k-8 opte
58. A
58. Which of the following scenarios describe the most appropriate role for the teacher during a class period in which students engaged in a cooperative learning activity? A.helping the students in each group assess how well their group in functioning and suggesting strategies for improvement B. evaluating the ability of each student in the class to organize, synthesize, and communicate information to his or her group C. giving the students in each group a summary from time to time of what they have accomplished so far and what they still need to accomplish D. monitoring the performance of each group and providing clarification, encouragement, and redirection as needed
30. D
A first-grade teacher has led students through a number of activities in which they practiced locating information sources on a specific topic. The teacher would like to take students a step further by helping them evaluate the information they found. The teacher can best promote this outcome by helping students develop the habit of considering which of the following questions first? A. is this information easy for me to read? B. does this information represent a fact or an opinion? C. Is this information provided by an expert? D. Does this information answer the questions I have?
68. D
A first-grade teacher is developing goals for an individual professional growth plan. In this process, the teacher should take which of the following steps first? A. identifying workshops and other opportunities offered by the school district B. surveying students' parents/guardians to gather feedback on his or her instructional skills C. asking several experienced colleagues for permission to sue their plans as models D. reviewing teacher evaluation feedback and student assessment data to identify areas of need
41. A
A fourth-grade classroom is equipped with an audience response system with which students respond to questions by clicking a personal remote control. Students' responses are displayed immediately on a personal computer. This type of response system can be used more effectively for which of the following purposes? A. Monitoring students' understanding of key concepts B. diagnosing specific students learning needs C. placing students in instructional groups D. accommodating individual students learning preferences
C
A fourth-grade teacher has been having a consistent problem with students talking during independent work time. The teacher has tried giving students more work to do and implementing stricter consequences for talking, but these efforts have been unsuccessful in correcting the problem Which of the following methods is likely to be the teacher's best next step in addressing this issue? A. calling a parent/guardian meeting to discuss students' excessive talking to seek their assistance in solving the problem B. requesting that the school principal visit the classroom to issue a warning to students about their excessive talking C. using a class meeting to engage students in discussing the problem of excessive talking and generating possible solutions D. putting as much distance as possible between students' desk to make it more difficult for them to engage in excessive talking
C
A high school student with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is likely to experience the most difficulty in which of the following areas? A. transferring learning from one context to another B. interpreting visual and auditory information C. working persistently toward an established goal D. combining simple skills to accomplish a more complex tasks
25. D
A kindergarten teacher begins a science lesson on buoyancy by asking students, "What makes things float or sink?" Most students respond by saying "Light things float and heavy things sink." The teacher is aware that this is a common misconception among students at this age level. Which of the following activities would be most effective in beginning to address the students' misconception? A. students watch a video about shipbuilding as a class and then work in small groups to generate ideas about what makes things float or sink B. students work independently to create structure that will float, using a selection of materials such as plastic straws, paper scraps, wooden blocks, and paper clips. Each student will test his or her structure for the class C. students examine several objects that float, each made of different material (e.g. a plastic duck, a wooden boat) and then identify an object in the classroom that they believe will float D. students work in pairs to make predictions about whether objects of different shapes, sizes, and materials will float or sink. The students test their predictions and then participate in a class discussion to share their thoughts about the experiment.
49. D
A kindergarten teacher is reflecting on a recently completed unit about nutrition and food groups. The teacher observes that it took the class four weeks to achieve the unit objectives when the unit was intended to last for only two weeks. The teacher recalls another unit in which students took longer than planned to learn the content. Given this trend, the kindergarten teacher should take which of the following actions next? A. simplifying the content students are expected to learn in upcoming units B. eliminating standards and/or planned units of instruction to get back on pace for the remainder of the school year C. reevaluating the selection of instructional materials used in the units in question D. examining long-range plans to determine how best to adjust the pace of instruction in upcoming units
61. C
A middle school principal has asked a team of teachers to collaborate on the development of a new after-school enrichment program. Which of the following strategies by the teachers would best enhance the quality of this collaboration? A. developing standard evaluative criteria for the team to apply throughout the decision-making process B. choosing a team member whose primary responsibility will be facilitating discussions and mediating conflict C. defining a clear and common goal for the team and acknowledging the value of all team members' contributions D. requesting that the principal lead the team's first few meetings in order to set an appropriate tone
C
A middle school teacher holds regular class meetings with students. The meetings follow the agenda shown below: * express compliments and appreciation * follow up on solutions to earlier issues * discuss new issues and consider possible solutions * plan for upcoming class activities This approach is likely to be most effective in achieving which of the following goals? A. providing a classroom environment that is responsive to students' individual needs and preferences B. encouraging students to think objectively about classroom problems and concerns C. promoting in students a sense of belonging to a caring and cooperative classroom community D. reinforcing for students the value of adhering to classroom norms for individual and group behavior
51. D
A new mathematics teacher has a goal of planning learner-centered instruction for a geometry unit on solid shapes. Which of the following planned introductions to the unit best represents a learner-centered approach? A. the teacher posts a list of the solid shapes students will be studying. Students then use information from their textbooks to describe and make a drawing of each shape in their mathematics journal for future reference B. the teacher shows students a block in each of the solid shapes that will be taught. Students then work as a large group to identify as wide a variety of familiar objects as they can that illustrate or contain each shape C. the teacher presents foundational information about solid shapes while students take notes. Students then have an opportunity to ask questions to clarify their understanding of the information D. the teacher displays a diagram of each of the solid shapes students will be studying. Students then work in small groups to examine blocks of the shapes and write down their observations about each shape to share with the class
62. C
A new teacher has a goal of maintaining effective communication with parents/guardians about their children's learning. Which of the following is an important first step in achieving this goal? A. adopting a standard format for school-home communications B. arranging a visit to each student's home to meet family members C. determining each family's preferred mode of communication and times of abailability D. crating a conference schedule to send home with each student early in the school year
46. B
A number of students in a sixth-grade language arts class read well below grade level. The class will be studying three literature selections during the course of the semester. In this situation, the teacher can best apply the principles of differentiated instruction by taking which of the following actions? A. addressing different concepts and skills with students who find the literature selections too challenging B. providing students with access to digital versions of the literature selections with text-to-speech capability C. partnering students who read below grade level with proficient readers for literature activities D. adopting an open-ended approach to literature assignments regarding due dates.
66. B
A science teacher who has been teaching for five years is considering enrolling in a course at a local university for professional development. The teacher's course selection should be guided primarily by which of the following questions? A. which course will help develop my general pedagogical knowledge B. which course will address my greatest area of need as a science teacher C. which course will help me earn an advanced teaching degree D. which course will provide an overview of recent discoveries in the field of science
27. C
A seventh-grade social studies class is beginning a series of lessons on the US Bill of Rights. As an introduction, the teacher post five blank charts around the room and divides the class into five groups. Each group of students works on one of the charts. The teacher explains that the groups will have five minutes to write on the charts everything that they know about the BIll of RIghts, then the groups will compare notes and discuss the information as a class. This approach to introducing a new instructional topic can be expected to benefit students' learning primarily by A. providing students with a social context in which to construct knowledge about the topic B. reinforcing to students the expectation for full engagement with the topic C. stimulating students' prior knowledge of the topic to facilitate integration of new information D. helping students make connections between concepts related to the topic
45. D
A sixth-grade English language arts class includes three students with specific learning difficulties that affect their reading comprehension. The teacher can best begin to differentiate instruction for these students in a lesson that includes written material by implementing which of the following strategies? A. allowing the students as much time as they need to complete the same learning tasks as their peers B. providing the students with shorter texts covering the same content that are written for younger students C. developing a different set of criteria for evaluating the students' performance of assigned learning tasks D. using highlighting, underlining, or color coding of written texts to emphasize essential words and phrases
37. C
A sixth-grade language arts teacher focuses on the use of praise when providing students with feedback. The teacher uses standard comments such as "Good Job", "Nice work", and "Great". Which of the following statements describes the most significant problem with the teacher's approach to providing feedback? A. Students may make inaccurate inferences from the teacher's praise regarding their abilities B. the teacher's praise requires only limited interaction with students C. students may come to perceive the teacher's praise as unrelated to their actual performance D. the teacher's praise is not reinforced with a concrete reward for students
56. A
A sixth-grade teacher is planning to engage students in a project about local government. The teacher has arranged for individuals holding various positions in local government to mentor students through e-mail during the project. Although many students use e-mail informally with their peers, this will be a new use of e-mail for most students. This use of technology is likely to be particularly effective in achieving which of the following instructional goals? A. providing students with an authentic context in which to develop written communication skills B. exposing students to many different perspectives on a given issue C. increasing students' awareness of privacy issues associated with online communication D. helping students develop the skills necessary for effective collaboration
55. A
A sixth-grade teacher often uses a car system with students during instruction in which each student has a red card, a yellow card, and a green card. At various points during the lesson, the teacher checks for student understanding by having students raise one of their cards. Raising a green card indicates "I understand", a yellow card indicates "I'm not sure", and a red card indicates "I don't understand". The primary benefit of this practice is that it enables the teacher to: A. make immediate adjustments to instruction based on students' responses B. maintain students' active engagement throughout a lesson C. predict students' performance on upcoming class assignments and homework D. form instructional groups according to students' specific skill needs
38. A
A student incorrectly answers three of six items on a daily math quiz. Which of the following examples of teacher feedback would best promote student improvement on the next quiz covering similar material? A. "I see the problem. You multiplied when you should have divided at this step right here. I think we need to review the steps for solving this type of equation" B. "I feel sure you can do better than this, so I want you to redo the incorrect problems at home tonight. I expect to see at least four problems correct on tomorrow's quiz" C. "You earn 15 minutes of free time by correctly answer three problems, but you could earn 30 minutes of free time if you get them all correct. Keep trying" D. "I'd like you to practice solving this type of equation by adding the problems you got wrong to your homework assignment. I'm sure you'll do better on tomorrow's quiz"
B
A student is most likely to demonstrate a high level of motivation for and engagement in a learning talk under which of the following conditions? A. the task requires minimal effort by the student for successful completion B. the student perceives the task to be interesting and useful C. the task requires the student to apply learned concepts and skills D. the student anticipates a reward upon successful completion of the task
73. A
A student with multiple disabilities will be enrolling in a middle school. In regard to educating this student, school staff should be aware of their legal responsibility to A. deliver instruction and services to the student in the least restrictive environment appropriate for meeting his or her needs B. incorporate into the student's school day ongoing opportunities to interact with similarly disabled peers and adults C. revise the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) each grading period in response to his or her classroom performance D. provide the student with instruction that enables him or her to perform at grade level in the basic skill areas of reading and mathemetics
B
A teacher is planning a geography lesson to introduce students to the concept that the resources available in a region influence the size and distribution of the region's population. The teacher is likely to be most successful in promoting student understanding of the targeted concept by implementing a lesson that: A. prompts students to explore the specific cognitive skills they will be using in learning the concept B. relates the concept to familiar situations or to concepts the students have previously learned C. provides concrete reinforcement for students demonstrating significant effort to learn the concept D. allows students to take the lead in determining procedures to be used to learn the concept
67. D
A teacher is reviewing entries he recorded in his teaching journal during a recently completed instructional unit. In reflecting on the journal entries, the teacher should be most concerned about improving his performance in relation to which of the following issues? A. some students spent more time on enrichment tasks than their peers because they complete their assigned classwork very quickly B. two of the planned learning activities had to be modified significantly to address the needs of English language learners in the class C. some lessons took longer than planned because class discussions occasionally revealed student misconceptions that needed to be addressed D. two students with learning disabilities were unable to participate meaningfully during some of the small-group activities
74. C
A teacher observes that a student has a number of fresh bruises on the arms and what appears to be an older bruise on the neck. This physical evidence and observations of the student's behavior lead the teacher to believe the student may be experiencing physical violence in the home. In this situation, the teacher is required by law to A. place a report documenting the bruises and other observations in the student's school records B. question the student directly about the cause of the bruises C. ensure that the student's bruises are reported to the appropriate authorities as evidence of possible physical abuse D. have the school nurse examine the student for other bruises or injuries
B
A teacher uses formative assessments during instruction to gather information about student learning. In the context of this approach, the teacher's decisions should be guided primarily by which of the following questions? A. how should I adjust my instruction to address stduents' demonstrated needs? B. should I plan to revisit this content with students at a later date? C. what type of homework assignments will best help students master the content? D. are students engaged with the selected instructional materials?
60. D
A teacher wants to support the school's vision for improved student learning. Which of the following activities is the teacher's best course of action for achieving this goal? A. pursuing advanced coursework on topics such as organizational management, community relations, and leadership B. attending public meetings of the school board to learn about the district's overarching priorities and long-range plans C. collaborating with grade-level team members to ensure continued alignment of curricula with current academic standards D. participating actively on a school action team charged with implementing reforms in curriculum, instruction, and/or assessment
22 A
A team of fifth-grade teachers has established a goal of making greater use of online environments such as visual museums and laboratories and real-time observations of natural events. This approach can be expected to benefit students' learning primarily by A. facilitating students' access to a wide range of learning experiences B. fostering in students a generally positive attitude toward learning C. helping students view learning activities as relevant to their personal experiences D. enabling students to develop essential skills for lifelong learning
24. A
A team of middle school teachers is reviewing the school's new science curriculum to determine the content and skills that should be taught in each grade level. Which of the following curriculum components would provide the teachers with the most useful information in this area? A. scope and sequence B. assessment and evaluation C. rationale and goals D. strategies and interventions
43. C
An English language arts teacher is planning a lesson to introduce students to the short story genre. In an appropriately sequenced lesson, the teacher should begin with which of the following activities? A. providing students with a graphic organizer and helping them fill in information from selected short stories B. having students work in pairs to rewrite the endings of several short stories C. reading students several short stories aloud and pointing out the key features that define a short story D. assigning students to work in small groups to answer comprehension questions about selected short stories
40. B
An English language arts teacher wants to adapt an assessment for a student with a learning disability who receives special education services. Which of the following actions would be the most appropriate first step for the teacher to take? A. determining an alternate location and time fo the student to take the assessment B. checking the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) for information about assessment methods to use with the student C. talking with the student about individual preferences regarding assessment D. consulting with the student's other teachers about assessment methods they have used with the student
A
An eighth-grade student with cerebral palsy uses a customized wheelchair to help normalize his posture and movements. The teacher wants to ensure that the student is appropriately positioned to participate in different types of class activities. Which of the following actions wold be most useful for the teacher to take first in this effort? A. discussing with the student's physical and occupational therapists how to position him for planned activities B. speaking with the student directly about what he thinks will be the best position for specific activities C. conducting online research to gather information about positioning techniques to use with the student D. requesting that the student be provided a paraprofessional to oversee his positioning during class
42. D
An elementary school teacher can best provide relevant and responsive instruction by taking which of the following actions before beginning the planning process? A. introducing students to a variety of content-area resources B. observing informally students' interactions with their peers C. reviewing students' grades and samples of their previous work D. examining carefully students' characteristics and experiences
B
An elementary school teacher's class includes students from widely diverse backgrounds. The teacher wants to avoid misunderstandings in interactions with students to the greatest extent possible. To help achieve this goal, the teacher should keep which of the following concepts foremost in mind? A. student learning is best promoted by adopting a standard and consistent communication style B. communication norms that students have learned at home may be different than communication norms at school C. students' communication patterns tend to vary according to their level of emotional development D. communication methods used should be aligned to the needs of students who are in the majority in the class
33. B
At the conclusion of a lesson on electric circuits, a fourth-grade teacher plans to give students diagrams of electric circuits and have them label each part. Several students in the class are English language learners (ELL) who have limited spelling skills in English. Which of the following strategies will best support the success of the ELLs during this activity? A. giving students as much time as they need to complete the task B. providing students with word banks containing key vocabulary from the lesson C. allowing students to use dictionaries to look up vocabulary D. asking students to check each other's work before submitting it for a grade
C
Before introducing the first small-group activity of the school year, a third-grade teacher engages students in a class discussion about working in groups. The teacher asks students to help create a list of guidelines for small-group activities, such as "everyone gets a turn to speak" and "each person does his or her part of the assignment." Once the class and teacher agree to appropriate guidelines, the teacher posts the guidelines prominently in the classroom. The most important benefit of the teacher's approach is that students will: A. be motivated to devote their full attention to learning B. spend less time socializing during group tasks C. be invested in working cooperatively and productively D. resolve disagreements within the group independently
D
During the concrete operational stage of cognitive development as described by Piaget, students benefit from frequent opportunities to manipulate and test objects primarily because students at this stage: A. Understand concepts more fully when learning tasks include physical activity B. require scaffolding in the use of visualization as a learning strategy C. construct knowledge most effectively through a process of trial and error D. possess a system of thinking that is still tied to physical reality
36. B
Eighth-grade teachers are implementing an extended research project with students. This will be the students' first multidisciplinary project of this scope. The teachers have created a detailed rubric with specific criteria for various aspects of the project. As is their practice, the teachers plan to share and discuss the rubric with student at the beginning of the project. Which of the following additional actions by the teachers would be most effective in helping ensure that students understand the expectations for the project? A. having students reflect on an assignment or project on which they received a high score B. providing students with examples of quality performance relevant to the criteria on the rubric C. incorporating conferences with small groups of students into the project timeline D. posting a large copy of the rubric and criteria prominently in the classroom
D
Elementary school teachers can best support students in handling difficult social situations by engaging them regularly in activities designed to promote which of the following abilities? A. creative-thinking B. problem-centered coping C. analogical thinking D. perspective thinking
28. A
Fifth-grade teachers are designing a new interdisciplinary unit. Which of the following themes would be most appropriate for integrating concepts across multiple content areas at this grade level? A. food and culture B. who is Patrick Henry C. how pencils and pens are made D. the story of our state flag
35. D
Fifth-grade teachers use tools such as quizzes, student self-assessments, informed observations, and participation charts as essential elements in their assessment plan. The most important benefit of this approach is that it A. ensures that the teachers assign grades that are reflective of students' actual abilities B. communicates to students the teachers' high expectations for their learning C. enhances the teachers' ability to interpret a broad range of student performance data D. provides the teachers with a broad base of evidence for evaluating student learning
48. A
In which of the following situations would it be most appropriate and helpful for the classroom teacher to collaborate with the school library media specialist? A. A third-grade teacher is planning an instructional unit with a research component that will require students to gather information from multiple sources B. students in a fourth-grade class are having difficulty understanding how to select an effective graphic organizer for different types of texts C. a fifth-grade teacher is preparing for a meeting with students' parents/guardians to discuss grade-level reading standards and curriculum D. students in a sixth-grade class are designing a survey to collect information from their peers about their preferences in music and movies
32. C
MIddle school teachers are planning an interdisciplinary unit about freshwater ecosystems. The teachers want to ensure that all students' learning needs are addressed in this unit and that students benefit fully from instruction. Which of the following strategies would be most effective in helping the teachers achieve this goal? A. developing an equal number of learning activities for each unit objective B. gathering periodic feedback from students about the learning activities during the unit C. including in the unit multiple formative assessments of student progress and learning D. allowing students to choose which classmates to work with on small-group learning task
63. B
One goal for a school is to establish partnerships with local businesses to enhance student learning. Several local businesses have agreed to participate in this initiative. The teachers would like to identify how each of the businesses can best become actively involved in students' learning. Which of the following steps should the teachers take first in this effort? A. arranging for representatives from each of the businesses to visit the school and observe instruction in several classrooms B. meeting with representatives from each of the businesses to examine the curriculum and discuss specific ways they may be able to support its implementation C. requesting that each of the businesses submit to the school a list of the resources and services they are prepared to offer D. scheduling field trips for students to some of the businesses that have offered help so that the students can meet employees and learn about the business's activities
23. A
Science learning at the elementary school level focuses primarily on which of the following processes? A. using inquiry methods to develop explanations of natural phenomena B. applying various problem-solving models to hypothetical situations C. using collaboration to identify innovative solutions to problems D. applying principles of logic to describe physical phenomena
65. B
Several teachers across the state will be collaborating on the development of a program for school districts that will bring enrichment opportunities to underserved populations of students. The majority of the teachers' collaboration will take place online. The teachers can best promote the success of the virtual collaboration by making which of the following activities their most important priority? A. establishing procedures for quality assurance of the final product B. engaging in consistent and plentiful communication C. taking turns planning and leading discussions D. monitoring group processes on a regular basis
39. D
Students in a first-grade class have been studying shapes. Each student has made a booklet entitled "Shapes of Nature" in which each page has a cutout of a shape and a photograph the student has taken of something in nature that incorporates that shape. The teacher is meeting with students individually to discuss their booklets. Which of the following comments by the teacher during these meetings would best promote students' self-assessment skills? A. "you are getting better at cutting with scissors, aren't you?" B. "choose a picture from your booklet and describe it for me" C. "Can you turn to the page in your booklet that shows a triangle" D. "Tell me what you think is the best part of your booklet and why"
29. A
Students in a kindergarten class are beginning a unit on the senses, and the teacher wants to implement a project-based learning experience related to this topic. Which of the following guiding questions related to the unit topic would be most suitable for this purpose? A. how do we use our senses to discover our world B. which sense do you think is most important C. what parts of our bodies do our senses use D. can we function without one of our senses
53. C
Students in a sixth-grade language arts class have finished reading John Steinbeck's Travel with Charley: In Search of America, a memoir of his journey across the US with his dog. The teacher wants to encourage students' higher-order thinking about the text. Which of the following questions would be most effective for this purpose? A. why do you think Steinbeck decides to take Charley instead of a human on his journey B. what reasons does Steinbeck give for embarking on his journey C. if you followed Steinbeck's route today, what do you think you would see along the way D. what is the nature of the relationship between Steinbeck and Charley
75. C
Students in a sixth-grade science class will be creating multimedia presentations on a self-selected topic. The students are encouraged to include text, graphics, photographs, and video clips in their presentations. In this situation, it would be most important for the science teacher to emphasize which of the following guidelines for the presentations? A. copyrighted material used in the presentation must be pre-approved by the teacher B. sources of information in any format must be appropriately credited in the presentation C. each visual element in the presentation should include a title or caption as appropriate D. the creative use of visual elements will enhance the effectiveness of the presentation
C
Students in a social studies class are about to begin a unit on state geography. The students have a wide range of prior knowledge with regard to this topic, so the teacher decides to begin the unit by inviting a state park ranger to speak to the class about state geography and show them examples of native rocks and minerals, plants, and soil samples. Which of the following outcomes is the most important benefit for student learning of the teacher's approach? A. facilitating the teacher's ability to differentiate instruction according to students' varied skill levels B. motivating students to pursue additional information about the topic independently C. providing students with a common body of information to serve as an anchor for upcoming instruction D. enabling the teacher to informally assess students' interest in the unit topic
31. C
Students in a third-grade class have been studying natural resources. During a recent problem-solving activity, the students had an idea for a project to help raise schoolwide awareness about the need to conserve resources. The teacher had students work in small groups to create a presentation to gain the principal's approval to implement their project. The teacher's approach is likely to be most effective in achieving which of the following instructional goals? A. promoting the development of students' ability to communicate information accurately B. deepening students' conceptual understanding of content C. providing opportunities for students to engage in meaningful communication in authentic contexts D. helping individual students recognize their leadership potential
47. B
Students in an eighth-grade English language arts class recently completed a literature unit focusing on identifying literary themes. The results of the end-of-unit assessment indicate that, although most students passed the assessment, the class as a whole appears to have a tenuous grasp of the concept. The most appropriate step for the teacher to take in response to this situation is to: A. create weekly homework packets on unit concepts to give students additional opportunities to practice the concepts independently B. examine instructional plans to identify areas where adjustments can be made to provide students with additional reinforcement and guided practice with unit concepts C. move forward with planned instruction but include items related to this unit's concepts on upcoming end-of-unit assessments D. administer a second assessment of unit concepts to ensure that initial assessment results are a valid measure of students' understanding
A
Students in an elementary school classroom have varied learning preferences. In this situation, the teacher can best promote learning for all students by emphasizing which of the following approaches? A. implementing activities that address multiple learning modalities as a regular part of instruction B. surveying students regularly to monitor changes in their learning preferences C. gathering feedback from students about their preferred learning activities at the end of each unit D. designing learning center activities that address a different modality each week
69. D
Students' overall scores on state mathematics assessments have declined each year for the last three years. A highly qualified fifth-grade teacher has been asked b the principal to lead colleagues in professional learning activities to help address this decline. As a leader of the professional learning efford, the fifth-grade teacher should ensure that colleagues: A. observe instruction in one another's classrooms to establish a frame of reference for evaluating potential strategies for use in instruction B. cite specific research in their lesson plans that supports the use of new instructional approaches and student activities C. ask a grade-level team member to review planned lessons that include new techniques or strategies before implementation D. participate actively in identifying goals for improved student outcomes and analyzing data related to the goals for improvement
72. A
Teachers who have a goal of providing equitable instruction to diverse groups of students should begin by considering which of the following questions? A. do I allow differences in culture, language, and behavior to shape my perceptions about students' motivation and ability to learn B. how frequently do I interact with individual students to make sure that I am meeting their needs? C. am i consistent in providing an equal amount of time to each student, regardless of culture, language, and behavior D. have I clearly communicated my belief that my students are capable of mastering the targeted concepts and skills
44. D
The seventh-grade teachers in a school are planning their first cross-curricular unit. The teachers have reviewed relevant content standards and identified interdependence as the unifying theme for the unit. Which of the following steps would be most appropriate and effective for the teachers to take next in the planning process? A. preparing an annotated list of instructional resources related to the theme of the unit that individual teachers can use to plan lessons B. assigning each teacher a specific responsibility for planning activities and assignments that support the theme of the unit C. creating a standard format for written lesson plans that reflects the targeted standards as well as the theme of the unit D. developing a planning web on which to note connections among specific ideas in each content area and the theme of the unit
59. D
Throughout the school year, students in an eighth-grade science class conduct internet research on a wide range of topics. The teacher wants to facilitate students' ability to determine the credibility of the information they find. Which of the following strategies would best support students in this area? A. encouraging students to explore each of the links provided by a Web site before using information from the site B. preselecting several reputable Web sites for students to use in information searches C. requiring students to use a general reference source, such as an encyclopedia, to verify online information D. helping students develop a checklist of criteria to use when evaluating online information sources
54. D
Which of the following approaches represents the most effective way to differentiate instruction for a class fifth-grade students who perform at a wide range of skill levels? A. revising academic standards to accommodate students' individual skill levels B. acquiring the textbooks used at lower or higher grade levels as appropriate for students' needs C. implementing small-group activities in which each group includes students at various skill levels D. designing multi-level assignments for students that address the essential concepts being taught
52. B
Which of the following assignments would be most effective in promoting third graders' higher order of thinking? A. locating a list of cities that have hosted the olympic games B. using the information in a bar graph to answer word problems C. measuring the daily growth of a bean plant D. answering a survey about favorite foods
64. A
Which of the following capabilities is the most important benefit for teachers who use social networking technology to build professional learning communities? A. provision of a platform for teachers' work and demonstrations of practice for analysis and feedback B. encryption of students' assessment data and other confidential information C. promotion of teachers' comfort with and proficiency in using technology to improve practice D. moderation of comments and participation by an objective third party
A
Which of the following cognitive advances typically occurs between the ages of six and nine? A. making the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" B. replacing magical beliefs with plausible explanations C. identifying cause-and-effect relationships in familiar situations D. distinguishing the difference between estimating and guessing
C
Which of the following instructional practices is most likely to communicate high expectations for student learning? A. identifying at least one major assignment during each grading period that will not be graded B. developing a routine for calling on each student in the class every day C. returning students' work that is not up to standards with specific suggestions for improvement D. tailoring students' goals according to their current level of achievement
57. A
Which of the following questioning techniques would be most effective in maintaining students' attention during large-group instruction? A. call on a student who volunteers to answer, ask the student a question, and then have the class confirm the accuracy of the student's response B. address questions to the entire class, give students time to think, and then call randomly on individual students to answer C. allow students to provide answers to questions at will without waiting for the teacher to call to them D. Follow a predictable pattern when calling on individual students to answer questions
50. C
Which of the following questions is most important for a teacher to consider when selecting resources to support classroom instruction? A. are the materials durable and easy to use? B. do the materials make explicit connections with other disciplines? C. are the materials free of gender and cultural bias? D. Is a high-quality user's guide available for the materials
70. B
Which of the following scenarios is the best example of a teacher acting in a leadership role at the local level? A. a social studies teacher creates "This Day in History" podcasts for students spotlighting important historical events and individuals of the date B. a mathematics teacher shares information with the school board on how high-stakes assessments impact teaching practices and student learning C. an English language arts teacher regularly responds to online blogs that discuss trends in media coverage of important news events D. A fine arts teacher attends a district meeting for fine arts teachers when the colleague who was slated to go to the meeting is unable to attend
C
Which of the following situations most clearly illustrates how a student's development in one domain (e.g. cognitive, linguistic, physical, social, emotional) can affect the development and/or performance in another domain? A. a student with severe physical disabilities exhibits strong verbal and conceptual skills in academic work B. a student who is a talented athlete is also one of the highest achievers in the school in math and science C. a student with low self-esteem refuses to attempt new or challenging learning tasks because he is sure he will fail D. a student who is bilingual shows similar skills and confidence in both languages in which he is proficient
B
Which of the following skills is most important to emphasize first in helping kindergarten students develop emotional intelligence? A. using "I" messages when communicating feelings B. recognizing and labeling feelings in themselves and others C. expressing empathy for others' negative feelings D. identifying creative outlets for expressing their feelings
C
Which of the following statements best describes current thinking about second-language without instruction during childhood? A. children possess an innate ability to learn a second language that adults do not possess B. second-language competence decreases dramatically as children enter adolescence C. childhood is a sensitive period of development when children are particularly responsive to second-language learning D. neural pathways in the brain's language centers are forming during childhood, facilitating second-language learning
D
Which of the following statements best describes the role that classroom routines play in creating a productive learning environment? A. they help ensure that students demonstrate appropriate behavior during teacher-directed activities B. they enhance students' ability to complete assigned learning tasks in a timely manner C. they reduce miscommunication and negative interaction between students during small-group activities D. they provide structure and predictability that allows students to focus their attention on learning
A
Which of the following statements describes a significant limitation in the application of behavioral learning theory? A. processes such as students' grasp of concepts and problem-solving strategies are difficult to observe directly B. students' background experiences with regard to any given topic are likely to vary greatly C. the amount of content that can be taught must be reduced to facilitate all students' skill development D. tangible reinforcers can distract students from processing information into long-term memory
71. B
Which of the following statements describes the most important reason for a teacher to reflect on and examine his or her worldview? A. disparities in a teacher's and students' worldviews determine the extent to which a teacher can provide students with appropriate instruction B. a teacher's worldview serves as a filter through which the teacher views students' needs, motivations, and abilities C. differences between a teacher's and students' worldviews are the primary barrier to students' ability to achieve at the highest levels D. an understanding of his or her worldview promotes a teacher's recognition of students' values and beliefs
26. A
Which of the following strategies is most important in providing student-centered instruction that is tailored to students' individual strengths and needs? A. engaging students in an ongoing cycle of goal setting and reflection B. adopting a flexible approach in applying evaluative criteria to students' work C. allowing students to define their own learning objectives and evaluative criteria D. relying primarily on information from peer assessments when assigning students' grades
B
Which of the following student assignments is likely to be most effective in helping middle school teacher learn about the values and beliefs of students' diverse culltures? A. providing various materials for students to use to construct a collage about their family B. having students interview an adult family member about his or her life as a child and stories he or she remembers from childhood C. asking students to fill out a questionnaire about their daily routines and favorite recreational activities D. designing a writing prompt in which students describe the person in their lives whom they most admire and want to be like
34. C
Which of the following techniques would be most effective in helping a teacher gain insight into kindergarten students' development in a particular area? A. analyzing video recordings of students engaged in routine classroom activities B. engaging students in frequent informal conversations about their interests and activities C. implementing systematic observations of students' performances in the targeted area D. having students periodically complete a self-report inventory about their abilities in specific areas