PPR Domain 1

The second-grade students are collecting work to display in their portfolios. They have been asked to select three of their best writing assignments and tell why they chose each piece. Which of the following would be an example of an appropriate self-assessment.

All of my spelling was correct and my sentences were complete

The English learner can experience a variety of stages of learning. Which of the following is not one of the expected stages?

Emotional regression

It is important to use resources beyond the classroom that provide an opportunity for students to have real-world experience in the learning process. Which of the following experiences on the 5th-grade math field trip did not provide the potential for meeting the objective of "students will demonstrate an understanding of the money system"?

Playing at the local park.

Which of the following would not be considered grade level content for an algebra level math program?

Represent and understand relationships related to place value

When designing instruction for her middle school science class, Ms. Davis should look at which of the following documents?

TEKS, District Curriculum and school benchmarks.

The following chart is a portion of the 2015-16 STAAR results for a Texas middle school. Which following statements cannot be made based upon the data in the chart?

The average STAAR results of all subjects is considerably lower for the state than the school.

There are many ways to continuously monitor and self-assess instructional effectiveness. Which of the following is not considered effective?

After administering a test, conduct an item analysis to determine which questions students missed the most. If one class has several items with an incorrect answer rate but all the other classes do not, no adjustments in instruction and assessment need be made.

There are many resources outside the school setting that can enhance a student's learning. Which of the following is the best example of a learning experience that has been enriched by an outside setting?

Life skills students are taken to the local grocery store to search for items that will be the ingredients for a cake they will make at school.

Mrs. Jones is exploring ways to integrate three content areas of instruction in one unit of study. Her objective is to insure her 3rd grade students understand the scientific nature of forms of energy, they have expanded their vocabulary to include energy forces, and they witness how natural events have changed communities. Which of the following is the best example of the introductory portion of an integrated unit of study?

Mrs. Jones discusses the scientific nature of forms of energy, reviews vocabulary students will hear in video of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, and prepares them for the changes they will see in land formation after the storm.

TEKS is an acronym for...

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

You have received the math scores from the exam. You look at your grade level's overall score and compare it to the district and state scores. You notice that your grade level's score is lower than the district average but higher than the state average. What conclusion can you make from this information?

The state scores are lower than the school and district scores.

After conducting a district semester exam in his World History class, Mr. Keller discovered that he had the following averages across all of his 8th grade classes: Based on these results, which of the following is not a logical conclusion that Mr. Keller should make about his mid-term exam in relation to the grades students achieved with the semester coursework...

The teacher should have provided classroom assessments that would be replicated in their exact form on the semester exam.

The teacher wants to encourage higher level thinking among her classroom of diverse abilities. Which question stem would best encourage a high-level response from a student?...

What would happen if...?

A new teacher has recently received her class' scores. She notices that her class has scored very low in many of the required test subjects. What is the first step the teacher should take?

Conduct a needs assessment test for the entire class and identify each student's abilities in each of the subjects.

The reading teacher is creating an engaging unit for her 6th grade students that is based on Charlotte's Web. Which of the following is a logical sequence for conducting a unit of study and assessment of understanding of Charlotte's Web?

Identify new vocabulary that is found in novel, review plot progression attributes, read text in segments, respond to text through discussion, journal writing, performance, and visual representations.

Howard Gardner developed a theory of multiple intelligence, or ways of approaching problems and analyzing information that included all but which of the following?

Paper/pencil demonstration of mastery

Several students in the fifth-grade class have learning disabilities. Which of the following would not be an effective practice when communicating instructional goals?

tell students to remain seated until the assignment has been completed

The 6th-grade world cultures teacher provided students an opportunity to use technology to produce a final assessment that would demonstrate mastery of the aquifer systems developed by the ancient Greeks. Which of the following would best integrate technology?

Develop a PowerPoint presentation about the aquifer systems in ancient Greece.

The teacher's learning objective for the students is to identify the causes and effects of events prior to and during the American Revolution. What teaching strategy listed would be the most effective in helping students process and retain this information?

Use cause-and-effect chains, flow charts, and feedback loops.

The English teacher has provided her students with a series of questions they are to answer about a recent story each of them has written. The intention is for the questions to guide their writing process and help them in their self- reflection and correction process. What type of writing scale is the English teacher using in her class?

A form-based writing scale

The third-grade students are working on a wall display as a summative assessment for a unit on the state of Texas. Each student is drawing a portion of the state with roads, cities, farmland, industrial sites, and animals. To help the viewer understand what each of the pictures represents, which of the following mapping tools should they be instructed to use?

A map legend

There are many activities that can support learning experiences in the classroom. Consideration must be given to the amount of time needed for conducting the experience vs. the learning gain. Which example will provide the best learning gain for the time invested?

After viewing archaeological formations and learning about their causes in the science class and reading in their English class And the Beat Goes On By Tracy Krauss, (a novel about an archaeologist who unearths a remarkable discovery) students are taken on a day long field trip to a national park to view similar archaeological formations. The final assessment of understanding is a reflection essay.

A kindergarten teacher wants to conduct an outdoor classroom experience for her students. She is following the TEKS for home and school safety procedures and is using environmentally appropriate and responsible practices. Which of the following would not be part of the basic instruction?

Ask questions about organisms, objects, and events observed in the natural world.

Understanding that students have different emotional developmental characteristics as they progress through the ages, which of the following is a true statement?

Children's responses to the different feelings they experience every day have a major impact on their choices, their behavior, and on how well they cope and enjoy life.

A Spanish teacher is teaching middle school students their first year of Spanish. She is trying to determine how proficient each student is at identifying the Spanish words for numbers and colors. Which of the following is the least effective way for the Spanish teacher to determine proficient?

Choral response

A new student has arrived in your 6th-grade reading class. He has missed the STAAR test, and you will not receive state assessment information to assist you in placing him in the appropriate reading level. Which type of assessment should you administer for the most useful results?

Criterion-referenced test

The 6th-grade science teacher wants to provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the nutritional resources utilized by the owl. Which of the following activities would be an engaging and effective way to achieve this learning objective?

Dissect an owl pellet and categorize the findings

The elementary teacher has a blended 4th and 5th-grade math class. Students have been assigned to the class based on math ability. Which of the following instructional formats would best accommodate the diverse social/emotional and academic skills of all students?

Divide students into learning teams based on demonstrated mastery.

In the earlier question with the graph provided for Mr. Keller's World History class, he is reconsidering how he has assessed student knowledge throughout the semester. His district designed end-of-semester paper/pencil exam results do not match the achievement rates of his students for their coursework throughout the semester. How might he most effectively ensure that his students perform on the end-of-course exam as well as they do in his class throughout the semester? How might he most effectively ensure that his students perform on the end-of-course exam as well as they do in his class throughout the semester?

Ensure that his instruction and assessments are aligned with the district's curriculum and types of assessments, therefore aligning the student learning with district goals.

The 8th grade social studies teacher is conducting a unit that will culminate in a history fair project that has the potential to advance to Texas state and national competitions. He is teaching the difference between primary and secondary resources. Which of the following strategies would be the most efficient way to help students understand the differences?

Explain the attributes of each type of resource and, with teacher guidance, take the students to the library to practice locating primary and secondary resources.

A new teacher to the 5th grade team of 4 teachers is assembling her resources which include curriculum guides provided by the school district, instructional benchmarks provided by the school, and a vast assortment of supplemental materials that include pre-written curriculum and activities from a nationally respected publisher. She finds she is overwhelmed by the amount of choices and she is afraid of failing, as school starts in four days. Which of the following should she do first?

Go to her other 5th grade team mates who are veteran school district employees for guidance and help in prioritizing the importance of each resource.

When Mr. Keller discovered that he had a discrepancy in the breakdown of percentages in each category of grades for class work vs. the district semester exam, which of the following would best help him determine where the learning gaps were for his students?

He should do an item analysis on the semester exam results to determine which questions the students missed.

A math teacher at the middle school has discovered that several of her students are not able to demonstrate mastery using decimals. It is the beginning of the school year and she wants to determine what they were taught the previous year. Where should she go for assistance in obtaining the information she needs?

Her math curriculum coordinator

The 6th-grade math students are at the end of a unit where they have learned the math concept of reducing to the least common denominator. Which of the following activities is least effective in assessing student mastery of this concept?

Homework assignment of 25 problems that are checked during class by exchanging papers with neighboring students.

The theory of multiple intelligences, or ways of approaching problems and analyzing information that expands the traditional view of ability which include verbal/linguistic, logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, intrapersonal, naturalist, and existential intelligence was developed by....

Howard Gardner

It is the beginning of the school year, and Mr. Hines has spent the first two weeks gathering information about his students. Permanent records, diagnostic tests, and meeting with each student in an individual conference are all methods that he has used. All of this has been done for the purpose of designing future lessons. What is the major benefit of knowing all this information about each student?

It helps in designing lessons that are based on the needs and learning styles of his students.

Teachers at a Texas elementary school have received their results for the STAAR. They also have copies of the TEKS. There is a low score in reading for the 5th grade class. What sequence of problem solving steps to improve scores will produce the best results?

Look at STAAR results by question and objective, compare results to TEKS objectives and student outcomes, compare results to the district curriculum, reflect on teacher made assessments, draw conclusions about instructional areas of need, implement revised instructional plan that meets the needs of the STAAR and TEKS.

Ms. Jenkins teaches the 8th grade theater class. She is designing a lesson in which the student is expected to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of his/her own expression of thoughts and feelings, using voice and diction. Which of the following examples would best provide this experience?

Ms. Jenkins provides a short-written monologue for the student. The student watches a video tape in which a well-known actress is performing the very same monologue. The assignment is for the student to mimic the voice and diction of the actress as closely as possible.

The English teacher is introducing a new novel to the 5th grade reading class. It is nonfiction literature. She realizes this is a difficult reading experience for many students as their interest level may not be as high as it is for non-fiction. What approach can she use to gain their attention and motivate them to be active and engaged learners?

Preview the plot of the novel and have students share any similar experiences they have had.

Mr. Page is working on a multi-faceted approach to improving reading fluency with his struggling readers. While he might include all of the following in his reading program, which approach will provide the most improvement in his students' reading fluency?

Read a text several times with different partners

There are many instructional benefits for integrating content across the curriculum. Which of the following is not a benefit?

Reducing planning and instructional time.

A new teacher to the high school biology program is looking for resources that will meet the needs of her students and provide an interesting learning experience for them. Because she just finished an amazing student teacher internship and experienced great success with many of the activities she implemented, she is eager to try them out on her new students. How should she make sure they are appropriate in her new school?

Refer to the district's biology curriculum guide for similar activities that are recommended related to the lesson objective.

It is mid-year, and a new teacher has been hired to take over a 3rd-grade all-inclusion classroom. She discovers that her students are not as far along in the math curriculum as the other 3rd grade classes. In addition to consulting with the other 3rd grade teachers for a historical perspective, what investigative approach would provide her the best information on how to proceed?

Review student benchmark results, team lesson plans and assessments, district curriculum guide, and utilize team designed assessments with modifications if necessary.

There is a heterogeneous group of students in Miss Smith's 9th grade on-level English class. However, she has two students who are identified as gifted but scheduling issues did not allow for them to be placed in advanced level English. How does she approach the learning needs of her mixed ability class?

She provides individual instruction that is differentiated throughout the lesson and provides an assessment and grading criteria that reflects the advanced level English class.

STEM is a curriculum based idea of educating students in an interdisciplinary and applied approach in four specific disciplines. Rather than teach the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm. Which of the following would not be included in a STEM curriculum?

Social studies and English

An elementary teacher has a small group of English learners in her ESL elementary classroom. She notices that one student who just arrived from China seems to be showing no interest in speaking in English, yet she responds well to directions that are spoken in English. What could be a reason for her lack of verbal English skills?

Speaking in English is a more advanced skill than listening and understanding English.

The science teacher wants to create a learning experience for his 7th grade students that will be memorable and relevant to their world. The environmental unit is called "Chocolate Chip Cooking Mining". The objective is to teach students that mining for minerals destroys land. Which of the following activities would be an appropriate method for assessing student understanding of land loss vs. mineral acquisition?

Students analyze the results of the data chart and write a summary of their findings as they relate to land loss vs. mineral acquisition

The kindergarten teacher is planning an integrated lesson for her young students. She will be using M&M's to enhance the lesson. Which of the following examples will best meet the requirements of an integrated lesson?

Students are given 20 M&M's each: They count the number of M&M's for each color and then place the assigned color on the image of the appropriate character in the recent story the teacher has read to them. They are then allowed to eat them.

Learning theories organize knowledge acquisition into four stages: Stage 1 is the development of vague ideas, Stage 2 is knowledge becomes organized, Stage 3 is the use of cognitive strategies, and Stage 4 is using declarative and procedural knowledge. Which example would best describe a Stage 3 knowledge acquisition?

Students take cohesive facts and can express concepts in general terms.

The 8th grade team has decided that they would like to provide students with an interdisciplinary opportunity in a unit of study. Each student will complete a project that includes skills from math, English, and science. Which of the following ideas would best meet the definition of interdisciplinary instruction?

Students will produce a single project that the math, science, and English teacher have collaborated on. Each teacher will provide instruction at the designated time that students need to use the skill to further their projects. The final project will be assessed with a rubric that identifies the learning objectives from each of the three subject areas.

The second-grade teacher wants her students to portray characters from a recent story they have read and demonstrate that they remember the story plot and dialogue. Which assessment activity would be most appropriate for a second-grade experience in acting?

Teacher checks for character voice, evidence of recollection of dialogue in the story, mannerisms that match the personality of the story character, and suggestive costuming.

In the earlier question with the graph provided for Mr. Keller's World History class, he discovered that his students did not perform as well on the district designed end-of-semester paper/pencil exam. He knows this is the case because he compared the percentage in each grade range earned for course work vs. grades earned on the end-of-course exam. Looking at the data in the chart, what conclusion should he NOT make? The percent of students earning A's in the course work is out of proportion to those who were able to earn A's on the exam.

The coursework is more reflective of his students' mastery of the district curriculum than their scores on the district semester exam.

As a first-year physical education teacher, Miss Jones wants to teach her students to play softball. She is well aware that she needs to design the lesson for her second-grade students differently than she designs it for her 5th-grade students. One of her primary considerations when developing her two different lessons must be which of the following?

The emotional development characteristics of the children

An English teacher and a science teacher decide to combine efforts by using a cross-disciplinary model wherein each student will produce a science fair project that will be supported by both teachers. Which of the following models would result in the best learning experience?

The science teacher and English teacher develop a common rubric that includes criteria for both subjects. Each teacher provides guidance to students in their area of expertise and share status of student work with each other. Final grades are based on the combined input of both teachers.

Students in the 8th grade take the writing portion of the test and are required to write an essay. In preparation for the assessment, teachers utilize an integrated curriculum model to teach students how to respond to the writing prompt. This year, the writing prompt will be a persuasive essay. Which of the following integrated curriculum activities would support preparation for a persuasive essay?

The social studies teacher asks students to use logic and reasoning to support one idea over another.

Which of the following statements is a performance standard as defined by Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)?

The student can identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of economic activities in places and regions.

A good example of an instructional goal that is clear, relevant, and meaningful is...

The student will create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas representing a real-world situation.

A teacher who is new to the middle school is concerned that the school policy discourages group projects unless they are conducted in the classroom. She is more comfortable with assigning the project, establishing groups, and providing the students with checkpoint dates. Which following reason is the best justification for a school policy such as this?

The teacher is unable to monitor, redirect, and assess ongoing work of the group.

Many lessons are enhanced by the integration of technology which is a very significant component of instruction for today's students. Which of the following would not be a good example of technology integration in the classroom that would benefit a student's understanding or demonstration of mastery?

The teacher records grades in a digital gradebook that is published online so students and parents can access up-to-date information about progress.

Which of the following would vertical alignment of the curriculum content not need to take into consideration?

The teaching styles of the instructors

The ninth grade English teacher has collected her students' recent Word document essays. Which technology application would give her the most information about the originality of the student's work and allow her to give feedback?

Turnitin.com with student feedback

Rosh Hashanah is approaching and the athletic coaches should be aware of the religious observances of their students. The particular school in this question has 60% Jewish population. How should the coaches address the needs of their Jewish athletes?

Understand that no work is permitted and much of the day is spent in synagogue. Many of the students are absent on this day as they join their families to observe this holiday. Go on with practice but do not penalize students for missing practice.

The third-grade reading teacher wants to determine if her students understood the plot sequence in a recent story they have read together. She has selected several ways to informally and formally assess each student's degree of understanding. Which of the following would not provide an opportunity for her to make an accurate assessment?

Use a variety of covert participation techniques

A 6th grade teacher is designing a unit on the study of the solar system. She has provided a number of options for students to demonstrate mastery of the physical relationship of each of the planets and their moons to the sun. Which of the following methods would be considered the most appropriate option for a student identified as gifted?

Using a technology application that allows the student to develop a virtual model of the solar system with a student narration of the qualities of each planet.