The TASC–ASL for Texas Teachers

As required by the Texas Education Code §21.048, successful performance on educator certification examinations is required for the issuance of a Texas educator certificate. The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has approved Texas educator standards that delineate what the beginning educator should know and be able to do. These standards, which are based on the state-required curriculum for students — the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) — form the basis for the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards™ (TExES™) program. This initiative, administered by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), affects all areas of Texas education — from the more than 170 approved Texas educator preparation programs (EPPs) to the more than 7,000 Texas school campuses. This standards-based system reflects SBEC's commitment to help align Texas education from kindergarten through college. SBEC and TEA's roles in this K–16 initiative will ensure that newly certified Texas educators have the essential knowledge and skills to teach the TEKS to the state's public school students.

The Texas Assessment of Sign Communication–American Sign Language™ (TASC–ASL™) is an extension of the TExES program. It is designed for candidates who plan to seek certification as a teacher of American Sign Language as a Language Other Than English (LOTE) or a teacher seeking bilingual endorsement. The exam assesses signed communication proficiency for the language of American Sign Language used and/or taught in Texas classrooms. An experienced interviewer conducts a 20-minute, one-on-one conversational interview with a candidate. The interview is digitally recorded, and later viewed by scorers who rate the candidate's expressive and receptive signed communication proficiency of American Sign Language.

Language of the Exam

Sign communication means communication through any sign system as well as the language of American Sign Language (ASL). The TASC–ASL assesses signed communication solely in the language of American Sign Language. Sign communication systems such as those listed below are not acceptable
communication options for this exam.

• Contact Sign (CS)
• Morphemic Sign System (MSS)
• Signed English (SE)
• Signing Exact English (SEE)
• Pidgin Signed English (PSE)
• Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE)

When you register to take the TASC–ASL, it is understood that only American Sign Language will be used during the exam session. You may not switch between sign systems or languages; the interviewer must conduct the conversation solely in American Sign Language.