Preparation Manual

Section 3: Overview and Exam Framework
Journalism 7–12 (256)

Exam Overview

Table outlining the test format, number of questions, time, and passing score.

Exam Name	Journalism 7–12
Exam Code	256
Time	5 hours
Number of Questions	100 selected-response questions
Format	Computer-administered test (CAT)

The TExES Journalism 7–12 (256) exam is designed to assess whether an examinee has the requisite knowledge and skills that an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools must possess. The 100 selected-response questions are based on the Journalism 7–12 exam framework and cover grades 7–12. The exam may contain questions that do not count toward the score. Your final scaled score will be based only on scored questions.

The Standards

Domains and Competencies

Table outlining test content subject weighting by domain.

Domain	Domain Title	Approx. Percentage of Exam	Standards Assessed
I	Mass Media and Communication	28%	Journalism 7–12 I–II
II	Journalistic Writing and Photojournalism	32%	Journalism 7–12 III–IV, VI
III	Student-Produced Media	20%	Journalism 7–12 V, VII
IV	Journalism in the School Community	20%	Journalism 7–12 VIII–IX

The content covered by this exam is organized into broad areas of content called domains. Each domain covers one or more of the educator standards for this field. Within each domain, the content is further defined by a set of competencies. Each competency is composed of two major parts:

• The competency statement, which broadly defines what an entry-level educator in this field in Texas public schools should know and be able to do.
• The descriptive statements, which describe in greater detail the knowledge and skills eligible for testing.

Domain I—Mass Media and Communication

Competency 001—The teacher understands the historical development of journalism in the United States.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows important events in the historical development of print and nonprint journalism (e.g., John Peter Zenger case, adoption of the First Amendment, development of the penny press and yellow journalism, introduction of radio and television, development of online journalism, consolidation of media outlets).
2. Knows important individuals in the history of journalism (e.g., Johannes Gutenberg, Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Nellie Bly, Edward R. Murrow, Katharine Graham, Barbara Walters).
3. Analyzes the significance of important individuals, events and developments in the history of print and nonprint journalism.
4. Analyzes the historical and contemporary functions of journalism in democratic and nondemocratic societies.
5. Understands ways in which print and nonprint journalism have influenced aspects of life in the United States (e.g., politics, social reform, popular culture).
6. Knows ways of teaching students that will develop their understanding of the history of journalism in the United States.
7. Knows the historical development of United States scholastic press freedom.

Competency 002—The teacher understands the role of mass media in society.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the four functions of mass communications (i.e., transmit culture, inform, persuade, entertain).
2. Recognizes full and fair media coverage and understands how different types of media and media techniques can shape or distort media messages.
3. Analyzes ways in which business and other factors influence contemporary journalism.
4. Analyzes the role and significance of online journalism in contemporary society.
5. Knows how to teach students about the ways in which print and nonprint journalism have influenced aspects of life in the United States (e.g., politics, social reform, popular culture).
6. Knows ways of teaching students that will develop their understanding of the evolving role of mass media in society.

Competency 003—The teacher understands the skills needed to evaluate mass media messages and to be a critical, informed consumer of mass media.

The beginning teacher:

1. Applies skills and criteria for analyzing and evaluating mass media messages.
2. Provides students with learning experiences that enable them to be critical, informed consumers of mass media.
3. Applies analytical and critical evaluation skills to journalistic communication in a variety of media, including online journalism.
4. Knows ways of teaching students how to evaluate mass media messages (e.g., evaluate message objectivity, analyze how method of presentation affects the message communicated, evaluate message content from diverse perspectives).

Competency 004—The teacher understands and applies knowledge of legal and ethical principles relevant to journalistic media.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the rights and responsibilities of a free and responsible press in a democratic society and distinguishes between responsible and irresponsible media action.
2. Applies knowledge of legal and ethical issues and concepts related to the press and press restrictions (e.g., libel, invasion of privacy, plagiarism, obscenity, copyright, censorship, conflict of interest, prior restraint, image alteration).
3. Analyzes how the First Amendment and key laws (e.g., Freedom of Information Act) and legal decisions (e.g., Tinker v. Des Moines, Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier) reflect societal views and values and affect the rights and responsibilities of the press, including the scholastic press.
4. Analyzes legal and ethical considerations that affect journalism and legal and ethical issues confronting contemporary journalists in a diverse society.
5. Knows the ways in which laws for print, broadcast and online journalism differ and analyzes reasons for these differences.
6. Knows how to teach students the responsibilities of journalists (e.g., balanced coverage, accuracy) and the responsibility of scholastic publications to create an open forum for diverse ideas, issues and viewpoints represented within the school community.
7. Knows ways of teaching students that will develop students’ awareness of and ability to adhere to legal guidelines and professional ethical standards in various journalistic contexts (e.g., ensuring that publications are responsive to the concerns of all audience segments).

 

Domain II—Journalistic Writing and Photojournalism

Competency 005—The teacher understands skills for gathering information using journalistic research, interviews and news judgment and develops students’ ability to use these skills to create various journalistic products.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the types of information sources used in journalism (e.g., people, databases, Internet, reports) and ways to identify and locate print and nonprint information sources appropriate for given journalistic purposes.
2. Applies criteria (e.g., bias, authoritativeness) for selecting and evaluating the credibility of information sources, including online sources.
3. Knows procedures for identifying relevant issues and events to cover (e.g., analyzing a publication’s purpose and the interests and needs of its readership, evaluating newsworthiness) and recognizes the importance of addressing and being responsive to diversity in student publications.
4. Knows procedures for gathering information (e.g., planning questions, rehearsing interviewing techniques, taking notes, using listening skills), evaluating information obtained from various sources and citing sources.
5. Recognizes ethical issues and standards relevant to gathering information for student publications, including procedures for avoiding plagiarism.
6. Knows procedures for formulating questions, refining topics for journalistic research, compiling information from primary and secondary sources and organizing and linking information and ideas from multiple sources.
7. Knows how to provide students with opportunities to develop and refine skills for gathering and organizing information, for using news judgment and for adhering to ethical standards in various journalistic contexts.

Competency 006—The teacher understands various forms of journalistic writing.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the types of journalistic formats (e.g., news, feature, sports, editorial, column, review) and media (e.g., print, broadcast, online), as well as the writing and editing skills needed for various formats and media.
2. Understands roles and audiences of different types of publications, including student publications.
3. Recognizes forms of journalistic writing used to inform, entertain and persuade, and the criteria for selecting an appropriate journalistic style and format to present content.
4. Knows the proper use of attribution in journalism, the use of direct and indirect quotes in journalistic writing and the structure and elements of news stories.
5. Knows the skills and procedures for journalistic writing (e.g., determining a story's focus, using appropriate organizational patterns, writing copy for advertisements, using visual material).
6. Knows how to edit journalistic writing for effectiveness.

Competency 007—The teacher understands methods for developing students’ ability to use journalistic writing and editing to create journalistic products.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows how to teach students to recognize the journalistic styles of different types of media (e.g., print, broadcast, online).
2. Knows ways of teaching that promote the development of students’ skills in journalistic writing and editing and improve their ability to write in a well-organized, clear and convincing fashion in order to develop a professional identity in the community.
3. Knows ways of teaching that promote students’ skills for writing leads, bodies of stories in various structures (e.g., inverted pyramid, chronological order), headlines and captions.
4. Knows how to teach students about the role and uses of a stylebook in ensuring consistency within journalistic publications.
5. Knows ways of teaching that promote students’ use of appropriate grammar and usage for journalistic writing and their ability to revise and edit copy using appropriate proofreading/copyediting symbols.
6. Knows how to teach students to use guidelines for effective journalistic writing (e.g., keeping sentences and paragraphs short, varying word usage, using active-voice verbs, being specific, avoiding jargon and vague words, avoiding inappropriate editorializing, avoiding unnecessary words).
7. Knows ways of teaching that enable students to apply criteria (e.g., brevity, clarity, focus, bias, balance) for evaluating and appreciating the journalistic writing of others.

Competency 008—The teacher understands principles, procedures and techniques of photojournalism.

The beginning teacher:

1. Recognizes the role and history of photography in journalistic communication.
2. Analyzes events and trends in the development of contemporary photography and photojournalism, including the uses and effects of electronic technology, digital imaging and scanning.
3. Knows the legal and ethical issues and guidelines in photojournalism (e.g., manipulation of images, invasion of privacy, copyright).
4. Knows the parts of cameras (e.g., film, digital, video) and their functions and the types and applications of media commonly used in journalism.
5. Understands the principles of caption writing and methods for evaluating captions.

Competency 009—The teacher understands methods for developing students’ ability to create effective images for journalistic products.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows ways of teaching that will develop students’ ability to plan, prepare and produce images for journalistic products reflecting a diverse population.
2. Knows how to teach students to apply skills and procedures for managing and organizing assignments and deadlines in photojournalism and how to use procedures for planning photo layouts.
3. Knows how to teach students procedures for taking, developing and printing photographs (e.g., selecting film, using and manipulating light, using manual camera controls, applying principles of composition, processing photographic images, applying darkroom techniques, using darkroom chemicals safely, cropping and scaling photographs).
4. Knows how to teach students the procedures for digital imaging and scanning and procedures for using available technologies to manipulate images.
5. Knows how to teach students techniques for creating aesthetically pleasing images using various types of composition (e.g., rule of thirds, leading lines).
6. Knows how to teach students the factors in determining an image’s interest and effectiveness and the criteria for selecting images to meet journalistic needs (e.g., content, composition, technical qualities, diversity).

 

Domain III—Student-Produced Media

Competency 010—The teacher understands principles, elements, tools and techniques of publication and design.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the importance of publication design for effective journalistic communication and the uses of elements and principles of design to develop visual presentations that reinforce and enhance written messages.
2. Recognizes characteristics of the design of newspaper pages (e.g., front, editorial, sports, feature), literary magazines, yearbook sections (e.g., people, clubs, student life), advertisements and digital products.
3. Knows the design and format features of different types of student publications (e.g., yearbook, newspaper) and related terminology (e.g., signature, dummying, ladder).
4. Recognizes principles of design (e.g., contrast, balance, center of visual interest, variety, dominance, continuity, consistency) and tools of design (e.g., color, lines, screens, art, graphics).
5. Understands basic rules, techniques and applications of publication design (e.g., bumping headlines, internal margins, trapped white space) and ways to use illustrations, photographs and graphic devices (e.g., lines, screens, art) to communicate and emphasize a message.
6. Recognizes the role of desktop publishing in producing student publications, the features of desktop publishing, including hardware and software, and the vocabulary and concepts related to the use of desktop publishing.

Competency 011—The teacher understands methods for developing students’ ability to use publication design skills to create effective, aesthetically pleasing student publications.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows ways of teaching that will develop students’ ability to use principles, elements, tools and techniques of publication design to plan and create effective, aesthetically pleasing journalistic products.
2. Knows how to teach students about the use of computer technology, including desktop publishing and digital imaging, in producing and designing visual presentations for student publications.
3. Knows how to teach students about the types and characteristics of page and double-page spread design (e.g., modular, columnar) and the criteria to apply when analyzing and evaluating visual presentations in student publications.
4. Knows how to teach students to design an advertisement for a particular audience.
5. Knows how to teach students the use of typography in publication design and the criteria for selecting appropriate typography for various presentations.
6. Knows how to teach students to prepare a layout for publication and apply skills for packaging stories for various media (e.g., print, online).

Competency 012—The teacher understands principles, procedures and techniques of broadcast journalism and methods for developing students’ ability to create effective broadcast productions.

The beginning teacher:

1. Knows the historical development of broadcasting and the significance of the growth of nonprint media for journalism.
2. Analyzes the impact of broadcast media (e.g., radio, television) on society.
3. Analyzes ways in which nonprint journalism is similar to and differs from print journalism.
4. Understands principles and procedures for determining the content of news broadcasts, writing effective broadcast scripts and presenting information for broadcasts in a professional manner, including use of effective speaking skills.
5. Knows the roles of various personnel (e.g., producers, station managers, technical directors, news anchors) in broadcast journalism.
6. Knows how to teach students to develop skills in creating, editing and presenting effective broadcast journalism products.
7. Knows how to teach students about issues related to news coverage and news writing in nonprint media (e.g., in relation to time constraints, legal and regulatory issues), including the importance of addressing and being responsive to diversity in student broadcasts.
8. Knows how to teach students about the technical elements and procedures (e.g., cutaways, voice-overs, transitions) in broadcast production used to create and deliver news.
9. Knows how to teach students to seek viewer opinions (e.g., polls, surveys, interviews) and apply criteria for evaluating broadcast journalism products (e.g., news reports, interviews) to determine impact on future programming.
10. Knows how to teach students to develop skills in creating and executing a financial plan for programming.

 

Domain IV—Journalism in the School Community

Competency 013—The teacher understands the economics of student publications and methods for developing students’ ability to use business management skills and procedures to produce and distribute journalistic products.

The beginning teacher:

1. Applies business management skills and procedures for financing and distributing student publications and understands methods of funding publications (e.g., advertisements, subscriptions, government grants).
2. Knows procedures for creating business plans and implementing financial plans to support student publications, including methods for selling student publications and advertising.
3. Analyzes factors affecting the cost of producing student publications (e.g., number of pages, number of copies, type and quality of paper), understands techniques for designing and placing advertisements and applies strategies and techniques for selling student publications.
4. Applies knowledge of business practices relevant to student publications (e.g., estimating costs and developing cost projections; budgeting; identifying potential revenue sources; selling advertising space; working with outside vendors and printers; making decisions about purchasing equipment, supplies and services; developing and promoting circulation and sales; using ethical sales techniques).
5. Analyzes the relationship between advertising appeals and mass media planning and financing and propaganda.
6. Knows how to teach students the types of advertising (e.g., classified, display, public service), how to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of different types of advertisements (e.g., hard sell, soft sell) and the procedures for determining how much to charge for advertising.
7. Knows how to teach students to develop and implement plans for financing, producing and distributing student publications; to apply business management skills and procedures; and to maximize the audience for student publications.

Competency 014—The teacher understands methods for encouraging students’ development of organizational, collaborative and leadership skills through the creation and distribution of journalistic products.

The beginning teacher:

1. Recognizes the roles and responsibilities of individuals involved in creating and distributing journalistic products (e.g., editor, adviser).
2. Analyzes ways in which students’ active engagement in journalistic products can promote development of organizational, collaborative and leadership skills.
3. Knows how to use students’ experiences in journalism to develop a broad range of student skills (e.g., problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, team building, leadership, collaboration, organization, self-management, product evaluation, self-evaluation, working within time constraints).
4. Knows how to provide opportunities for students to work cooperatively as a staff, share ideas and take direction.
5. Knows strategies for guiding students to take responsibility for all aspects of developing and producing journalistic products (e.g., determining team members’ roles and responsibilities; determining coverage and concepts for a publication; developing deadlines and monitoring progress; ensuring adherence to ethical standards; implementing procedures for submitting, critiquing and revising work).
6. Knows strategies for guiding students to show respect for diverse views and perspectives, contribute individual ideas and talents and develop products that reflect professional standards of journalism.

Competency 015—The teacher understands methods for advising and mentoring students and ways of working collaboratively with others in the school and community.

The beginning teacher:

1. Recognizes and applies skills for advising students in various contexts related to the creation and distribution of journalistic products.
2. Recognizes and applies principles and procedures for selecting and managing a diverse student staff.
3. Implements procedures for maintaining positive public relations and working cooperatively with school personnel and community members.
4. Knows strategies for working with parents/guardians to promote student development of knowledge and skills in journalism.

---

Return to Navigation