Praxis 5001 Requirements in Alabama: What Elementary (K–6) Candidates Take Instead

If you searched "Praxis 5001 Alabama," here is the headline: the full four-subtest 5001 battery is not the requirement for Alabama's elementary (K–6) certificate as of the October 2025 revision of Manual B. What Alabama does require is a set of content subtests that can be satisfied with the 5003/5004/5005 single subtests (or the 5903/5904/5905 bundle equivalents), a separate reading requirement handled through the Foundations of Reading (Pearson 890), and the edTPA pedagogy assessment. This page walks through the current K–6 path by certification route, with qualifying scores and the historical-score rules that still matter for older scores.[1][2]

Alabama's Elementary (K–6) Testing Picture

Alabama's testing program is the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP): Praxis subject assessments, edTPA, and the Foundations of Reading.[2] For elementary K–6 the pieces are:

These are the numbers in the October 2025 revision of Manual B (effective September 15, 2025), which the ALSDE assessment page currently lists as the active manual.[1][2] The previous 2024 Manual B appears as a historical document; the 5901/5003–5005 content lines and the 890 reading line above are the ones to hold onto. Fee note: the 5901 bundle is priced as a single registration on ETS's product page; single subtests are priced separately.

The Reading Requirement: Foundations of Reading 890

Alabama's reading requirement is the Foundations of Reading (890), administered by Pearson — a different exam company, registration flow, and score scale than the Praxis reading tests. The qualifying score is 233, listed in the current Manual B alongside the content rows.[1] The earlier Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary (5205) and its final-administration details are history; if you prepped for 5205 the content overlaps (foundational reading skills, assessment, instructional practices), but you register and score through the 890 process now.

Which Score Counts? (Pathway and Date Rules)

Alabama's rule is not simply "the manual in effect on the date your application is received." The October 2025 revision of Manual B separates the pathways and their dates explicitly:

• State-approved preparation route (Manual B): the content and reading tests are tied to the date your application is received in the Educator Certification Section, subject to the admission-date and final-examination-date conditions in the manual. If you took a test under an earlier manual, do not assume the old score still clears the bar — check the current edition.
• Alternate/corresponding route (Manual A): a separate document with its own effective dates and accepted-tests table. The score that counts depends on which manual's rules your path falls under.
• 48-month conditional period: the manual conditions complete application and recommendation within 48 months for some candidates, with final examination dates set per manual edition. Read the row for your situation rather than applying one rule to everyone.

The ETS Alabama overview warns that test changes and score lines took effect September 1, 2023, and that a score earned on a test date may or may not be deemed passing depending on when your application arrives.[2] The same caution applies to the newer edition: confirm the manual that governs your application window.

edTPA and the PLT Question

For most teaching fields Alabama requires edTPA (the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment) as the pedagogy assessment; in the current Manual B table the Elementary K–6 edTPA cut is 44.[1] Candidates who already hold a valid Alabama professional educator certificate in a teaching field may qualify for an exemption from the edTPA requirement — it is not "everyone must take edTPA." The Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) is used only for fields without an edTPA handbook (such as computer science, gifted education, and technical education). Elementary K–6 is an edTPA field.

How to Confirm Your Requirement (Do This Before Registering)

1. Determine your route first. Open the ETS Alabama requirements page and choose the licensure approach that matches your pathway (for example, the Alabama Educator Preparation Program (TEP) approach versus an alternate route) to see your exact test list.
2. Read the current ALSDE Educator Assessment Policies Manual B (October 2025 revision) for the K–6 rows: math 5903/5003 = 157, social studies 5904/5004 = 154, science 5905/5005 = 158, reading 890 = 233, edTPA K–6 = 44 — all with the page references and effective dates cited in the table above.
3. Check whether you are on the alternate/corresponding route. If your path falls under Manual A, read its own tables and dates rather than carrying over the Manual B rows.
4. Ask your preparation program which content option they expect (bundle vs. individual subtests) and their edTPA deadline.
5. Re-check before you register — manual editions change, and your application-receipt date rules decide which manual applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Alabama require Praxis 5001 for elementary K–6?

No — not as the complete four-subtest battery. The current path is the content subtests (5003/5004/5005 individually or the 5903/5904/5905 bundle) plus Foundations of Reading 890 and edTPA. The 5001's reading subtest (5002) stopped being part of the requirement years ago.[1][2]

What are the Alabama qualifying scores for the elementary content tests?

Per Manual B (October 2025 revision, effective September 15, 2025): mathematics 5903/5003 = 157; social studies 5904/5004 = 154; science 5905/5005 = 158.[1]

What is Foundations of Reading 890?

A Pearson-administered exam measuring foundational reading and instructional skills, required for Alabama elementary (K–6) (and early childhood and collaborative K–6) candidates. The qualifying score is 233. It replaced the older Praxis reading tests on the elementary path; the 890 is now the entry in the current Manual B reading row.[1]

Is 5001 still accepted in Alabama with an older score?

Alabama's manual in effect for your application window and route decides whether a test taken earlier still counts. The manuals condition score validity on pathway, admission dates, and a 48-month application-and-recommendation period for some candidates; score lines also changed effective September 1, 2023. Confirm with ALSDE's Educator Certification section which edition governs your case.[2]

The Bottom Line

Alabama elementary (K–6) candidates take the content subtests 5003/5004/5005 (or the 5903/5904/5905 bundle) with scores of 157 / 154 / 158, the Foundations of Reading 890 at 233, and edTPA (K–6 cut 44, with an exemption for holders of a valid Alabama professional educator certificate). The full four-subtest Praxis 5001 is not the current path, and prep aimed at the 5001 reading subtest will not satisfy Alabama's reading requirement. Learndiag's free diagnostic and question bank map the 5003–5005 content domains if you are on that option — but confirm your exact code set and route with ALSDE first.

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