PPR Review Exam 2018

Mrs. Hinton is a new teacher who is engaging in a parent conference with the father of one of his students, Jacob. The following is part of a conversation between Jacob's father, Mr. Wilson and Mrs. Hinton during the parent-teacher conference. Mrs. Hinton (teacher): So, Mr. Wilson, do you have any other questions about Jacob? Mr. Wilson (parent): Actually, I do. I was wondering you could tell me why Stephanie was suspended? She and Jacob are friends and she has come to our house to study with him. Should I discourage this friendship? According to the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, which of the following is Mrs. Hinton's most appropriate response?

"I make it my policy never to discuss matters involving students with anyone other than their parents and the counselor."

The following dialogue occurs between Mr. Jimenez and a parent while discussing the benchmark data at a parent-teacher conference. Mr. Jimenez: Thanks for coming, Ms. Lester. Cameron told me that he scored three goals at his soccer game last night. Ms. Lester: Yes, I am very proud of him. Did Cameron take the state standardized reading test already? Mr. Jimenez: No, it was a test created by the district. Ms. Lester: How do these tests help him? Mr. Jimenez: Teachers analyze the data from these tests, along with other information gathered about students, to plan appropriate instruction. I think this is a good time to discuss Cameron's reading skills by looking at this test and other information I have collected. Cameron reads very fluently and with great expression. He really shines when we perform readers' theater. Based on the test results, it looks like we need to focus on improving his skills in reading comprehension and higher-order thinking. (Mr. Jimenez and Ms. Lester continue to discuss Cameron's reading skills.) Mr. Jimenez: Do you have any additional questions or concerns? Ms. Lester: I looked into getting a tutor to help Cameron with reading, but he did not want to go by himself. Can you give me a list of other students who could use extra help with reading? The most appropriate response from Mr. Jimenez to Ms. Lester's final question about tutoring is for him to make which of the following statements?

"If you give me the tutor's information, I can share it with parents who express interest in tutoring as I conference with them."

Mr. Gutierrez needs to copy some material for use in his classroom but wants to make sure he does not run afoul of the national guidelines for fair use policy. Which of the following may be legally photocopied for educational purposes?

A cartoon from a newspaper

Mr. Langston's believes in holding his students to high expectations. Which of the following is NOT an effective strategy in establishing and maintaining high expectations for his students?

Actively monitoring the classroom.

A middle school Language Arts teacher is wanting to scaffold the reading of nonfiction texts for her English-language Learners who are at the beginning level of English-language proficiency. The best way to achieve this is for her to provide which of the following scaffolds for the students?

Adapted texts that will reduce the amount of reading.

Mrs. Ramirez has her students gathering data about the price of school lunches over time in the United States. The students are considering factors like geographic region, food options offered, the basic economic climate, and year. The students are using spreadsheet software and the internet to make sense of their data. She develops some self-assessment questions for the students to help the students track their understanding and progress during this long-term project. Which of the following activities would provide an opportunity for students to make predictions about the price of school lunches?

After graphing the data, identifying the two factors that have the greatest impact on the price of school lunches and determine if prices will rise or fall.

Which of the following activities would be most successful at actively engaging a 6th-grade science student in understanding how squid survive?

After viewing a video, join lab partner for dissection of squid, diagram the parts of the squid, and identify each part's purpose within the squid's environment.

Mrs. Rollins, a 2nd-grade teacher, has noticed one of her students, Paul, is struggling with some organization and staying on task in class. It is starting to impact his grades and even his relationships with his peers. Mrs. Rollins would like to establish communication with Paul's parents to keep them informed about the issues Paul is having. What is the best way for her to foster effective communication with Paul's parents?

An initial phone call to discuss the issues she is observing with a plan to update them on a regular basis.

Mr. Givens has assigned a research project to the students in his senior government class regarding voting and how the popular vote is different than the electoral vote. Following the research portion of the assignment, he requires students to hold a mock election for the neighboring elementary school. The primary purpose of the mock election is for the high school students to develop which of the following skills?

Application

Mr. Allen has his high school math students working on factoring algebraic equations. Before students leave for the day he wants to make sure all students understand the material. What is the least effective way for him to check for understanding?

Ask "does everyone understand?" to the whole class.

Which of the following techniques is not effective for checking for understanding?

Ask the students if they understand the lesson.

Mr. Butler is preparing for a parent-teacher conference and wants to emphasize the importance of family involvement in a student's academic success. Which of the following elements of effective parent-teacher conferences best promotes family involvement in a student's academic success?

Asking families to provide insights into the student's strengths and areas of need

Before beginning a new unit in her Social Studies class room, Ms. Kelly has her students complete a survey that allows them to evaluate their own knowledge of the topic they are about to cover. For each topic, they must rate their knowledge as "expert, average or novice." The main benefit of doing this with her class is that is provides the students with an opportunity to

Assess their own knowledge.

What is the value of building in time for discussion at the end of a lesson instead of teaching right up to the bell?

Assessing what students have learned and preparing for where to begin the next day.

A new teacher is struggling with classroom management and keeping her students on task during her lessons. Which of the following actions will most effectively help the teacher overcome these difficulties?

Attending professional-development classes for lesson ideas and discussing teaching practices.

Mr. Destin is a new teacher that is struggling with timing his lessons correctly. Some days he has too much time left at the end of class and other days he seems to run out of time. What is a strategy that Mr. Destin can use to be better prepared for this situation?

Be prepared with extra learning activities for the days that his lessons move faster than he is expecting.

When leading a classroom discussion, the teacher would use all but one of the following techniques to address the needs of her diverse learners.

Circuit learning

Third-grade students work in small groups to gather information about the physical properties of various objects. Students are also required to complete activities in groups using the gathered information. According to Bloom's taxonomy, which of the following activities is at the analyzing level?

Comparing the physical properties of a science textbook and of a magnet

After reading a story about Snow White, Mrs. Brazzel has her class retell the story from the different perspectives of each of the characters. The primary benefit of the lesson is to develop the students' ability to

Consider multiple viewpoints.

Inappropriate interactions among students can lead to disorder and hostility. How does the effective teacher quickly address these potentially harmful interactions?

Consistently enforcing behavior standards and implementing conflict resolution strategies.

A 4th grade math teacher asks her students to find the area of a rectangle. She then asks them to draw a rectangle twice as large as the first and find the area of the second shape. She then has the students respond to the following questions, "What happens to the area of the rectangle when the size is doubled?" This best demonstrates the teacher's understanding of which of the following learning theories?

Constructivist

In Mr. Shorter's social studies class, groups of students work together on common assignments. Sometimes the assignments are short and other times they are long. Mr. Shorter occasionally assigns roles. What learning strategy is Mr. Shorter incorporating into his lessons?

Cooperative Learning

When preparing multimedia presentations that include copyright-protected digital content, what is the best way to ensure compliance with fair-use guidelines?

Copy and use only a portion of each work.

Which of the following is allowed according to the national guidelines established for fair use?

Copying only a small portion of a book needed for teaching a concept.

At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Flowers arranges her seats into groups so that students can work together easily. She also plays several name games so that students can get to know each other's names. Mrs. Flowers spends time creating rules and consequences so that students know exactly what is expected of them. Each day Mrs. Flowers greets her students and ask them about their time away from school? What is Mrs. Flowers working to do in her classroom?

Create a positive and productive learning environment.

Mrs. Toups, a 5th grade teacher in an advanced math classroom is using an online stock market simulation to teach her students about economics. Students have $100,000 to invest in the stock simulation and they must track their investments overtime. During the project, her students will work independently to address the economics and technology objectives. Many of her students are unfamiliar with the stock market, so this is a challenge that her project faces. To prepare, Mrs. Toups creates the following lesson sequence for the project: Days 1-3: provide project details and background information about the stock market and the online simulation. Days 4-5: Facilitate the selection of stocks through internet research. Days 6-18: Support students as they track their investments using a spreadsheet. Days 19-20: Present an evaluation of the success of the students' investment strategies, using graphs created in a spreadsheet program. Based on the sequence of the lesson, when would it be most beneficial to students to provide them instruction on a decision-making strategy?

Days 4-5

What is the best way to help students use materials successfully in learning centers?

Demonstrate ways to use materials when introducing them.

A seventh-grade science class will be reviewing for a test by working through some lab experiments with partners. The experiments are designed to help students review the material they have previously learned prior to an upcoming test. Students are required to write up a brief lab report at the end of the experiment highlighting the key learning from that experiment. Which of the following strategies would help clearly outline the material that is expected in the lab report?

Develop a rubric for each lab that students can use as a guide.

Mrs. Toups, a 5th grade teacher in an advanced math classroom is using an online stock market simulation to teach her students about economics. Students have $100,000 to invest in the stock simulation and they must track their investments overtime. During the project, her students will work independently to address the economics and technology objectives. Many of her students are unfamiliar with the stock market, so this is a challenge that her project faces. To prepare, Mrs. Toups creates the following lesson sequence for the project: Days 1-3: provide project details and background information about the stock market and the online simulation. Days 4-5: Facilitate the selection of stocks through internet research. Days 6-18: Support students as they track their investments using a spreadsheet. Days 19-20: Present an evaluation of the success of the students' investment strategies, using graphs created in a spreadsheet program. What is the primary benefit for Mrs. Toups' students engaging in the self-directed online stock market simulation?

Developing their awareness of responsibility for their own learning.

Mrs. McDowell notices some abrupt changes in one of her 4th grade students, Lainey. Though Lainey has never had behavior issues, she is now consistently disrupting class, and making significantly lower grades than she used to. Mrs. McDowell has also noticed that Lainey has been hanging around a different group of students, many of whom have a history of behavior issues like the ones Lainey is now exhibiting. What is the best initial response for Mrs. McDowell?

Discuss her concerns with Lainey in a firm but caring manner, while gathering information so she can better assist her.

Mr. Welsh wants her students to be safe when they are using technology resources at school. An important piece of this process is to make sure students are familiar with and follow the schools Acceptable Use Policies (AUP). A good acceptable use policy would include all of the following EXCEPT.

Do not go online without the teacher's permission.

Mrs. Jones has a paraprofessional in her classroom during her 3rd-period class. Mrs. Jones wants to make sure that she utilizes the para effectively. Which of the following activities is the paraprofessional allowed to do in the classroom?

Enforce the classroom management system.

Whenever she gets a new student in her 4th grade Language Arts classroom, Mrs. Yates, always conducts an informal reading assessment. What is the main purpose of this type of evaluation?

Establishing appropriate learning goals and instruction.

When taking students on a field trip with parents as chaperones, which of the following is the best way for the teacher to communicate the expectations to the chaperones?

Explaining the rules for the field trip to each chaperone will best communicate the expectations to the chaperones.

At the end of the grading period, Mr. Hall, a middle school teacher, had his advisory (homeroom) students review their academic portfolios, which include a variety of their work samples from each class and content area. He asks students to identify their areas of strength and weakness. Using this strategy, Mr. Hall is helping students develop which of the following?

Goal-setting skills

What is considered best practice for a student who is trying to establish clear school routines and procedures in his or her classroom?

Have students practice the school routines and procedures.

What is the best way to create buy-in from the students regarding classroom rules and consequences?

Include the students in creating the rules and consequences.

Mrs. Luther has set up the following procedures in his classroom: Use hand signals to ask to use the restroom. Do not ask to leave the classroom during whole group time. If finished with your classwork before others, read a book or work on something from your incomplete work folder. All of these are ways Mrs. Luther is working to reduce ______________.

Interruptions

Which of the following questioning techniques is used to get the students to adopt your way of thinking?

Leading Questions

During a whole group lesson, Mrs. Hearn notices that one of her students, Eric is rustling papers and distracting the students around him. Eric doesn't seem to be doing so intentionally, but Mrs. Hearn would like for the noise and distraction to stop. What is the best way for her to address the behavior with the least amount of disruption to the lesson?

Make eye contact with Eric and signal him to stop.

Mrs. Owallobe is working on creating a schedule for her kindergarten class. Which of the following is the least important consideration when making the schedule?

Making sure that PE is before lunch so students will have a strong appetite.

Mr. Gaona examines the following student data noting the number of correct items from a diagnostic mathematics benchmark. After reading the data, Mr. Gaona plans to meet with each student to help create their individual mathematics goals. Which statistical measurement will best help Mr. Gaona identify the needs of his entire class?

Mean of the percent correct for each objective.

Mr. Ponder often creates various types of assignments that his students can choose from in order to complete the objectives of each lesson. The primary benefit of this approach is that it allows Mr. Ponder to

Meet the needs of more students.

In order to facilitate free choice during centers, Mr. Weatherly has a picture chart in his classroom. Students are to move a picture of themselves from on center to another on the chart when they change centers. If the spaces in their chosen center are full, they must choose a different center with space available. When he introduces the chart, it will most effective for him to

Move a picture of himself to different centers on the chart as he explains how to participate in the centers.

Zoe is a 4th-grade student who really enjoys collecting, caring for animals, and classifying items. What type of intelligence is Zoe expressing?

Naturalistic

At the beginning of each day, Mrs. Kwan prepares her classroom so that she is ready for each of her lessons throughout the day. She keeps all of her materials in the location that she plans to use them and always has extra copies made of any material she is planning to use. Her extra effort in the morning saves her instructional time during the days. Mrs. Kwan is an excellent example of what type of skill?

Organizational skills

Which of the following provides the most immediate and specific feedback on a student's work?

Peer editing of the draft essay.

Mr. Lunsford has a culturally diverse classroom. He is aware that students who are given opportunities to understand and accept other students' differences will not only learn about other cultures, but they will also be better prepared to participate in a heterogeneous society. What is one way he can facilitate his students to understand and accept each other?

Plan learning activities that allow for culturally diverse student groups to collaborate.

There are many types of feedback that can be provided to students in response to performance on exams or learning activities. Ms. Rogers has singled out one student in particular who was the only one to have a perfect score on the recent exam and expressed how well he had performed. Which type of feedback did she provide?

Positive Feedback

What is the most efficient way to take attendance without taking time away from instruction.

Posting a short warm-up assignment while silently recording attendance.

You are at the end of the social studies unit and have conducted a class participation activity to review for the test that will be administered the following day. You discover that a significant number of students are not able to answer the questions accurately. What is the best option?

Postpone the exam, administer a formative assessment to identify the students who cannot demonstrate mastery and provide tutoring before the exam.

Ms. Davis is teaching her class a lesson in the science lab. Before she lets them begin their group work, she goes over the proper procedures for gathering necessary lab supplies and returning them to the proper place after use. The primary reason she explains these procedures is to

Promote students' organizational skills.

What is the best way to foster collaborative skills during group decision making?

Provide a checklist of questions to ask that will promote collaboration.

Mr. Reap, an 8th-grade teacher has assigned a research project that will take place over a 6-week period. What is the best way for the teacher to ensure student success in completing the project that meets the learning expectations?

Provide a grading rubric, checkpoint dates, and monitor progress throughout the six weeks.

Ms. Carpenter frequently assigns tasks that require her students to use the internet at school, but some of her students do not have parent permission to access the internet. What is the best way for her to accommodate this situation so that her students have the same learning opportunities as their peers?

Provide an alternative activity for the students that covers the same material the class is learning.

Mr. Watson has a class of students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. He wants to be sure that he is sensitive to the challenges some of his students may have. In his current unit, students are working in Google Classroom to complete a research assignment. Which of the following ways could he be sure that all students are able to complete the home portion of the Google Classroom research assignment?

Provide time for students to use the computer lab at school if they are unable to complete their assignment at home.

When having students work in groups, what is the best way to promote equal contributions among group members?

Providing specific tasks related to the activity to each group member.

Mrs. Wright is a kindergarten teacher who believes students learn well through active play. In beginning a unit on rocks, she considers several strategies to facilitate this belief. Which of the following instructional strategies best facilitates student learning through play?

Providing students with a variety of rocks for sensory discovery and then discussing their findings

Mrs. Schriber is an English language arts teacher and wants to support student self-assessment during the writing process. Which of the following strategies will best support student self-assessment during the writing process?

Providing students with relevant questions to review during the writing process

Students in a 6th grade science class are completing a project about an invention for which they must print a 3-D prototype on the 3-D printer. After giving them instruction about the 3-D printer software, some of the students are still struggling with how to use the software to create the prototype they envision. What is the best way to help the students complete the assignment?

Providing them with a template and simple instructions for how to design and print their prototype.

In Mrs. Will's class students seem to be struggling with the retention of the content. At the end of the lesson, Mrs. Will asks questions regarding what she taught at the beginning of class and the students seem to have forgotten although they are able to remember this material taught at the end of class. This is known as the

Recency Effect.

After a long research project, a teacher has her students fill out a post project report that looks like the following: Post Project Report: Write and submit by the end of the Day 16 a one-page report that answers the following questions: What part of this project was most challenging? What was the most interesting part of the project? What do you wish you had done differently? Which of the following skills are the students developing as the complete the post project report?

Reflection

Mr. Nguyen notices that one of his English-language learners is struggling to understand what to do after being given oral instructions. What is the best strategy Mr. Nguyen should use to help develop this student's listening comprehension? Correct!

Rephrase key steps and instructions for her.

HIPAA Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a United States federal law that governs access to health care. Of the following HIPAA components, which would a teacher confront most often?

Requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information

It is Ms. Jones first time to assist in administering the STAAR test in her middle school. She attended training and is confident that she can follow the state-mandated procedures for administering the state assessment. Which of the following would be a violation of the state-mandated procedures for STAAR testing?

Review each answer document and erasing stray marks so that the intended answer can be scored.

Mrs. Wright is a very goal focused teacher. She is always setting goals for her class and making sure she sets out meaningful learning experiences so that her students can achieve the learning goals. She makes sure that the goals she sets are specific, measurable, appropriate, realistic and time-limited. What type of goal is she setting for her students?

SMART goals

At the end of each week, Mrs. Foster records multiple types of information in a notebook, including a description of the activities she included, what went well, what she might want to change the next time she approaches the subject, and the student interest level. A notebook like this is most useful to support which of the following?

Self-Assessment and reflection.

When asking questions in a large group discussion, what is the best way for a teacher to help his or her students cognitively process the questions?

Soliciting student responses after a short pause.

Having an assignment timeline will help the students understand the

Steps in the research process.

Mr. Jimenez, a high school math teacher recognizes that one of his students seems to be left out a lot when students are choosing partners or groups and picked on frequently for being different. Why is this situation particularly harmful in a high school setting?

The influence of peers is strongest in adolescence.

For a research project about endangered species, Ms. Carter has her students using the internet to gather information and answer open-ended questions. What is the biggest benefit of allowing students to use the internet over print resources?

The internet allows them the most current information on endangered species available.

Mrs. May, a 5th grade language arts teacher, is interested in learning more about differentiation to meet the needs of her mixed ability classroom, which includes gifted students, and those who receive special education services. Which of the following will help Mrs. May meet her needs?

The nearest regional education service center

Mr. Jefferson is planning for his 2nd-grade students to work in small groups for a social studies projects on goods and services. What should Mr. Jefferson consider when forming the groups?

The purpose of the activity and student strengths and weaknesses.

Why is it important for students to be able to evaluate their internet sources when doing online research?

To determine the validity of the information.

Use the dialogue between a teacher and a student and answer the question that follows. Mr. Vaughn: Which would you say is bigger, the apple or the tennis ball? Sam: They are the same size, they have the same diameter. Mr. Vaughn: What do you notice about the weights of the apple and the tennis ball? Sam: Well, the tennis ball weighs about 58 grams, and the apple weighs about 145 grams. Mr. Vaughn: If they are the same size, why do you think they have such different weights? What is the main purpose of Mr. Vaughn's questioning strategy?

To help extend Sam's knowledge.

Why is it important for teachers to make explicit connections between classroom learning centers and current thematic units?

To provide students with meaningful interaction with the content.

A third-grade class is learning about using number lines to compare numbers and solve addition and subtraction problems. What is the most effective way for the teacher to incorporate technology into a culminating activity?

Use a program that allows the students to manipulate digital number lines to solve a set of problems.

When reading a story aloud to her class, Ms. O'Neal uses different voices for each character. Which of the following principles of effective teaching does Ms. O'Neal best demonstrate?

Using enthusiasm to promote student engagement.

Mrs. Boyd is aware that her first-grade students are very concrete thinkers. She works hard to make sure that she is using her understanding of their development as she prepares her lesson. Which of the following would be useful for her to include in her math lesson on addition?

Using manipulatives to solve the addition problems.

Mrs. Peterson has a classroom made up of general education students, students with disabilities, and English Learners. Which teaching strategy would best benefit the English Learners?

Using visuals in combination with oral directions.

Mr. Jackson, a third-grade teacher works with students throughout the year on material they can perform with guidance but are not yet competent to perform alone. According to Lev Vygotsky's theory of development, what is Mr. Jackson's approach to working with his students?

Working in their the Zone of Proximal Development.

As a teacher, it is important for you to create a professional learning network. Digital tools are an important part of your Professional Learning Network because

You need to know how to use a variety of digital tools to create and manage your Professional Learning Network.

The key to the efficient completion of a task is having the right tool available and knowing how to use it. What is your role as a teacher when it comes to the different technology tools?

You should know the different categories of digital tools and which one is appropriate for a task.

A middle school science teacher notices that a student's grades are a little lower than usual since the class began a chemistry unit. To best facilitate communication with the student 's parents, the teacher should

call the parents as soon as possible regarding the matter.

Mr. Jimenez examines the following student data noting the number of correct items from a diagnostic reading benchmark. After reading the data, Mr. Jimenez plans to meet with each student to help create their individual reading goals. After analyzing the data, Mr. Jimenez most appropriate next step is to

create flexible-learning groups based on benchmark scores.

Ms. Jackson, a high school physics teacher, is asking his students to use evidence to support their answers on their lab report. This type of response is an example of

critical thinking.

Feedback is an important factor in a student's growth. Feedback is best if it is all of the following EXCEPT

delayed

Ms. Grisdale has her tenth-grade world history students research a political leader in the 1940's and create a multimedia presentation about the person's life. Before the students begin their research, Ms. Grisdale shows the students a grading rubric detailing the criteria she will use to assess the project. Using a rubric to assess the multimedia presentation is most beneficial to students because it

describes the quality of student work that is expected.

Ms. Collins needs to discuss concerns about a student's behavior with the student's parents. It is the teacher's first interaction with the parents. The most appropriate and effective mode of communication with the parents would be for the teacher to

discuss the behavior with the parents via a phone call.

Ms. Jackson has developed a chart for students to complete as they use spreadsheet software to track the success/failure of their business in her accounting class. The following is an excerpt from one of the students, Elaine:Ms. Jackson can best use the information from the charts to

guide the formation of instructional groups throughout the project.

A middle school literature class is doing a group research project. Each group selects a folktale based on the Snow-White theme and researches the customs and culture of the country from which the folktale was taken. The primary benefit of the lesson is to develop the students' ability to

have a multicultural learning experience.

The most authentic way to informally assess fourth-grade students' understanding of area is by having students

have students measure the length and width of the classroom and calculate the amount needed for carpet.

Sally is a fifth-grade student who has behavioral difficulties and is on a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). To communicate effectively with Sally's parents regarding Sally's behavior, the best method would be to

inform them daily of Sally's behavior and include positive remarks about her behavior.

Problem-solving is an instructional technique that promotes the following.

intellectual involvement and active engagement.

Mrs. Samuels has received her first teacher appraisal. She understands that the most important purpose of the teacher appraisal in Texas is to provide information for

potential areas for her professional development.

Tracy is a young fourth-grader who is struggling with behavior at school. Her parents and her teacher write a behavior contract and agree on a way to monitor how well she is doing on the contract. This collaboration between Tracy's parents and her teacher is a demonstration of the understanding that

purposeful family involvement in a student's education helps to promote positive behaviors.

You and another teacher team-teach. Your partner has been out on maternity leave and a substitute has been in her place. You have recently become aware that parents are now concerned about the length of the leave and the fact that a substitute is teaching their children for so long. To best respond to the parents' concerns, you should

reassure parents that the students are continuing to receive high-quality instruction.

Ms. Emerson is teaching a lesson and one of her sixth graders is unconsciously rocking in his seat, distracting several nearby students. To most effectively address the situation with minimal disruption, Ms. Emerson should

stand next to the student while you continue with the lesson.

As a teacher in Texas, most likely you will find students in your classroom who have limited English language skills. Your instruction for these students should be based on

the ELPS.

Mrs. Gonzalez has several English learners in her high school English class who are the beginning level of language proficiency. When teaching a lesson on verb tenses, how might she most appropriately accommodate instruction for these students?

write examples of present activity-based sentences.