AECAP — Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program Explained

The Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) is the state's testing framework for teacher certification. Every candidate for an initial Professional Educator Certificate must pass at least one AECAP assessment — and most candidates need two or three, depending on their teaching field and certification route. Understanding which tests you need, and in what order to take them, prevents wasted fees and missed deadlines.

The Three Components of AECAP

AECAP has three distinct assessment types, each administered by a different organization:

Praxis Subject Assessments — administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). These computer-based content-knowledge exams are required for all initial certificate applications regardless of route. Each teaching field has its own test code and Alabama-specific passing score. Registration costs range from $120 to $170 per exam.

edTPA Portfolio Assessment — administered by Pearson Education. This performance-based assessment evaluates your planning, instruction, and assessment skills through video recordings and written reflections. The portfolio is scored nationally, with a qualifying score of 37 for 15-rubric handbooks and 32 for 13-rubric handbooks. Cost: $300.

Pearson Foundations of Reading (Test 890) — administered by Pearson through the NES portal. This exam is required only for Early Childhood (P-3), Elementary (K-6), and Collaborative Special Education (K-6) certifications. Passing score: 233. Cost: $139.

Who Needs What

The Praxis PLT (Principles of Learning and Teaching) replaces edTPA in three scenarios: your teaching field lacks a designated edTPA handbook, you're on an alternative route with three or more years of classroom experience, or you're adding a teaching field to an existing certificate through the testing-only approach. The PLT costs $156 — the passing score is 160 for K-6 (test 5622) and 157 for 7-12 (test 5624).

Registration and Score Reporting

Praxis exams: Register through the ETS portal at ets.org/praxis. During registration, specify ALSDE (code 7020) as your automatic electronic score recipient. Scores take 10 to 14 calendar days for official electronic transmission. If you fail, you must wait 28 consecutive days before scheduling a retake.

edTPA: Submit your portfolio through the edTPA platform at edtpa.com. National scoring takes 3 to 4 weeks based on portfolio submission schedules.

Foundations of Reading: Register through the Pearson NES portal at neinc.com. Score delivery takes 2 to 3 weeks for electronic transmission to the ALSDE.

Do not download score reports from your personal testing accounts and upload them to your AIM application. The ALSDE rejects all candidate-submitted score reports — scores must be transmitted electronically from ETS or Pearson directly.

The Six-Month Testing Deadline

Once the ALSDE determines your testing eligibility and issues an eligibility letter, you have exactly six months to submit official passing scores. Miss this deadline and your application is closed, the $38 application fee is forfeited, and you must reapply under whatever rules are in effect at that point.

This deadline makes test registration timing important. If you receive your eligibility letter in August, your scores must be in the system by February. Factor in the 10-14 day score transmission window for Praxis and the 3-4 week scoring window for edTPA when planning your registration dates.

Don't Register Before Your Pathway Is Confirmed

Candidates frequently register and pay for Praxis exams before confirming their certification pathway or completing their transcript evaluation. This is a costly mistake for two reasons:

1. Test codes are updated periodically — you might take a sunsetted code that the ALSDE no longer accepts
2. If your transcript evaluation reveals you need a different teaching field endorsement, you've wasted the fee on the wrong test

Wait until you receive a formal testing directive: from your university certification officer (traditional and Alt-A routes) or from your district's HR department (PCTF, CCTF, TSEC routes). This confirms exactly which test codes apply to your specific certification area.

The Praxis Core Is Eliminated

Alabama permanently eliminated the older Praxis Core basic skills test requirement in 2022. You do not need to take any basic skills exam — only the subject-specific Praxis for your teaching field plus the applicable pedagogical assessment (edTPA or PLT). If you see older resources referencing the Praxis Core as an Alabama requirement, they're outdated.

The Alabama Teacher Certification Guide includes a testing logistics tracker that sequences your AECAP registrations against the six-month deadline, helping you schedule each exam with enough buffer for score transmission and potential retakes.

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