What Makes Praxis Foundations Different? 

As expectations for educators evolve, so must the ways we prepare and support them. Today’s classrooms demand more than content knowledge—they require adaptability, professional judgment, and the ability to navigate technology-rich learning environments. 

Praxis Foundations is a next-generation educator readiness solution designed to support teacher preparation programs, school districts, and alternative certification pathways. It provides a comprehensive, research-informed approach to teacher candidate readiness, integrating academic skills, professional dispositions, durable skills, and AI literacy into a unified ecosystem. 

Praxis Foundations provides multiple perspectives on candidate development, rather than a single measure of readiness. Each component captures a different dimension of what educators need to succeed, creating a more complete understanding of readiness and offering actionable insights that support growth over time. 

Four Core Components of Praxis Foundations 

Praxis Foundations is flexible and modular, allowing educator preparation programs, school districts, and alternative route programs to implement the full system or individual components based on their needs. 

Each component serves a distinct purpose, but together they provide a holistic view of educator readiness that no single assessment can deliver. 

Foundations Content Modules: Building Essential Academic Skills 

The Foundations Content Modules develop core competencies in reading, writing, and mathematics, supporting foundational knowledge required for entry into educator preparation. 

These modules are designed to: 

• Strengthen foundational academic skills 
• Identify areas for targeted support early in the preparation journey 
• Provide actionable signals for candidates and programs 

These modules function as developmental learning pathways, emphasizing growth, feedback, and skill-building rather than high-stakes testing alone. 

Why it matters: Academic skill gaps are often identified late in the preparation process. By providing earlier insights and guided learning experiences, programs can intervene sooner, allowing candidates to build confidence before reaching higher-stakes milestones. 

Praxis Personal Skills and Qualities (PSQ): Measuring Educator Dispositions 

The Praxis PSQ provides insight into professional dispositions and behavioral traits associated with educator success. 

It focuses on traits such as: 

• Collaboration 
• Dependability 
• Composure 
• Resourcefulness 

PSQ supports educator preparation programs and districts by creating a shared language for feedback and coaching, helping candidates develop self-awareness, and identifying strengths and areas for growth early in the preparation process. 

Why it matters: Professional dispositions influence how educators build relationships, navigate challenges, and collaborate with colleagues. While these qualities have always been important, they have traditionally been difficult to discuss consistently. PSQ provides a research-informed framework that makes those conversations more meaningful and actionable. 

Durable Skills Simulations: Assessing Workforce-Ready Teaching Skills 

Durable Skills Simulations use AI-driven simulations to evaluate how candidates apply skills in real-world contexts. 

These simulations focus on: 

• Communication 
• Collaboration 
• Critical thinking 

Through realistic scenarios, candidates demonstrate how they communicate, collaborate, and solve problems in situations similar to those they'll encounter as educators. Rather than measuring what candidates know, these simulations reveal how they apply their knowledge and transferable skills in authentic contexts.

Why it matters: Traditional assessments measure knowledge. Durable Skills Simulations help reveal how candidates communicate, collaborate, and solve problems in authentic situations, offering programs another valuable lens into educator readiness. 

AdaptAI: Advancing AI Literacy in Education 

AdaptAI is designed to measure AI literacy for educators, an increasingly essential competency in modern classrooms. 

Through scenario-based experiences, AdaptAI evaluates candidates’ ability to: 

• Understand and interpret AI tools 
• Reason about outputs and potential risks 
• Apply AI effectively and responsibly in educational settings 

This ensures educators are prepared for AI-supported teaching and learning environments. 

Why it matters: As AI becomes increasingly integrated into education, educators need the skills to evaluate AI-generated content, make informed decisions, and use these tools responsibly to support teaching and learning. AdaptAI helps prepare candidates for that evolving reality. 

How the Components Work Together 

Each Praxis Foundations component provides meaningful insight on its own, but together, they create a richer, more complete understanding of educator readiness.

Praxis Foundations combines evidence across academic knowledge, professional dispositions, durable skills, and AI literacy to help programs see both where candidates are today and where they may need additional support.

This integrated approach allows educator preparation programs, districts, and alternative certification providers to:

• Identify strengths and growth opportunities earlier in the preparation journey
• Personalize coaching and candidate support
• Make more informed decisions using multiple measures of readiness
• Track candidate development over time

By bringing these dimensions together, Praxis Foundations shifts the conversation from evaluating whether candidates can pass an assessment to understanding whether they are prepared to thrive in today's classrooms. The result is a more comprehensive, actionable picture of educator readiness—one that supports better outcomes for candidates, programs, and ultimately the students they will serve.

Flexible Across the Educator Pipeline 

Praxis Foundations is designed to support educator development at every stage of the preparation journey. Its modular design allows organizations to implement the full ecosystem or begin with the components that best align with their current goals, expanding over time as their needs evolve.

Whether preparing future educators, hiring new teachers, or supporting alternative certification candidates, Praxis Foundations provides actionable insights that help organizations make more informed decisions and better support candidate success.

• Educator Preparation Programs: Identify candidate strengths and areas for growth early, personalize support, and strengthen program outcomes.
• School Districts: Inform hiring, onboarding, mentoring, and professional learning with a more complete understanding of educator readiness.
• Alternative Certification Programs: Deliver flexible, scalable assessments and developmental insights for candidates entering the profession through nontraditional pathways.

By providing meaningful data throughout the educator pipeline, Praxis Foundations helps institutions move beyond evaluation to continuous development—building confident, capable educators who are prepared for the realities of today's classrooms.

Research-Informed and Aligned to the Profession 

Praxis Foundations is aligned to nationally recognized frameworks that define educator success, including the InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and O*NET education-related profiles. 

This alignment ensures that the solution reflects research-based expectations for educator knowledge, skills, and dispositions while connecting directly to workforce expectations. 

A More Complete Picture of Educator Readiness 

Praxis Foundations provides a whole-candidate view of readiness by integrating academic knowledge, dispositions, durable skills, and AI literacy into a single, cohesive profile. 

For educator preparation leaders, district partners, and state stakeholders, this results in stronger insights, better decision-making, and improved outcomes for educators and the students they serve.