LOTE: Languages Other Than English – Spanish (613)

The biggest difference is that the LOTE (Languages Other Than English) 613 is a test for graduates of a teaching program, required for certification by the Texas State Department of Education.

The PACT (Pre-Admission Content Test) 713 is required to enter alternative certification programs. Both tests cover Instruction and Assessment, Cultural Understanding, Interpretive Listening and Reading, and Written and Oral Expression.

Here is a comparison that may help: (These should be side by side.)

LOTE 613

Required for teacher certification in order to teach Spanish in Texas public schools 5 hours long 120 multiple-choice questions, 1 lesson plan, 3 speaking tasks, 3 writing tasks, 1 essay Tests content, and pedagogy knowledge.

PACT 713

Required for entry into an alternative certification program 3.5 hours long 100 multiple-choice questions, 1 speaking task, 1 writing task Tests content knowledge only.

Pedagogy is the art and science of teaching. This term is used to refer broadly to all of the skills, knowledge, theories, beliefs, approaches, strategies, and methods used in instruction.

The LOTE 613 exam is a comprehensive test that will challenge your application of language acquisition, proficiency levels, and research-based best practices with scenario-based questions and a variety of reading, writing, and speaking tasks.

You’ll need to be solid on your pedagogy, Spanish TEKS, and understanding of what strategies will help different levels of learners.

You’ll also be tested on Spanish-language cultural content, like art, literature, famous people, landmarks, holidays, and traditions.

This isn’t the kind of test where you can study a set of flashcards and expect to be prepared. You need a thorough study approach that gives you time to absorb all of the material.

The LOTE is an intense and thorough test. There are many different components and a variety of question types that you’ll need to master.

I recommend that you give yourself 4 to 6 months of dedicated study, 3 to 4 hours per week before you challenge this test.

This will give you plenty of time to read and absorb all the information you need, practice the tasks, work on areas of weakness, and polish your speaking and writing.

It could be passed in a shorter time, depending on your study schedule and effort.

For a more detailed response, specific to your situation, book a private coaching session and we can work together to create a study plan just for you.

In my experience, most candidates who receive a score of zero on the lesson plan failed to teach the exact objective provided in the prompt.

You may have written a plan that teaches something related to the objective or something similar to the objective instead of the exact objective. You may have only addressed one part of the objective.

Here are some examples to show you what this common mistake might look like:

Scenario 1

Objective: The students will use the target language to discuss traditional holiday celebrations in the target language culture.

Lesson Plan: Students discuss their favorite holiday.

Problem: The students learned about one person, not about what elements are included in biographies in general, for example, table of contents, captions, index, etc.

Scenario 2

Objective: The students will describe weather patterns.

Lesson Plan: Students keep a weather journal for several days and write about what they like to do in their favorite kind of weather. The evaluation is a labeling activity for different kinds of weather: cloudy, rainy, sunny, etc.

Problem: The lesson taught students how to identify some weather patterns but didn’t teach them to describe the weather patterns or evaluate whether they could describe them.

Get more tips in my guide – How to Write a Lesson Plan to Score 12/12.

It takes about 3 weeks to receive your results after the test.

They are published at 10 pm on a schedule according to your testing window.

You can find the score report dates here

You may be able to view whether you pass or fail (but not the score) on the morning of your score report date in your educator TEAL account.

You can register as soon as your score has been posted, but you’ll have to wait until 30 days have passed since your last test date to take the test again.

Only exam dates after that 30 day period will be shown when you try to register.