the influence of geographic and cultural factors on events and developments in world history.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Analyzes the impact of geographic factors on major events in world history.
  2. Understands how migration and immigration have affected societies throughout history.
  3. Demonstrates knowledge of how population growth and modernization have affected the physical environment throughout history.
  4. Analyzes the influence of physical and human geographic factors on political, social, cultural and economic developments and events throughout history (e.g., opening of the Panama and Suez canals).
  5. Applies knowledge of the history and significance of major world religious and philosophical traditions (e.g., Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Realism, Idealism).
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of the roles of men, women, children and families in different historical cultures.
  7. Recognizes relationships of the arts to the times during which they were created.
  8. Understands the importance of place for populations (e.g., Mecca, Jerusalem, Cuzco, Ganges River, Shrine of Guadalupe).
Competency 006—(Government and Citizenship in World History): The teacher understands systems of government in different places and eras in world history, including the development and influence of major political ideas and the spread of democratic concepts.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of the historical antecedents of contemporary political systems.
  2. Analyzes the process by which democratic-republican government evolved (e.g., beginnings in classical Greece and Rome, developments in England, impact of the Enlightenment).
  3. Demonstrates knowledge of significant political documents and the philosophies of individuals in world history and their impact on the development of political thought (e.g., Hammurabi’s Code of Laws, Justinian’s Code of Laws, Magna Carta, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes).
  4. Analyzes how governments in different places and eras have affected cultural values and provided for social control.
  5. Analyzes the historical development of significant legal and political concepts.
Competency 007—(Economics, Science and Technology in World History): The teacher understands major economic developments and systems in world history and the effects of important developments in science and technology on societies.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Analyzes the impact of the Neolithic agricultural revolution on human life and on the development of the first civilizations.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of the historical origins of contemporary economic systems (e.g., capitalism, socialism, communism).
  3. Understands free enterprise, socialist and communist economic systems in different places and eras.
  4. Knows reasons for the location of economic activities throughout history.
  5. Demonstrates knowledge of how major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations have affected societies throughout history.
  6. Traces the origin and diffusion of ideas in mathematics, science and technology that occurred in river valley civilizations, classical Greece and Rome, classical India, the Islamic Caliphates between 700 A.D. and 1200 A.D. and in China from the Tang to Ming Dynasties.
  7. Understands how major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations have affected societies from 1750 to the present.

Domain II—U.S. History

Competency 008—(Exploration and Colonization): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments in the exploration and colonization of North America and the development of colonial society.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands the causes and effects of European exploration and colonization of North America, including interactions with American Indian populations.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events and issues that shaped the development of colonial society, including interactions among Europeans, Africans and American Indians.
  3. Analyzes political, economic, religious and social reasons for establishment of the thirteen colonies.
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of the foundations of representative government in the United States (e.g., ways in which the Mayflower Compact, the Iroquois Confederacy, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia House of Burgesses contributed to the growth of representative government).
  5. Analyzes the influence of various factors on the development of colonial society (e.g., geography, slavery, processes of spatial exchange [diffusion]).
Competency 009—(Revolutionary Era and the Early Years of the Republic): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments of the Revolutionary Era and the early years of the Republic, including the foundations of representative government in the United States.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events and issues that shaped the development of U.S. society during the Revolutionary Era and early years of the Republic.
  2. Analyzes causes of the American Revolution (e.g., mercantilism, British policies following the French and Indian War).
  3. Understands significant political and economic issues of the Revolutionary Era (e.g., taxation without representation, enforcement of the Navigation Acts, Lexington, Concord, winter at Valley Forge, Treaty of Paris of 1783).
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of the foundations of representative government in the United States (e.g., the Articles of Confederation and issues of the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, such as major compromises and arguments for and against ratification).
  5. Understands the origin and development of the American political system and political parties (e.g., Federalists, Democratic-Republicans, Jacksonian democracy, Whigs, Democrats).
  6. Analyzes the challenges confronted by the government and its leaders in the early years of the Republic and the Age of Jackson (e.g., economic programs and tariffs, court system, expansion of slavery, foreign relations, Indian removal).
Competency 010—(Westward Expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments related to westward expansion, the Civil War and Reconstruction.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of westward expansion and its effects on the political, economic, cultural and social development of the nation.
  2. Understands the political, economic and social roots of Manifest Destiny and the relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and the westward growth of the nation.
  3. Identifies the territorial acquisitions that formed the United States and explains the factors that influenced these acquisitions.
  4. Understands major issues and events of the United States-Mexican War and their impact on the United States.
  5. Analyzes ways in which slavery and other political, economic and social factors led to the growth of sectionalism and to the Civil War.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of individuals, events and issues of the Civil War. (e.g., Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, the Emancipation Proclamation, Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House).
  7. Analyzes the effects of Reconstruction on the political, economic and social life of the nation.
Competency 011—(The United States as a World Power): The teacher understands significant historical events and developments related to the emergence and role of the United States as a world power and the effects of major decisions and conflicts on the United States.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands factors and events that contributed to the emergence of the United States as a world power between 1898 and 1920 (e.g., imperialism, Panic of 1893, acquisition of Hawaii, Spanish-American War, U.S. involvement in and effects of World War I).
  2. Analyzes how national and international decisions and conflicts between World War I and World War II affected the United States (e.g., the Fourteen Points, isolationism, reasons for U.S. involvement in World War II).
  3. Analyzes how national and international decisions and conflicts from World War II to the present have affected the United States (e.g., decision to use the atomic bomb, Cold War).
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of significant individuals who shaped U.S. foreign policy from 1898 to the present (e.g., Alfred Thayer Mahan, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Henry Kissinger).
  5. Demonstrates knowledge of significant events and issues that shaped U.S. foreign policy from 1898 to present (e.g., Berlin airlift, Korean War, Sputnik I, Vietnam War, Marshall Plan, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, McCarthyism, Cuban Missile Crisis, the Gulf War).
  6. Understands the origins of major foreign policy issues currently facing the United States and the challenges of changing relationships among nations.
Competency 012—(Political, Economic and Social Developments from 1877 to the Present): The teacher understands significant political, economic and social developments in the United States from 1877 to the present.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands political, economic and social changes in the United States from 1877 to the present (e.g., in relation to political parties, transportation, labor unions, agriculture, business, race, gender).
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of the effects of reform and third party movements and their leaders on U.S. society (e.g., Populism, Progressive Era reforms, New Deal legislation, Susan B. Anthony, W. E. B. Du Bois, George Wallace).
  3. Analyzes the causes and effects of industrialization in the United States.
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of significant individuals who shaped political, economic and social developments in the United States from 1877 to the present (e.g., Jane Addams, Henry Ford, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, Betty Friedan, Malcolm X).
  5. Demonstrates knowledge of events and issues that shaped political, economic and social developments in the United States from 1877 to the present (e.g., ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, Great Depression, passage of the GI Bill, passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, urbanization, anti-trust legislation, immigration restriction, globalization, terrorism).
  6. Analyzes the impact of civil rights movements in the United States, including the African American, Hispanic, American Indian and women’s rights movements.
Competency 013—(Geography and Culture in U.S. History): The teacher understands geographic and cultural phenomena in U.S. history and the influence of geographic and cultural factors on events and developments in U.S. history.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands ways in which migration and immigration have affected U.S. society.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of how population growth and modernization have affected the physical environment in the United States.
  3. Analyzes the influence of physical and human geographic factors on political, social, cultural and economic developments in U.S. history, including developments related to population distribution, settlement patterns and economic activities.
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of how people adapted to and modified the environment in different places and eras in U.S. history.
  5. Knows how people from various racial, ethnic and religious groups have adapted to and modified life in the United States and contributed to a national identity.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of religion on the way of life in the United States.
  7. Demonstrates knowledge of the causes and effects of major reform movements in U.S. history (e.g., abolitionist movement, public education, temperance, women’s rights, prison reform).
  8. Understands relationships between the arts in the United States and the times during which they were created.
  9. Understands the evolving nature of race and gender relations in the United States.
Competency 014—(Government and Citizenship in U.S. History): The teacher understands important historical developments relating to government, the democratic process and civil rights in the United States.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Analyzes changes in the role and public perception of the U.S. government over time (e.g., American Indian policy, suffrage, peace movements, Watergate, New Deal legislation).
  2. Understands changing relationships among the three branches of the federal government (e.g., Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attempt to increase the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices, War Powers Act).
  3. Analyzes the beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other important historical documents (e.g., Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence, Federalist Papers).
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of constitutional amendments on U.S. society (e.g., Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Seventeenth, Nineteenth, Twenty-fourth, Twenty-sixth amendments).
  5. Analyzes the interpretations and impact of landmark Supreme Court decisions on U.S. society (e.g., Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Schenck v. U.S., Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, Engel v. Vitale, Miranda v. Arizona, Roe v. Wade, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke).
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of social, legal and political efforts to expand the democratic process and civil rights in the United States.
  7. Understands the contributions of significant political and social leaders in the United States (e.g., George Washington, John Marshall, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Earl Warren).
Competency 015—(Economics, Science and Technology in U.S. History): The teacher understands major economic developments in U.S. history and the effects of important developments in science and technology on U.S. society.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Analyzes the origins and development of the free enterprise system in the United States.
  2. Understands forces that led to the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
  3. Analyzes domestic and foreign issues related to U.S. economic growth from the 1870s to 1920 (e.g., anti-trust acts, tariff policies, international conflicts).
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of significant economic developments between World War I and World War II.
  5. Analyzes the economic effects of World War I, World War II, the Cold War and increased globalization of the economy.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of how developments in science, technology and the free enterprise system have affected the economic development of the United States (e.g., cotton gin, Bessemer steel process, electric power, telephone, railroads, petroleum-based products, computers).
  7. Analyzes the impact of scientific discoveries, technological innovations and the free enterprise system on the standard of living in the United States (e.g., radio, television, automobile, vaccines).

Domain III—Texas History

Competency 016—(Exploration and Colonization): The teacher understands significant historical developments and events in Texas through the beginning of the Mexican National Era in 1821.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands the important similarities and differences among American Indian groups in Texas including the Gulf, Plains, Puebloan and Southeastern groups.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of the traditional historical points of reference in the history of Texas during the Spanish colonial period.
  3. Understands the major causes and effects of European exploration and colonization of Texas.
  4. Understands how significant individuals, events and issues shaped the early history of Texas from the Spanish Colonial Era through the beginning of the Mexican National Era (e.g., Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca, José de Escandón, Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, Fray Damián Massenet, Francisco Hidalgo, Moses Austin).
  5. Understands the impact of major geographic features of Texas on American Indians and settlers, and how various groups altered the natural environment through the beginning of the Mexican National Era.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of significant cultural and economic developments in Texas history through the beginning of the Mexican National Era.
Competency 017—(Independence, Statehood, Civil War Reconstruction and Aftermath): The teacher understands significant historical developments and events in Texas from 1821 to 1900.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of the individuals, issues and events related to Mexico becoming an independent nation and the impacts of this event on Texas.
  2. Demonstrates knowledge of important individuals, events and issues related to the Texas Revolution (e.g., Law of April 6, 1830, Fredonian Rebellion, Battle of Gonzales, Battle of the Alamo, Battle of San Jacinto, George Childress, Stephen F. Austin, Lorenzo de Zavala, Juan N. Seguín, Antonio López de Santa Anna, William B. Travis).
  3. Demonstrates knowledge of important individuals, events and issues related to the history of the Republic of Texas and early Texas statehood (e.g., George Childress, Stephen F. Austin, Lorenzo de Zavala, Sam Houston, Jack Coffee Hayes, Mary Maverick, Mirabeau Lamar, the Córdova Rebellion, the Council House Fight, the Santa Fe Expedition, United States-Mexican War).
  4. Demonstrates knowledge of important individuals, issues and events of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Texas (e.g., John Bell Hood, John Magruder, Battle of Galveston, the Battle of Palmito Ranch).
  5. Understands the major effects of Reconstruction on the political, economic and social life of Texas.
  6. Understands the major causes and effects of the expansion of settlement along the frontier in Texas and of the conflicts between some settlers and American Indian groups (e.g., Quanah Parker, Texas Rangers, Buffalo Soldiers).
  7. Demonstrates knowledge of the impact of major economic and technological developments in Texas in the period 1821 to 1900.
  8. Understands the impact of major geographic features of Texas on migration, settlement patterns and economic development and how various groups altered the natural environment.
  9. Demonstrates knowledge of major cultural developments in Texas in the period 1821 to 1900.
Competency 018—(Texas in the Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries): The teacher understands significant historical developments and events in Texas from 1900 to the present.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Understands the impact of individuals and reform movements such as the Progressive movement and the Civil Rights movement on Texas in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries (e.g., Hector García, Jane McCallum, Lulu Belle Madison White, Oveta Culp Hobby).
  2. Understands the political, economic and social impacts of major events in the twentieth century, including World War I, the Great Depression, World War II and the Cold War on the history of Texas.
  3. Understands the political, economic and social impact of major events and individuals in the latter half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries on the history of Texas (e.g., Lyndon B. Johnson, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Barbara Jordan, Henry B. Gonzalez, George Walker Bush).
  4. Understands the impact of major developments in manufacturing, the petroleum and gas industry (e.g., Spindletop), commercial agriculture (e.g., cotton, citrus, beef and dairy production), and suburbanization and how various groups altered the natural environment from 1900 to the present.
  5. Understands the effect of major developments in computer technology, transportation and medical research on the contemporary economic and social history of Texas.
  6. Understands the influence of migration and immigration on Texas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
  7. Demonstrates knowledge of major cultural developments in Texas in the period 1900 to the present.

Domain IV—Foundations, Skills, Research and Instruction

Competency 019—(History Foundations and Skills): The teacher understands historical terminology and concepts; the philosophical foundations of historical inquiry; relationships between history and other disciplines; and skills for resolving conflicts, solving problems and making decisions in historical contexts.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of the philosophical foundations of historical inquiry.
  2. Uses historical terminology correctly.
  3. Knows how knowledge generated by historical inquiry is used to study social phenomena and understands practical applications of history education.
  4. Applies knowledge of the concepts of theme and chronology and their uses in understanding history and historical events.
  5. Applies different methods that historians use to interpret the past.
  6. Understands how history relates to other disciplines.
  7. Knows how to use problem-solving processes to identify problems, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement solutions and evaluate the effectiveness of solutions in historical contexts.
  8. Knows how to use decision-making processes to identify and analyze situations that require decisions, gather information, identify options, predict consequences and implement decisions in historical contexts.
Competency 020—(Sources of Historical Information; Interpreting and Communicating Historical Information): The teacher interprets diverse sources of historical information and uses various methods to communicate historical information.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Demonstrates knowledge of characteristics and uses of primary and secondary sources (e.g., databases, maps, photographs, documents, biographies, interviews, questionnaires, artifacts).
  2. Evaluates the validity of historical information from primary and secondary sources and identifies bias.
  3. Assesses multiple points of view and frames of reference relating to historical issues.
  4. Knows how to use maps and other graphics to present geographic, political, historical, economic and cultural features, distributions and relationships.
  5. Communicates and interprets historical information in written, oral and visual forms and translates information from one medium to another.
Competency 021—(Historical Research): The teacher understands historical research methods, including procedures for formulating research questions and for organizing, analyzing, evaluating and reporting historical information.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Knows how to formulate research questions.
  2. Uses appropriate procedures to reach supportable judgments and conclusions in history.
  3. Understands historical research and knows how historians locate, gather, organize, analyze, interpret and report information using established research methodologies.
  4. Knows how to analyze historical information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and drawing inferences and conclusions.
Competency 022—(History Instruction and Assessment): The teacher understands the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in history; knows how to plan and implement effective history instruction, including helping students make interdisciplinary connections and develop relevant reading and writing skills; and knows procedures for assessing students’ progress and needs in history.

The beginning teacher:

  1. Knows state content and performance standards for history that comprise the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and understands the vertical alignment of history in the TEKS from kindergarten to grade 12, including prerequisite knowledge and skills.
  2. Selects and uses developmentally appropriate instructional practices, activities, technologies and materials to promote student knowledge, skills and progress in history.
  3. Understands the appropriate use of technology as a tool for learning and communicating historical concepts and provides instruction on how to locate, retrieve and retain content-related information from a range of texts and technologies.
  4. Uses a variety of instructional strategies to ensure all students’ writing skills and reading comprehension of content-related texts, including helping students link the context of texts to their lives and connect related ideas across different texts.
  5. Knows how to provide instruction that makes connections between knowledge and methods in history and in other content areas.
  6. Demonstrates knowledge of forms of assessment appropriate for evaluating students’ progress and needs in history.
  7. Uses multiple forms of assessment and knowledge of the TEKS to determine students’ progress and needs and to help plan instruction (e.g., Freedom Week).