- What TExES 164 Actually Stands For
- Why "Supplemental" Matters
- Who Governs and Administers the Exam
- Exam Format and What "164" Measures
- The Four Domains Behind the Name
- Registration, Fees, and the HB 2 Waiver
- How 164 Pairs With BTLPT 190
- Why the Name Is Changing to TExES 165
- Who Hires Candidates With This Credential
- Turning the Name Into a Study Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- TExES 164 stands for TExES Bilingual Education Supplemental (164), a single-domain exam covering Standards II-VI.
- It is a supplemental certificate, meaning it must be paired with the BTLPT 190 for Spanish bilingual educators.
- The exam has 80 selected-response questions over a 5-hour appointment window, scored on a 100-300 scale with 240 to pass.
- First-attempt registration fee and the $78 certification application fee are waived for eligible candidates under House Bill 2.
What TExES 164 Actually Stands For
"TExES 164" is shorthand for the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards: Bilingual Education Supplemental (164). Every part of that name does real work. "TExES" identifies the statewide family of certification exams used across Texas educator preparation. "164" is simply the test code assigned to this specific exam within that family - the same way other TExES exams carry their own three-digit codes. "Bilingual Education" tells you the content domain, and "Supplemental" tells you the exam's role relative to a base certificate. Understanding each piece of the name is the fastest way to understand what the test actually requires of you.
If you're still getting oriented, the companion piece What Is TExES 164? walks through the exam's purpose in more depth, and TExES 164 Meaning breaks down the acronym itself.
Why "Supplemental" Matters
The word "supplemental" is the most consequential part of the name, and it's the part candidates most often misunderstand. TExES 164 is not a stand-alone certificate. You cannot earn a Texas teaching credential using only a 164 score. It exists to add a bilingual education endorsement on top of a base classroom teaching certificate you've already earned or are earning concurrently through an educator preparation program.
This distinguishes it from generalist or content-specific TExES exams that grant certification on their own. Because 164 only supplements another credential, TEA also requires a separate language proficiency measure for candidates pursuing Spanish bilingual certification - which is where the BTLPT 190 comes in, discussed below.
Who Governs and Administers the Exam
TExES 164 is governed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the State Board for Educator Certification. Those two bodies define what "Bilingual Education" means for certification purposes in Texas - the standards, the passing score, and the eligibility rules. Day-to-day test delivery is handled by Pearson Evaluation Systems, which runs computer-administered testing sites both across Texas and at locations nationwide, so out-of-state candidates aren't required to travel into Texas to sit for the exam.
This governance structure matters for the name too: because TEA owns the standards, any future change to those standards (which is exactly what's happening with the move to TExES 165) changes what future exam codes will stand for, while 164 remains frozen to its current framework until it's retired.
Exam Format and What "164" Measures
TExES 164 consists of 80 selected-response questions delivered during a 5-hour testing appointment. Some administrations may include unscored field-test items mixed in with scored questions, so not every question you see counts toward your result - but you won't be told which is which, so every item should be treated as real.
Scoring is reported on a 100-300 scale**, with a **passing score of 240**. Your score report shows total performance plus a performance breakdown by competency, which is useful for identifying exactly where a retake attempt needs to focus. For the full mechanics of what that scaled score actually means, see TExES 164 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Because the exam is scored by competency, use your first diagnostic practice results to rank the four competencies from weakest to strongest before building a study calendar - don't study them in the order they're listed in the framework.
The Four Domains Behind the Name
The official framework defines one domain - Bilingual Education - weighted at 100%, built on Bilingual Education Standards II-VI. That single domain is subdivided into four competencies that structure everything the exam tests:
Domain 1: Foundations of Bilingual Education, Bilingualism and the Learning Environment
Covers the historical, legal, and theoretical foundations of bilingual education programs, plus how to structure a learning environment that supports bilingual and biliterate development.
- Program models and their rationale
- Legal foundations affecting bilingual program design
- Classroom environment features that support bilingualism
Domain 2: First-Language and Second-Language Acquisition and Development
Focuses on how students acquire and develop a first language and a second language, including the factors that influence that process.
- Stages and theories of first- and second-language acquisition
- Cross-linguistic transfer between L1 and L2
- Sociocultural and individual factors affecting acquisition
Domain 3: Development and Assessment of L1 Literacy and Biliteracy
Tests knowledge of how literacy develops in a student's first language and how biliteracy is built and measured across two languages.
- L1 literacy development stages
- Biliteracy assessment tools and interpretation
- Instructional strategies that bridge L1 and L2 literacy
Domain 4: Content-Area Instruction in L1 and L2
Covers delivering core content instruction in both languages, including planning and adapting instruction for bilingual learners across subject areas.
- Content-area lesson design across both languages
- Language-of-instruction decisions by content and student need
- Integrating language objectives into academic content
For a competency-by-competency breakdown with more granular subtopics, see TExES 164 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 4 Content Areas.
Registration, Fees, and the HB 2 Waiver
The standard exam fee for TExES 164 is $116. Under House Bill 2, signed into law on June 4, 2025, eligible Bilingual Education certification candidates get their first-attempt registration fee waived, along with the separate $78 certification application fee. This is a meaningful cost reduction, but it only applies to the first attempt - a retake carries the standard fee.
Eligibility to sit for the exam requires approval from an educator preparation program, or qualification through an out-of-state, charter, or certification-by-exam route. TEA caps candidates at five attempts on a certification exam, with a mandatory 30-day wait between attempts, and anything beyond five attempts requires a test-limit waiver from TEA. Full pricing scenarios, including what happens if you need a retake, are covered in TExES 164 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and eligibility routes are detailed in TExES 164 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Standard exam fee | $116 |
| First-attempt fee (HB 2 eligible candidates) | Waived |
| Certification application fee (HB 2 eligible candidates) | Waived ($78 value) |
| Questions / format | 80 selected-response, 5-hour appointment |
| Passing score | 240 (scale of 100-300) |
| Attempt limit | 5 attempts, 30-day wait between attempts |
How 164 Pairs With BTLPT 190
Because TExES 164 is a supplemental exam, it isn't sufficient on its own to earn a Spanish bilingual education certification. For that pathway, TEA requires it to be paired with the BTLPT 190, which assesses Spanish-language proficiency separately from the pedagogical content covered on 164. Think of 164 as testing whether you know how to teach bilingually, while 190 tests whether your own Spanish proficiency is strong enough to do it. Both are required together for the current Spanish bilingual supplemental pathway.
Why the Name Is Changing to TExES 165
TEA is actively retiring this exam pathway, which is worth knowing before you commit to a testing timeline. The replacement, TExES 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental, launches on September 1, 2026. August 31, 2027 is the last day candidates can take 164 and 190. September 1, 2028 is the last day that a program can apply for or recommend a candidate using 164 and 190 scores. If you're planning your testing calendar around these dates, TExES 164 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling lays out the full sequence.
Who Hires Candidates With This Credential
Candidates who complete the base teaching certificate plus the TExES 164 supplemental endorsement (paired with BTLPT 190 for Spanish) are qualified for bilingual classroom roles in Texas public schools, particularly in districts running dual-language, transitional bilingual, or two-way immersion programs. Because the endorsement is tied to Standards II-VI content - acquisition, biliteracy, and content-area instruction across two languages - it signals specifically that a teacher can deliver core subjects like math, science, or reading instruction in both English and the partner language. For a broader look at where this credential opens doors, see TExES 164 Jobs and the ROI discussion in Is the TExES 164 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Turning the Name Into a Study Plan
Once you understand that "164" means a single 100%-weighted domain split into four competencies, your prep plan should mirror that structure rather than a generic study calendar. Spend early weeks on Domain 1 and Domain 2 since acquisition theory underpins how you'll interpret Domain 3 and Domain 4 questions later. Save Domain 4 (content-area instruction) for closer to your test date, since it draws on concepts from all three earlier domains and benefits from being reviewed last.
Foundations and Acquisition
- Review program models and legal foundations (Domain 1)
- Study L1/L2 acquisition theories and cross-linguistic transfer (Domain 2)
Literacy and Biliteracy
- Work through L1 literacy development stages (Domain 3)
- Practice interpreting biliteracy assessment data
Content-Area Application
- Apply acquisition and literacy concepts to content-area lesson scenarios (Domain 4)
- Run full-length practice sets and review by competency
A structured, domain-by-domain plan like this is covered step-by-step in TExES 164 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you want a sense of overall difficulty before committing to a timeline, How Hard Is the TExES 164 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and TExES 164 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are good next reads. You can also start practicing directly at our TExES 164 practice test platform to see how your competency scores look before test day.
Key Takeaway
The exam name tells you the format: one domain, four competencies, 100% weighted. Structure your study weeks around those four competencies, not around a generic multi-subject template.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. TExES 164 is a supplemental exam. It adds a bilingual education endorsement to a base teaching certificate rather than certifying you to teach on its own.
It's simply the unique exam code TEA assigns to the Bilingual Education Supplemental exam within the broader TExES system, distinguishing it from other TExES exams.
Yes. TExES 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental launches September 1, 2026. The last day to take 164 and 190 is August 31, 2027, and the last day to apply or recommend using those scores is September 1, 2028.
For the Spanish bilingual pathway, yes - TExES 164 is paired with the BTLPT 190, which measures Spanish-language proficiency separately from the pedagogical content on 164.
The standard fee is $116. Under House Bill 2, eligible candidates get their first attempt's registration fee waived along with the $78 certification application fee.