Registration Information

TOPT Tests Offered

The TOPT program offers two oral proficiency examinations. The following table lists the tests and the code for each test.

Test Name	Test Code
French	080
Spanish	081

You may register for one or both tests at any scheduled test administration.

Choosing Your Test Administration Setting

When you register for a TOPT Spanish or French test, you will have the option to select a test administration setting. You may choose between the Standard Administration and the Individual Administration with Examiner.

In the Standard Administration option you will hear the entire test, including the test instructions, on an audio recording.

The Individual Administration with Examiner option offers you the opportunity of having an examiner read the test instructions and English-language portions of the test to you rather than hearing these on an audio recording. The test questions to which you respond are delivered via audio recording. This option is available for an additional fee of $53 at all TOPT test sites for both the Spanish and French tests.

NOTE: Requests for the Individual Administration with Examiner option must be received by the late registration deadline. Requests received after that time cannot be accommodated. If you do not select a test administration setting, you will automatically be scheduled for the Standard Administration regardless of the fees you have submitted.

The table below provides a comparison of the two test administration settings.

Administration Setting Options

Standard Administration	Individual Administration with Examiner
Examinee is assigned to a language laboratory or an individual room, depending on site availability.	Examinee is assigned to an individual room only.
Audio recording contains test instructions and English-language stimuli.	Examiner reads test instructions and English-language portions of the test.
Audio recording contains test questions in the target language (Spanish or French).	Same as "Standard Administration"
Examinee is provided with a test booklet containing a copy of the English-language stimuli.	Same as "Standard Administration"
Audio recording provides time for examinee to prepare response.	Same as "Standard Administration"
Audio recording provides time for examinee to respond.	Same as "Standard Administration"
Test stimuli and questions are stated once (cannot be repeated).	Same as "Standard Administration"
Examinee's responses are recorded.	Same as "Standard Administration"
No clarification or comments are provided to the examinee during test administration.	Same as "Standard Administration"

NOTE: At both test administration settings, the test questions are administered via audio recording.

Registration Steps

If you are a first-time testing candidate or if you are registering for a test that you have not previously been approved to take, you must receive approval to test from your Educator Preparation Program (EPP) before you can register. If you are out-of-state or out-of-country, approval to test must be granted from the TEA after you create an SBEC Educator Profile (see 1 and 2 below). Once you have approval, follow the steps below to register for a test.

(1) Go to the SBEC website and create an account. Select the link for SBEC Online and follow the screens. If you already have an account, review and confirm your information and complete all required fields. Remember: the name you create this account under must match the ID documents you will present on the day of the test, otherwise you may be prohibited from taking the test or your test scores may be canceled after you take the test.

(2) Complete or update your SBEC Educator Profile, especially your phone number, address, and e-mail address. All updates and corrections to your SBEC Educator Profile must be done on the SBEC website. You should check your SBEC Educator Profile on a regular basis to make sure all of your information is current. See Correcting or Updating Your SBEC Educator Profile.

(3) After establishing or editing your SBEC Educator Profile, make sure that you write down your assigned TEA ID number. A TEA ID number is used for identification throughout the certification and test registration process.

(4) Print your SBEC Educator Profile so that it will be handy when you register to test.

(5) You must create an ETS personal testing account before you can access the ETS online registration system. Guidelines for establishing an account on the ETS online registration system are found under Your Account. You must create a personal account on the ETS online registration system even if you already have a valid user name and password on the SBEC site.

Be sure to write your logins down and keep them in a secure place for future use. Remember that the information entered in the ETS online registration system must match the information in your SBEC Educator Profile. See the Quick Start Guide for New User Account Creation (PDF) and Test Registration Quick Start Guide (PDF) for step-by-step registration directions.

How to Register

Register Online

Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, during the regular, late, and emergency registration periods.
Online registrations must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time on the registration deadline dates to be eligible for that registration period. See Test Dates and Registration Deadlines. Also see Creating Your ETS Testing Account.
There is no extra charge for registering online; however, registration for a TOPT test during the late registration period incurs an additional $30 late registration fee. Registration during the emergency registration period incurs an additional $70 emergency registration fee. See Test Dates and Registration Deadlines.
If you have questions about registering online, call Customer Service at 1-800-205-2626.

Register by U.S. Mail

Available during the regular and late registration periods.
Complete the registration form in the Registration Bulletin and mail it to the address listed on the form. The registration form is also available in the Download Library.
Forms received during the late registration period must include the $30 late registration fee. See Test Dates and Registration Deadlines.
Registration by U.S. mail is not available for emergency registration.
If you have questions about registering by mail, call Customer Service at 1-800-205-2626.

Register by Telephone

Available only during the emergency registration period.
Call 1-800-205-2626, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Central time, Monday-Friday, excluding holidays.

Creating Your ETS Testing Account

When you access the ETS online registration system for the first time, you will be required to establish a personal account by providing your TEA ID number, your last name, and your date of birth. Be sure to establish your ETS account under the exact same name as your account on the SBEC website. Remember: the name you register under must match the ID documents you will present on the day of the test, otherwise you may be prohibited from taking the test or your test scores may be canceled after you have taken the test. You will be able to return to the site to:

view your registration and make changes if needed
reschedule or cancel your registration
print (or reprint) your admission ticket(s)
place orders for services, such as score report reprints
check the status of previously placed orders
view your online score report

You cannot update your SBEC Educator Profile in the ETS online registration system. You must go to the SBEC website to update your SBEC Educator Profile. See Correcting or Updating Your SBEC Educator Profile.

Admission Tickets

You will need an admission ticket for each test for which you are registered. Your admission ticket will contain information about your reporting time and reporting address. If any of the information on your admission ticket is not accurate or if you have any questions about your test center assignment, call Customer Service immediately at 1-800-205-2626.

Admission tickets are mailed about two weeks prior to the test date. Take your admission ticket with you to the test center on the day of the test. Be sure to keep a copy for your records.

Online Registration
If you register online, you can print your own admission ticket. If you are registering for an oral proficiency test, you will also have the option to have it sent to you in the mail.

If you opt to have your admission ticket mailed to you and you have not received it before the scheduled test date or if you lose your admission ticket, you may print a ticket by accessing the online registration system. If you have not already established an account in the online registration system, you will need to do so in order to print your admission ticket. See Creating Your ETS Testing Account.

You should return to your personal account and view your admission ticket 24 hours before your test to confirm that there have been no changes to your reporting schedule. If there is a test center change (e.g., a different building than originally scheduled), it will be updated in your personal account. If there have been changes, you must print a new admission ticket.

Mail or Phone Registration
If you register by mail by the regular or late registration deadline, you will receive a paper admission ticket in the mail. If you have not received your admission ticket in the mail before the scheduled test date or if you lose your admission ticket, call Customer Service at 1-800-205-2626 or you may print a ticket by accessing the online registration system.

If you register by phone during the emergency registration period, you must print your own admission ticket through the online registration system. If you do not have Internet access, you should advise the Customer Service Representative so other arrangements can be made.

Selecting a Test Session

When you register for a test you may request a morning or an afternoon test session. If you register online, you will be asked to make your request after the approved tests are listed. If you register by mail, complete the section that corresponds to the option you are requesting in the "Test Session" section of the registration form.

Session requests are granted on a space-available (first-come, first-served) basis. Every effort is made to grant your request. However, it may not be possible to grant your request due to testing center capacity limits. Session requests cannot be granted on the day of the test. Please note the following restrictions:

A session request can only be made when you register.
Some test centers do not offer both morning and afternoon sessions.
A session request received after the late registration deadline may not be honored.
You will not receive a refund if your session request cannot be honored.
If you register with a session request and make subsequent changes to your test and/or test center selection(s), any previously granted session request may no longer be available.

At each test administration, you may take up to two tests, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. If you register for more tests than can be accommodated according to these guidelines, processing of your registration will be delayed.

Test Dates and Registration Deadlines

The TOPT tests are scheduled to be administered three times during the 2007-08 program year on the test dates listed below. The registration deadlines are strictly enforced; exceptions are not made.

Test Date	Regular Registration Deadline	Late Registration Deadline	Emergency Registration Deadline
10/27/07	9/28/07	10/5/07	10/19/07
2/2/08	1/4/08	1/11/08	1/25/08
5/3/08	4/4/08	4/11/08	4/25/08

Regular Registration Period
Online Registration

Registration must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time.

Mail-In Registration

Registration forms must be postmarked by the regular registration deadline.

Late Registration Period
Online Registration

Registration must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time.

Mail-In Registration

Registration forms must be received by the late registration deadline.

A $30 late registration fee in addition to the standard test fee is required for registrations submitted within the late registration period.

Emergency Registration Period
Online Registration

Registration must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central time.

Telephone Registration

Registration must be completed by 5:00 p.m. Central time.

A $70 emergency registration fee in addition to standard test fee is required for registrations submitted within the emergency registration period.

Change Requests

Requests to change your test, test date, test center, or test session can be made:

Online
By calling Customer Service at 1-800-205-2626. You must make the call yourself. No one else will be allowed to request changes for you.
Examinees registered for TOPT may also request changes by completing and submitting a Change Request Form. Completion and submission instructions are on the form.
Examinees registered for Monday testing or nonstandard testing accommodations cannot reschedule online; they may only reschedule using the Change Request Form.

A test date can only be changed to a date within the current testing year.

To change a test, you must be preapproved by your Educator Preparation Program for the new test you are planning to take.

The deadline for making changes is the emergency registration deadline. Changes in registration will be processed only if seats are available at the requested test center, on the requested date, and at the requested time.

A $15 processing fee is charged for all registration changes during the regular or late registration period; this is in addition to the $82 test fee. Registration changes made during the emergency registration period incur a $70 processing fee in addition to the $82 test fee. If you submit your request by mail, you must include payment for the change fee along with your request. See Fees for Tests and Related Services for payment policies. If you submit your request online, you must pay your change request fee by credit or debit card (American Express, Discover Network, MasterCard, and VISA).

Canceling a Test

You may cancel a test for which you have registered online or by completing and submitting the Test Cancellation/Refund Request Form. Mail or fax the completed form to the address or fax number listed on the form. See Test Fee Refunds for refund request deadlines and refund amounts. You may not cancel your registration if you registered during the emergency registration period.

Test Fee Refunds

Refunds of test fees for a cancellation will be issued based on the original payment method. If your original payment was made by credit/debit card, a refund will be processed immediately to your credit/debit card. Check with your debit/credit card company regarding its processing time for crediting your account. If the original payment was check or money order, a refund will be processed once the original payment has cleared. If you are absent or arrive too late to take the test at the administration for which you are registered, you will not be entitled to any refund.

If the refund request is received by the regular registration deadline, the full test fee will be refunded, less a $20 refund fee.
If the refund request is received after the regular registration deadline but before the late registration deadline, the full test fee will be refunded, less a $30 refund fee.
If the Individual Administration with Examiner option has been requested and the refund request is received before the late registration deadline, the Individual Administration with Examiner fee will be refunded, less a $25 refund fee.
Refund requests received after the late registration deadline will not be processed.
Service fees are nonrefundable.

Test Retake Policy

If you do not pass a TOPT test, you can register to retake it at any subsequent test administration. To retake a test, you must have your Educator Preparation Program's approval. Please contact them for further information. Once you have your Educator Preparation Program's approval, submit a new registration along with the correct payment.

It is recommended that you wait for your scores before reregistering. If you choose to register again for the same test before receiving your scores from a previous administration, you assume responsibility for test fees and any applicable late or emergency fees for both tests.

Correcting or Updating Your SBEC Educator Profile

It is extremely important to keep the information in your SBEC Educator Profile up-to-date because the information you enter is uploaded into the ETS online registration system. Occasionally, ETS and TEA staff may need to contact you in the event that there is a last-minute change in a test administration reporting address or a reporting time change. Keeping the information current in your SBEC Educator Profile, especially your phone number and e-mail address, enables ETS and TEA staff to contact you quickly if the need arises. If your information is not current, ETS assumes no responsibility if you do not receive updated information and/or your official score report.

Your Educator Profile can only be updated or corrected through the SBEC website. The name you enter must match the primary identification document(s) you will present at the test center. Name changes in the SBEC system must be made in conjunction with your primary ID documents. After updating your Educator Profile, please confirm the changes by logging in to the ETS online registration system clicking on "Edit Your Profile" to confirm that the information retrieved from SBEC is correct.

ExCET - Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas