Review the TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268) exam outline, content-area weights and the TeacherPreps school leadership study guide lessons for this exam.

Published by TeacherPreps · Updated November 7, 2026

TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268): Study Guide

Exam facts

Exam: TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268)
State / jurisdiction: Texas
Credential area: School principal
Delivery: Computer-administered test (CAT)
Questions: 70 selected-response questions; 4 constructed-response questions
Testing time: 285 minutes (4 hours 45 minutes)
Appointment time: 300 minutes (5 hours)
Passing score: 240

TExES Principal as Instructional Leader (268) study guide lessons

The TeacherPreps study guide for this exam has 58 lessons organized by chapter, each written for the content areas above. The first lesson, Mission, vision, core values, and priorities, is free to read without a membership.

Read the free first lesson

What this exam covers

This outline summarizes the content areas in the publisher framework. Use it as a study checklist, and follow the source links below for the full framework.

1. School Environment (22%)

Topics to review

Mission, vision, goals, and values
A shared commitment to student success
Stakeholder participation and ownership
Alignment of plans and resources
Leadership theories and how theory relates to practice
Recognizing and celebrating stakeholder contributions
Gathering a useful evidence base
Collaborative planning and decisions
Designing the improvement plan
Monitoring, evaluating, and revising
Strategic planning process as named steps
Organizational theory basics
Emerging trends and developments affecting instruction
High expectations and shared commitments
Trust, respect, and collegial relationships
Safe reflection, voice, and innovation
Collaboration and collective responsibility
Staff care, health, and sustainable work
Consistent expectations and accountability
Assessing and improving school culture
Equity, access, and high expectations
Coherent systems of student support
Safety, wellness, and support during crises
Welcoming and accessible participation
Family voice in decisions and improvement
Two-way communication and listening
Stakeholder relationships and access
Consensus, negotiation, and shared commitment
Reporting progress and celebrating contributions
Building and sustaining partnerships
Mutual benefit and shared resources
Representative participation and engagement
Equitable allocation and resource alignment
Multiyear resource plans and annual budgets
Physical and emotional safety

2. Leading Learning (42%)

Topics to review

Texas curriculum standards and readiness
Coherent curriculum design
Alignment across classrooms and grade levels
Research and evidence for instructional decisions
Learning theories and child and adolescent development
Literacy and numeracy across grade levels
Differentiation, intervention, and student needs
Language, culture, and learner strengths
Technology, digital literacy, and responsible participation
Academic and nonacademic program coordination
School structures that affect instruction
Instructional implementation and program improvement
College, career, and civic readiness
Assessment purposes, strengths, and limits
Sound assessment design and selection
Multiple sources of learning evidence
Disaggregation, gaps, and bias
Using evidence to adjust instruction
Evaluating programs and instructional outcomes
Assessment and educator development
Accountability systems
Collaborative data use and assessment capacity
Evidence of unequal outcomes
Responsive curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Academic, developmental, and engagement needs
Nonacademic opportunities and community services

3. Human Capital (18%)

Topics to review

Texas appraisal and personnel procedures
Staffing needs and workforce planning
Recruitment and candidate selection
Strategic assignment and scheduling
Fairness and diversity in personnel decisions
Evaluation and employment decisions
Leadership capacity and management of staff
Instructional expectations and evaluation criteria
Gathering multiple forms of evidence
Interpreting evidence and identifying needs
Actionable feedback and coaching conversations
Individual growth and improvement plans
Evaluation and personnel responsibilities
Adult learning and differentiated professional development
Professional learning tied to student evidence
Job-embedded learning and resource support
Professional learning communities
Individual professional growth
Teacher leadership and distributed responsibility
Evaluating professional learning
The principal’s own professional growth
Professional health and ethical learning practices
Time, schedules, and instructional protection
Employment, leave, and contractual obligations

4. Executive Leadership (6%)

Topics to review

Gathering a useful evidence base
Diagnosing strengths, needs, and gaps
Collaborative planning and decisions
Barriers, competing demands, and uncertainty
Systems thinking in school leadership
Culture within its community context
Research methods for diverse student and community dynamics
Trauma and adverse experiences
Welcoming and accessible participation
Audience, purpose, and communication choices
Two-way communication and listening
Conflict and competing interests
Public information and media relations
Building and sustaining partnerships
Evaluating partnerships and communicating value
Time, schedules, and instructional protection
Operational evaluation and improvement

5. Strategic Operations (6%)

Topics to review

Setting priorities and measurable goals
Monitoring, evaluating, and revising
Texas operations, finance, and district policy
Texas discipline, rights, and student services
Academic and nonacademic program coordination
Multiple sources of learning evidence
Baselines, benchmarks, targets, and progress monitoring
Tiered disciplinary measures and student codes of conduct
Student attendance strategies
Organizational design and responsibilities
Time, schedules, and instructional protection
Facilities use and program coordination
Auxiliary and support services
Data and information systems
Technology and communication systems
Resources and organizational capacity
Free and reduced-price meal program requirements
Legal requirements for auxiliary services
Student attendance systems and strategies
Needs-based and collaborative budgeting
Equitable allocation and resource alignment
Resource development
Purchasing and financial transactions
Ethical and lawful stewardship
Physical and emotional safety
Facilities, equipment, and inspections
Security procedures and prevention
Collaborative safety planning
Emergency and crisis management
Health, counseling, and welfare services
Safety communication and external coordination
Lawful safety and discipline practices
Governance roles and authority
Policy and the school’s direction
Sources and application of education law
Rights, due process, and fair procedures
Lawful operations, facilities, and finance
Monitoring compliance and communicating requirements

6. Ethics (5%)

Topics to review

Texas educator ethics requirements
Texas discipline, rights, and student services
Academic and nonacademic program coordination
Equity, access, and high expectations
Cultural and linguistic assets
Equitable staffing and professional opportunity
Inclusive leadership and public responsibility
Coherent systems of student support
Access, accommodations, and specialized needs
Nonacademic opportunities and community services
Monitoring student support and school climate
English learners and language-development services
Health, counseling, and welfare services
Public education and democratic purposes
Advocacy and influence
Texas Principal Certificate Standards and performance assessment
Privacy, confidentiality, and information security
Equal access and nondiscrimination
Disability education and educational plans
Language access and other student needs
Open government and professional regulation
Professional values and moral responsibility
Equity and access in ethical decisions
Democracy, community, and social justice
Modeling professional conduct
Reflection, consistency, and ethical culture
Texas Educators' Code of Ethics and principal ethical responsibilities

This exam also includes written responses (4 constructed-response questions). The free diagnostic and Exam Builder practice cover multiple-choice content only.

Publisher sources

Checked November 7, 2026. Content areas and weights come from the exam framework; administrative details come from the publisher test pages.

TeacherPreps practice questions and lessons are independently written and are not publisher exam questions.

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Read the study guide lessons, practice by content area in the Exam Builder and review the explanation for each answer.

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