Missed professional

A sixth-grade history classroom is set up with the desks facing each other in clusters of students of mixed gender, ability, and cultures. Students are working on a document-based questioning about Valley Forge. The teacher moves throughout the classroom, ready to offer guidance if necessary. What type of activity is the class performing?

A student-centered learning activity A) When the students work in small groups toward a common goal and the teacher acts as a facilitator, the activity is student-centered. (B) A teacher-centered activity would have the students interacting with the teacher but not necessarily with each other. (C) A cloze exercise is a formative assessment that has a word bank and fill-in-the blank questions. (D) For this to be an authentic assessment, the students would have to be acting out or simulating the conditions at Valley Forge, not just examining primary source documents. Competency 2

Why is it important to read aloud to students?

All of the above It is critical that teachers read aloud to their students. This allows them to model fluency and predictive skills, develop oral language, and increase the students' vocabulary. It also helps students develop correct linguistic patterns. (A), (B), & (C) Choosing any one of these answers would leave out other benefits of reading aloud to students in the classroom. Competency 8

What document is used to identify English language learners when they initially enroll in a Florida school?

The Home Language Survey The Home Language Survey is used to identify English language learners (ELLs) when they initially enroll in a Florida school. (B) The Florida Consent Decree dictates how students with limited English proficiency are identified, assessed, placed, monitored, and exited from the ESOL program. (C) & (D) There is no Native Language Evaluation Survey or ESOL Entrance Survey. Competency 7

Running records

are used to document reading performance. B) Running records are used to assess reading performance as a student reads from a benchmark book. Assessed selections are short for early emergent readers and generally no more 100-150 words long for fluent readers. As the student reads aloud, the teacher notes words that are substituted or omitted. Over time, running records provide insight into why a student may be struggling with reading comprehension or fluency. (A) They do not provide a detailed list of mastered standards. (C) They deal with reading fluency, not mathematical fluencies. (D) They are used as a formative assessment that is developed over time, not as a summative assessment. Competency 4

Running records

are used to document reading performance. B) Running records are used to document performance. (A) They do not include a list of mastered standards. (C) They are not used to document mathematics standards. (D) Running records are taken throughout the year and are not a summative assessment. Competency 4

Which of the following would not be used by a kindergarten teacher to develop phonemic awareness in her students?

Having students spell the words as they sound them out C) Phonemic awareness deals with the manipulation of phonemes, the smallest units of sound. It does not include spelling. (A), (B) & (D) Playing rhyming games, clapping or tapping as individual sounds are made in a word, and manipulating onsets can all be done to increase a student's phonemic awareness. Competency 8

A convergent question

has a simple, short answer and requires the use of lower-order thinking skills. D) Convergent questions only have one, simple answer. For instance, if you ask a student, "What is the capital of Florida?" there is only one answer: Tallahassee. (A), (B), & (C) These are all characteristics of divergent questions. An example would be, "How many uses can you find for a paper towel holder?" Divergent questions require the use of higher-order thinking skills. Competency 1

Which of the following statements from a teacher would be considered classroom management through the use of negative reinforcement?

"If you would start turning in your homework, I wouldn't have to call your mother every afternoon!" B) B. F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning states that negative reinforcement is a key component of regulating behavior. Negative reinforcement occurs when something unpleasant is removed as the result of an increase in a desired behavior. It allows students to avoid an unpleasant situation. With choice B the student is motivated to turn in homework (increased behavior) to avoid having to deal with the lecture that awaits him at home after the teacher calls his parents (removed stimulus). (A) In this choice, the more the behavior occurs, the more marks the child receives. The number of marks is increasing and no unpleasant situation is being removed. (C) This is an example of positive reinforcement because a reward is causing an increase in the behavior (reading). (D) This is an example of positive reinforcement resulting in a negative effect. Some students find any attention from the teacher a positive experience, whether it is a result of positive or negative behavior. Many students will continue to act out just to receive increased attention from the teacher. Competency 2

Which of the following examples properly corrects an incorrect answer?

"No, the word is spelled p-r-i-n-c-i-p-a-l, not p-r-i-n-c-i-p-l-e. Remember, the principal is your pal." A) Only selection A identifies that the original answer was incorrect and provides the correct answer. (B) & (C) The teacher's responses are vague, and they do not clearly communicate to the student whether or not the original response was correct. (D) This choice clearly tells the student that the response was incorrect, but it does not communicate the correct answer. Competency 2

An English language learner regularly answers in short but complete sentences. With assistance, there is success in subject-matter classes and basic communication skills are strong. At which stage of second-language acquisition is this student?

. Speech Emergent C) The student is at the Speech Emergent stage. This is characterized by students forming short, complete sentences. (A) Students at the Pre-production stage go through a silent "listening only" period and may not attempt to answer at all. (B) Students at the Early Production stage would not answer in complete sentences. (D) Students at the Intermediate Fluency stage would answer in longer sentences with more detail. Competency 7

The Professional Development Protocol Standards require that teachers

A. are provided time during the work day to participate in professional development. B. are involved in a professional learning community. C. participate in sustained, rigorous professional development. D. All of the above D) Teachers must be provided time for professional development during their work day, must be involved in a professional learning community, and must participate in sustained, rigorous professional development. (A), (B) & (C) These choices would exclude critical components of professional development. Competency 5

A classroom teacher can foster higher-order thinking skills by asking students

A. follow-up and divergent questions. B. to elaborate on a question that was already answered by a classmates. C. Both (A) and (B) D. Neither (A) nor (B) (C) Both A and B are correct, because if a student gives a simple answer, the teacher can generate higher-order thinking by asking follow-up questions. Divergent questioning requires that students brainstorm possible answers that also require higher-order thinking skills. If the student gives an answer that only required lower-order thinking skills, the teacher can ask follow-up questions to encourage students to delve deeper into the concept. Choosing (D) would be incorrect because it would eliminate (A) and (B), which are both valid answers. Competency 2A) and (B)

What is the best way for a teacher to understand her students' cultural backgrounds?

Allow the students to share their personal experience with the class C) Sharing personal experiences allows students to find commonalities, creating a more inclusive classroom. By allowing students to share, teachers learn important details about their students. (A) Student surveys help, but are not a replacement for learning about their personal experiences. (B) It is important to be familiar with your students' cultural backgrounds, but research does not take the place of having students share their personal experiences. (D) Getting information from the parents can be beneficial, but is still not as helpful as first-hand information. Competency 1

A high-school English teacher reviewed data from a benchmark review and determined that the results showed that the students had not mastered a key concept. The teacher feels that she could improve her instructional practices and is looking for a scientifically-based approach to improve her teaching methods. How should she do this?

Attend a learning community meeting to discuss her instructional practices with other teachers with the same goal B) Learning communities provide valuable insight into alternate instructional practices. This should be her first choice. (A) If after the teacher has met with the learning community she feels she needs more assistance, contacting the principal for permission to find a professional development opportunity would be appropriate. (C) Teachers should not count on another teacher to teach a concept. The goal is to improve one's own instructional practices. (D) If the tried-and-true methods are not working, they need to be revised. New techniques are always being developed, and an effective teacher is always looking for ways to improve the quality of instruction. Competency 5

A classroom teacher has a student who is struggling academically despite receiving the accommodations outlined on his individualized education program (IEP). The teacher meets with the school guidance counselor and the student's reading coach to analyze test data and review anecdotal records. What is the teacher doing?

Being a reflective practitioner and using resources in her learning community that will meet the needs of her student B) Reflective practitioners use resources in their learning community to meet the needs of the students. By meeting with other teachers who work with the student, the team of educators can reflect on instructional strategies that are working and revise the ones that are not proving to be effective. (A) There is no evidence that the teacher is unqualified. (C) & (D) The meeting is not intended to place blame on the reading coach; rather it is meant to coordinate the efforts of all of the student's service providers. Competency 5

What type of question elicits a written, pictorial, or graphic response from a student?

Constructed response C) Constructed-response questions require that the student construct or create something to answer the question rather than choosing from a list. Generally this is a few words or a sentence, but it can be as long as an essay. In mathematics, constructed-response questions require students to use words, numbers, symbols and images to answer questions. (A) Open-ended questions can be answered in a variety of ways, including orally, and may or may not be constructed-response questions. (B) Convergent questions have only one simple answer and do not require a constructed response. (D) A cloze activity is a fill-in-the-blank assignment with a word bank. In constructiveresponse questions, answers are not provided on a list. Competency 4 Score Overview Multiple Choice Section Your Answer Correct Answer

A classroom teacher has a student that needs extra practice with multiplication tables. The class has a single copy of a practice program, but the teacher doesn't want to risk losing it. What should the teacher do?

Contact the software's publisher and request written permission to send home a copy for temporary use D) Software may only be copied with the express written permission of the publisher. (A) & (B) Installing the software on a home computer and making a copy of the software is a copyright violation unless the educator has permission from the publisher to do so. (C) There are situations where software can be copied, depending on the specifications of the site license. Competency 6

Which of the following is not a text feature?

Copyright date and city of publication D) Copyright date and city of publication is not a text feature. Text features include visual aspects of the text that help students predict and gain meaning from a reading selection. Use of text features is a critical benchmark addressed in reading comprehension. (A), (B) & (C) Headings and sub-headings, maps and graphs, and illustrations and photographs are all text features that active readers analyze to gain meaning from a selection of text. Competency 3

Which of the following would be a responsibility of a school advisory council?

Developing a school improvement plan B) A school advisory council's purpose is to work with elected teachers, parents, and concerned community members to develop a school improvement plan. (A) It does not screen teacher applicants or (C) raise money for the school. (D) "All of the above" is not the correct answer because solution B is the only correct choice. Competency 5

Which of the following provides intrinsic motivation for a student?

Curiosity (A) Curiosity is powerful internal (intrinsic) motivator, and it is why the "Attention Grabber" part of a lesson plan is critical. (B), (C), & (D) These choices are all types of extrinsic (external) motivators. Competency 2

According to the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession in Florida, what is a professional educator's primary concern?

D. The educator's primary concern will always be for the student and for the development of the student's potential. (D) The educator's primary concerns will always be for the student and for the development of the student's potential. (A) & (B) The pursuit of truth, devotion to excellence, and acquisition of knowledge are all mentioned in the Code of Ethics, but they are not listed as a primary concern. (C) The Code also details that educators must maintain the respect and confidence of colleagues, students, parents, and other members of the community, but it is not the educator's primary concern. Competency 6

What document is used to identify English language learners when they initially enroll in a Florida school?

Home Language Survey The Home Language Survey is used to identify English language learners (ELLs) when they initially enroll in a Florida school. (B) The Florida Consent Decree dictates how students with limited English proficiency are identified, assessed, placed, monitored, and exited from the ESOL program. (C) & (D) There is no Native Language Evaluation Survey or ESOL Entrance Survey. Competency 7

What type of test should a fourth-grade teacher use to compare her class's performance to other fourth-graders in the school?

Norm-referenced B) Norm-reference tests are used to compare student performance to a larger group. (A) Performance assessments require students to produce a product such as a model or essay, and they are not used to compare student performance. (C) Portfolios are a compilation of student work throughout the year, and they are not used to compare student performance to the larger group. (D) A cognitive assessment tests intelligence and processing speed. This would not be the correct choice for the teacher in the question. IQ tests are cognitive assessments. Competency 4

Which is more effective for improving fluency, reading aloud or reading silently, and why?

Reading aloud, because students tend to skip words they do not understand when reading silently rather than making the effort to decode them B) Reading aloud is critical to improving fluency. A student who is reading silently will skip over unfamiliar words. Reading aloud forces students to attempt to pronounce unfamiliar words. (A) Although it is true that silent reading time does help some students focus on the story, it does not improve fluency as much as oral reading. (C) Although students can focus on pronunciation while reading aloud, B is still the most accurate reason that reading aloud improves fluency. (D) Reading silently does not improve automaticity (the automatic translation of a written word into meaning) as much as reading aloud. Automaticity is, however, an important key to reading comprehension. Competency 8

Which of the following does not describe one of the five big ideas in beginning reading?

Semantics D) Semantics is not one of the five big ideas in beginning reading. Semantics is the study of meaning in language and is addressed later in reading instruction. (A), (B) & (C) Fluency and vocabulary, phonemic awareness, and the alphabetic principle are all included in the five big ideas in beginning reading. Competency 8

Which of the following would not be present at an LEP committee meeting?

Staff members that are not directly responsible for the student's education D) If staff members are not directly involved in a student's success, they would not be in attendance at the LEP (limited English proficiency) team meeting. When the team meets, it is common to find in attendance the child's parents or guardian, the school psychologist and social worker, the student's general education and ESOL teachers, and any other staff members who have a direct interest in the student's success. (A), (B), & (C) ESOL teachers, the school psychologist and social worker, parents, and legal guardians would all be invited to attend an LEP team meeting. Competency 7

Which of the following is not an element of classroom instruction that can be differentiated by the teacher?

Standards C) A classroom teacher cannot differentiate the standards. Those are set by the state. (A) Changes can be made to the process, the product, or the learning environment to meet the needs of diverse learners. Competency 3

Which of the following is not an element of classroom instruction that can be differentiated by the teacher?

Standards C) The standards are provided by the state of Florida. The teacher may not differentiate the standards. (A), (B), & (D) The teacher can differentiate the process a student uses to learn, the product that the student produces, and the environment in which the student learns. Competency 3

A middle-school math teacher has been documenting student performance on progressive skills tests throughout the semester. Currently none of the students are on an individualized education program. After analyzing the following data table, what should be the teacher's first step?

Student B is not responding to classroom instruction and needs to begin an intervention program in the classroom. C) Student B has shown little improvement (22 percent, 38 percent, 24 percent, and 28 percent) as a result of regular classroom instruction. After reviewing the data, the teacher should implement an intervention program, beginning with small-group instruction and increased teacher support. If after that the student still showed no progress, the teacher should also include one-on-one intervention outside of the whole-class instruction. Only after the teacher provided a systematic, documented intervention over a significant period of time (9-18 weeks) would the need for an individualized education program (IEP) be addressed. (A) Just because a student scores well on a grade-level assessment, it does not mean that the student should be placed in a higher-level class. (B) Student C is showing steady progress. (D) The teacher would not contact the parent about putting the student on an IEP until classroom intervention proved not to meet the student's needs. This decision would not be made by the classroom teacher alone, but by the IEP team made up of the school guidance counselor, parents, the teacher, possibly the school social worker, and a member of the administration. Competency 5

Which of the following is the best example of a cognitive objective?

Students will complete a two-digit multiplication skills test with 85 percent mastery A) A cognitive objective has three main components: the condition, the behavior, and the degree. Choice A is the only one that gives a measurable degree of mastery (85%). (B), (C), & (D) are all learning goals and do not have a measureable degree of success. Competency 4

When evaluating the current reading curriculum, a grade-level team wants to analyze changes in student test scores from the beginning to the end of year. What type of assessment should they use to help make this decision?

Summative D) Summative assessments are given at the end of the year. They can be compared to tests given early in the year or tests given at the end of the preceding year to measure student growth. (A) Norm-reference tests compare an individual student's performance to that of a larger group. (B) Formative assessments are given throughout the year, and do not reflect the total progress made from the beginning to the end of the year. (C) Diagnostic tests are pre-tests that do not reflect end of the year performance. Competency 4

A student is doing a cold read, and the teacher documents that the student is reading at a 75 percent accuracy level. After reading the selection, the student takes a multiple-choice quiz on the material and scores 60 percent correct. What does this mean?

The student is reading at a frustration level and the teacher needs to select a more level-appropriate text A) Since the student cannot successfully read 90 percent of the words in a given text and is showing a low comprehension level, it verifies that the student in the scenario is reading well below instructional level. (B) Teacher support is needed at an instructional level, but the student would have to be reading with at least 90 percent accuracy and be showing a high comprehension level. (C) Re-reading the text will not help if the student is reading at a frustration level. (D) Errors in reading and comprehension are not indicators of boredom. Competency 8

Which of the following is not a way that a teacher can officially respond to or dispute a decision by the Office of Professional Practices?

The teacher can draft a formal letter to the school board to request a review of the charges. B) The school board would not review decisions made by the Office of Professional Practices. (A) The teacher can deny the charges and request a formal hearing, (C) admit to the charges and request an informal hearing, or (D) agree to a settlement offer. Competency 6

Which of the following is an example of negative reinforcement?

The teacher stops complaining about the messy floor after the students clean it up. D) Negative reinforcement requires the removal of a stimulus after a behavior increases. Once the floor is clean, the teacher stops complaining. The nagging decreases with the desired behavior. (A) This is a punishment and is not an example of negative reinforcement. (B) & (C) Positive remarks and extrinsic rewards are an example of positive reinforcement. Competency 2

When would a teacher use a formative assessment?

To assess comprehension of an individual skill in the middle of a lesson or unit B) Formative assessments assess student mastery while knowledge is being "formed" during a unit. It would be used to assess comprehension of an individual skill in the middle of a lesson or unit. (A) Summative assessments are used to "sum up" a unit after all instruction has been given. (C) Summative assessment data can be compared to beginning-of-the-year diagnostic data to show gains in student learning. (D) Diagnostic tests are used for placement. Competency 4

Why would a teacher use anecdotal records?

To conduct action research B) Anecdotal records are an informal evaluation tool that teachers use when conducting action research. Anecdotal records are helpful to use when assessing the effectiveness of an instructional technique with a class or a specific student. (A) Anecdotal records are not used when calculating report card grades. (C) & (D) They are not used as a summative or formative assessment. Competency 4

A sixth-grade student reads a story describing how a community works together after a hurricane hits their coastal town. Which of the following is most likely the theme of the story?

When we work together, we can accomplish great things. C) The theme of the story would be that when we work together, we accomplish great things. The theme of a story is the underlying message. It should not be confused with the topic. (A) & (B) Hurricane destruction and community involvement are both topics. (D) This choice is a summary of the story, not the theme. Competency 8

An English language learner struggles with second-language acquisition due to stress created by the teacher who constantly corrects pronunciation and errors in a humiliating manner. According to Krashen, the student is experiencing

a high affective filter. B) Krashen states that students in low-anxiety classrooms have a low affective filter. They are able to learn the new language without fear of failure or humiliation. Student who are constantly corrected in a humiliating manner will have a high affective filter and will be too anxious to effectively learn a new language. (A) & (D) The terms culture imbalance and input imbalance are not actual terms, but distractors with familiar terminology. (C) There is no evidence that the student is unmotivated. Competency 7

When a teacher uses negative reinforcement,

a stimulus is removed after a behavior is observed. For negative reinforcement to occur, a stimulus must be removed as the result of an increase in a behavior. For example, a student gets a lecture from his mother every day he leaves his homework at school. He begins bringing home his homework (an increased behavior) and his mother doesn't lecture him (stimulus removed). (B) Punishment can provide positive reinforcement. Some students crave attention from the teacher. When the teacher punishes a student, a condition is being added: the punishment. The undesired behavior is reinforced when the teacher pays attention to the student. (C) Choice (C) is incorrect, because for negative reinforcement to occur, a stimulus must be removed, not added, as the result of an increase in behavior. (D) Losing a privilege is a negative punishment. It is not negative reinforcement. Competency 2

Due to limited time and funding, professional development opportunities should focus on

addressing disaggregate student performance in the classroom. C) Due to the limited amount of time available for professional development, it should be focused on addressing disaggregate student performance in the classroom. (A) & (B) Whether or not students or teachers find the topic of the professional development interesting is not a primary concern. (D) Innovative technology may be appealing, but unless it is used to improve student performance, it should not be the focus of professional development. Competency 5

The input hypothesis model developed by Steven Krashen would suggest that English language learners would benefit from

being given information that is just slightly above their ability level in the second language. (C) Krashen's input hypothesis model of second-language acquisition states that learners should understand most of what they are learning and that it should be presented at a level just above their ability level. (A) Students should never receive instruction that is below their ability level. (B) This choice describes the acquisition-learning model. (D) This is part of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. Competency 7

Struggling adolescent readers do not benefit from

being given reading material well over their reading level. D) If a struggling reader is given material at the frustration level it will just discourage them. (A), (B), & (C) Direct instruction of comprehension strategies, word analysis activities, and vocabulary-building practice all help adolescent readers improve their reading skills. Competency 1

Under current law, Florida teachers are required to

create an individual needs assessment. B) All Florida teachers are required to create a needs assessment. This is done by identifying gaps in student achievement, then focusing on areas in which the teacher could improve to raise student scores. (A), (C) & (D) Teachers are not required to join a teacher's union or online learning community and are not required to pursue a degree higher than the Bachelor's degree that is required to teach in the state of Florida. Competency 5

A local school advisory council has the important responsibility of

developing and evaluating the school improvement plan. D) The school advisory council only designs and evaluates the school improvement plan. (A) The school administration and teachers implement the plan. (B) The district selects textbooks, and (C) the state determines the scope and sequence of instruction. Competency 5

After giving a summative assessment, it comes to the teacher's attention that over 80 percent of the class missed the same question. The teacher should

evaluate how the relating concept was taught and how the question was phrased. If a majority of the class misses a question, the teacher needs to reflect on how the skill was taught and if the question was properly phrased. If the problem was with how the standard was taught, the teacher should reteach and reassess student comprehension. If the question was poorly phrased, the teacher should rephrase the question and reassess the students' knowledge of the standard. (A) & (B) The teacher should not throw out the questions or assume that it was too difficult for the students. (D) "All of the above" is incorrect, because choice (C) is the correct answer. Competency 5

When teaching idioms it is important to

explicitly teach the implied meaning of the phrase. A) Idioms are phrases that have an implied meaning that is known to most English speakers, but literally translate to something altogether different. Phrases like "you let the cat out of the bag" generate confusion to an English language learner who may imagine a very agitated feline scrambling out of a sack. For this reason, explicitly teaching idioms is helpful to both native English speakers and non-native English learners. (B) Teaching idioms literally does not help students build word recognition skills. (C) This choice would be appropriate for homonyms not idioms. (D) Waiting to teach the meaning delays comprehension. If the student can understand the literal meaning of the words, they will be able to learn the implied meaning of the idiom. Competency 7

The most effective way to present vocabulary is

in context to convey rich meaning to the students A) Although all of the selections help students learn vocabulary, presenting the words in context is the most effective way to accomplish the objective. A rich context helps students use prior knowledge to truly understand new words in a familiar context. (B) Using synonyms to help students draw connections with words they already know does improve vocabulary, but not as effectively as choice A. (C) Foldables only provide a creative way to record and study definitions. (D) Word walls, like foldables, fail to present words in context. Competency 8

Personal discovery inventories require

inductive thinking. B) Personal discovery inventories require students to list characteristics about themselves. This, along with generating hypotheses, developing theories, or discovering relationships, all require the use of inductive reasoning. It requires taking specific facts and using them to develop a general conclusion. (A) In deductive thinking, students must take one or more general statements and then work their way down to a more specific conclusion. (C) Parallel thinking requires students to work together to address a subject rather than to argue against each other. It can be inductive or deductive as long as students work toward the same goal. (D) Cognitive thinking includes all cognitive skills such as remembering, visually processing material, and reasoning. Competency 1

A teacher has discovered and implemented a new online behavior-management program that is improving student behavior while providing an easy way to communicate with parents. The teacher should

meet with the principal to discussing sharing the new product at the next professional development day. D) It is common for teachers to present new technology at staff meetings. An educator who discovers a new teaching strategy should meet with the principal to discuss presenting the new idea to the school instructional staff. (A) Though sharing the discovery with the grade-level team is a good idea, sharing it with the staff benefits more teachers than just presenting it to your team. Also, the principal should approve the training in advance. (B) If the teacher elects not to share the idea, it does not support the goal of a professional learning community, which is to work together to best meet the needs of the students. (C) Also, the fact that it is an online product has no bearing on the situation. Free online behavior management programs and educational products are important tools for classroom teachers. Competency 5

A first-grade teacher has students change the beginning letters of words to make new words (b-at, c-at, v-at), then has them switch the ending sounds on words (c-at, c-ar, c-ake). The teacher is having the students manipulate

onset-rimes (A) This is an example of onset-rime, one of the most effective ways to teach phonemic awareness. (B) Sight words are high-frequency words that students memorize in order to know them by sight. Many do not follow typical spelling patterns. (C) Word-family lists do have similar endings, but only vat, cat, and bat are in the same word family. Competency 8

If a second-grade student receives a stanine score of 7 on a norm-referenced test, it means that she

performed as well as or better than 70 percent of the students that took the exam B) A 7 stanine score indicates that the student performed better than 70 percent of the students who took the same test. (A), (C) & (D) It does not indicate how many questions were answered correctly, the student's reading level, or what grades the student should be expected to receive in class. Competency 4

Drill and practice is primarily used to

practice previously learned skills. A) Drill and practice problems should only be used to practice previously learned skills. (B) They are not used to teach new concepts, (C) they are not used to keep students on task, and (D) if a student has not mastered a skill, the teacher must reteach it prior to assigning drill and practice problems. Competency 3

The initial stages of language acquisition are

pre-production, early production, speech emergent, intermediate fluency. B) The initial stages of language acquisition are pre-production, early production, speech emergent, and intermediate fluency. (A) Basic interpersonal communication skills and cognitive academic language proficiency are the two types of language that a student uses in the classroom. (C) Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are the skills assessed to determine a student's fluency in a particular language. (D) The pre-phonetic stage, the phonetic stage, and the transitional stage are the phonetics stages, often used to describe the stages of spelling development. Competency 7

The purpose of asking a divergent question is to

promote critical thinking. (A) Divergent questions require critical thinking since they allow for students to generate multiple answers to a question. (B) and (C) Convergent questions "converge" on one answer. They are very often only requiring lower-order thinking skills. (D) Additionally, all students should be asked higher-order questions, tailored to their individual abilities. The practice of asking below-level students the "easy" questions to build their confidence only perpetuates the learning gap. Rather, all students should be asked divergent questions that promote critical thinking. Competency 1

According to the Code of Ethics, a teacher is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT

protecting the students from exposure to illegal substances. C) The Code of Ethics does not state that it is not the teacher's responsibility to protect the student from the use of illegal substances. (A) Teachers are obligated to not prohibit the individual pursuit of learning. (B) They may not expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment. (D) They also must ensure that students are treated equally, regardless of race, color, or religion. Competency 6

Teachers regularly take time after teaching a lesson to evaluate the effectiveness of the instruction. After teaching a unit and grading related assessments, the teacher reviews the data and determines that more time needs to be spent on a specific concept. The teacher is practicing

reflection A) Reflection occurs when a teacher reflects on the effectiveness of an instructional technique used during a lesson. Teachers practice reflection during action research or when meeting with a professional learning community to discuss instructional practices. (B) Mentoring takes place when a more experienced teacher provides assistance to a more junior co-worker. (C) An academic review board is a college advisory group that oversees a student's academic progress. (D) Summative evaluations are final assessments given to students at the end of a unit. Competency 5

In order to maintain good classroom management, a teacher should assist students in

self-monitoring their own behavior (D) Students who monitor their own behavior become intrinsically motivated to make good choices in the classroom. (A) Following classroom rules is important, but this is not as good a choice as teaching students to self-monitor their own behavior. (B) Filling out planners helps students to be organized at home and at school, but self-monitoring will include teaching students to take responsibility for the planners without prompting from the teacher. (C) Students should not determine which rules should be followed. Competency 2

According to Howard Gardner, a student who has good intrapersonal skills would do well with a lesson that required them to

self-reflect. Students who have Intrapersonal Intelligence would perform well if given a lesson that required them to self-reflect. (A) Students with interpersonal intelligence would thrive in a cooperative learning group. (B) Students who are logical/mathematical would enjoy word problems. (D) Students who are bodily/kinesthetic would work well with their hands. Competency 3

A teacher wants to know if he is allowed to copy software onto more of his classroom computers. To find this out he should consult the

site license C) The site license for software will describe the rules concerning making copies of the product and will also state on how many computers the program may be installed. (A) The user's guide does not contain this information. (B) & (D) Neither the school technical advisor nor an advisory committee would be the source for verifying if a program can be copied for classroom use. Competency 6

The best tool for a teacher to use to keep a running, averaged record of student scores throughout the year is a

spreadsheet. A) Spreadsheets are useful tools for calculating running totals of scores since they can be designed to calculate averages as you add in data. Most districts have online grading programs that are used for entering grades, calculating averages, and posting marks online for parents, guardians, and students to view. (B) & (C) Databases and word-processing programs are not designed to record grades and calculate averages. (D) Grade books provide a nice way to record grades, but they do not calculate averages. Competency 4

The No Child Left Behind Act states that

student whose first language is not English may only be tested in English. B) The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all state-mandated testing for native English speakers and non-native English learners must be given in English. (A) English language learners cannot be tested in their native language and (C) are not permitted to take these tests in a dual language format. (D) The scores of first-year English language learners are not used in calculating the overall school score, but the students are still required to take the exams. Competency 7

A high-school civics teacher has been using his classroom as a political platform for his personal beliefs and will not allow students to refute his position. This is a violation of the educator's responsibility to the

student. B) In this scenario the educator is violating his obligation to the student. The Code of Ethics states that the teacher "shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view." (A), (C), & (D) This is not a violation of the educator's obligation to the parent, profession, or public. Competency 6

Content-area instruction is more relevant if

students' prior knowledge is accessed and they draw upon connections to their own life experiences. A) Students find more relevance in content area instruction if prior knowledge is accessed and they draw connections to their own life experiences. (B) The subject area is not the sole determination of whether or not the student finds the lesson relevant. (C) Although including a digital component may increase engagement, it will not necessarily increase relevance. (D) Direct instruction in itself does not increase relevance. The content of the instruction does. Competency 3

In addition to using audio- or videotapes to conduct action research, teachers should also use

students' scores on assessments. A) Students' scores on assessments are an important component of assessing the effectiveness of instructional practices. Action research occurs when a teacher evaluates the effectiveness of teaching methods based on the delivery of instruction and on student scores. (B) Action research is data driven and should not include personal feelings. (C) It also requires that the educator adopt new, student-centered methods rather than clinging to the direct instruction methods that were popular in the past. (D) "None of the above" is not correct because choice A is correct. Competency 5

Pragmatics deals with the difference between

the difference between an author's implied meaning and the literal meaning of a sentence based on the social context of the situation. B) Pragmatics deal with the difference between an author's implied meaning and the literal meaning of a sentence based on the social context of the situation. (A) A denotation is the strictly literal meaning of a word. The words overweight and obese have the same literal meaning, but they have different connotations, which are the emotional feelings that are associated with the word. (C) & (D) The use of homonyms and the pronunciation of words are not aspects of pragmatics. Competency 8

General-education teachers who are assigned limited English proficiency students are required to have an ESOL endorsement. If the teacher has not yet completed the course work to get the endorsement, the state requires that

the teacher sends home out-of-field letters informing parents that the teacher does not have the ESOL endorsement. A) If a teacher does not have the ESOL endorsement on their teaching certificate, he or she must send home out-of-field letters informing parents that the teacher does not have the ESOL endorsement. The teacher must also show yearly progress toward getting the endorsement added to his or her certificate. (B) The student is not moved to another room and (C) there is not a requirement that a bilingual aide be provided. (D) "None of the above" is not correct. Competency 7

Students very often demonstrate academic success in a second language when

they have been successful in their native language. Students will often be more successful when learning a second language if they showed academic success in their native language. (B) Students tend to learn a second language more rapidly when they learn it at an early age, so waiting until middle school is not advisable. (C) & (D) The use of computer software or grammar-based textbooks are not indicators that academic success in second-language acquisition will occur. Competency 7

At the end of a lesson, an elementary math teacher has students complete an exit ticket that includes one thing that they learned and one thing that still confuses them. The exit ticket is used

to gather data that can be used to assess the effectiveness of instruction. D) Exit tickets are an effective tool for assessing what students learned during a lesson and what parts of the new material still needs to be addressed. (A) They are not a classroom management technique, (B) they do not assess a student's ability to follow directions, and (C) they are not used as a formal assessment to document learning gains. Competency 4

When a teacher instructs students to put away their math textbooks and get out their science lab book she is managing the class learning environment through the use of

transition statements. D) Transition statements are used to transition a student from one activity to another. They can include a time period to accomplish the transition, and often teachers require silence during transitions to avoid wasting time that would be better spent on instruction. Having a short, familiar musical clip to accompany the transition helps students maintain a brisk pace when exchanging materials. (A) Direct instruction is a style of teaching such as a lecture, and (B) positive reinforcement would require a reward or praise for completing the transition in the appropriate amount of time. (C) The teacher is practicing classroom management, not curriculum management. Competency 2