Praxis Continued

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Select whether the assessment described is norm referenced or criterion referenced. 1. A multiple-choice test that evaluates basic mathematics skills for the purpose of determining the students need for academic support 2. A mathematics test provided by the district twice each year that determines student mastery of state performance standards 3. A pretest and posttest that evaluate teaching effectiveness and students' learning progress in mathematics

Assessment 1 is norm referenced. A prime example of a norm-referenced test is one that is used to determine a need for academic support. A norm-referenced test helps ascertain whether a student has ACQUIRED THE SKILLS NEEDED TO FUNCTION SUCCESSFULLY AT HIS OR HER GRADE LEVEL. Assessment 2 is criterion referenced. Criterion-referenced tests are often used to determine whether a student has obtained the expected knowledge and skills in a certain area and whether there are any gaps in learning. Assessment 3 is criterion referenced. Criterion-referenced tests are also used to evaluate the effectiveness of a course of study.

[STUDY} Third-grade students are having trouble accepting that negative 2 is greater than negative 5 because their second-grade teacher taught them that the higher the number, the greater the value. The students are struggling to accept this mathematical principle because they are most likely experiencing

Cognitive dissonance is the mental stress that results from trying to hold two contradictory beliefs at the same time, usually occurring when presented with a new idea that is in conflict with an existing idea. Students are likely struggling with the conflict between what they were taught about positive numbers and what they are now learning about negative numbers.

According to the psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, children's moral reasoning processes mature over time.

- A child obeys because an authority figure says to obey; morality is based on little thought and avoiding punishment. Least complex because young children's moral reasoning is based on understanding that they must obey parents, caretakers, and authority figures, or they may be punished. - A child obeys because it is in one's best interest to obey; morality is based on rewards and self-interest. Indicates that preteen children understand that by obeying rules and being compliant life is orderly and comfortable. - A child's actions emphasize healthy interpersonal relationships; morality is based on loyalty to the group. Most complex because it indicates that for teenagers being accepted and belonging to a group is an important aspect of their lives and provides guidelines for how to behave in situations requiring moral judgments.

Under the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which of the following strategies is an example of a modification a teacher can most appropriately make in a classroom to meet the needs of a student with a learning disability? (Rules)

- Adapting content areas by simplifying vocabulary and content load A MODIFICATION is defined as an alteration in content material that requires a structural or cognitive change in the level of the material.

When structuring reading groups according to student level of ability, which of the following is the best practice?

- Basing students' placement on their most recent reading assessment Students can be grouped in a number of configurations such as same ability, mixed ability, or pairs but their placement should be based on their most recent reading assessment to ensure the placement accurately reflects their current reading level.

Which TWO of the following are distinguishing characteristics of interdisciplinary instruction? (Classroom content knowledge)

- Combines knowledge and skills associated with two or more content areas - Uses teams of teachers to plan lessons, deliver instruction, and create assessments Interdisciplinary instruction synthesizes more than one discipline and relies on teams of teachers to enrich students' learning experience.

A fourth-grade teacher is seeking information about research-based strategies for improving students' reading comprehension of informational texts. Which of the following is the best professional-development activity for the teacher to pursue?

- Consulting an academic journal in the field of reading National professional organizations publish academic journals which contain peer-reviewed articles on research in their field. The teacher can consult the journal's index or a periodicals database to identify articles on the particular topic of interest.

Several weeks after completing a unit on butterflies, a teacher asks students to recall information about the life cycle of butterflies. The teacher reminds the students about the bulletin board they created on this topic. Which of the following types of memory is the teacher prompting students to use?

- Episodic Episodic memory uses the ability to learn, store, and retrieve information about personal experiences that occur in daily life, often including details about the time and place of an event. The teacher relies on students' episodic memory to recall the information about butterflies displayed on the bulletin board.

Which of the following is a teacher's best strategy for increasing the number of students who participate in class discussions and improving the quality of their responses?

- Increasing the wait time between asking a question and selecting a student to answer Wait time is the period of silence between the time a question is asked and the time when students respond to the question. Research shows that increasing wait time positively affects both the frequency and quality of student responses.

A fourth-grade teacher places students in small groups. Each group receives a soil sample from a geographic region of the United States. The teacher instructs students to examine the sample and note its characteristics. Students then study various geographic regions, including each region's vegetation, animal life, minerals, and natural resources. The teacher challenges students to use the information they have found about the sample and each region to hypothesize the sample's origin. The activity is an example of which of the following instructional models?

- Indirect Instruction Indirect instruction is a student-centered instructional model that is based on a high level of student involvement in observing, investigating, drawing inferences from data, or forming hypotheses.

A fourth-grade class contains several students who are reading below grade level. Which of the following is the best activity for improving their reading fluency and comprehension?

- Participating in readers' theater In readers' theater, students perform by reading scripts created from grade-level books or stories. It is highly effective for improving fluency and enhancing comprehension.

Which of the following is the best assessment for a teacher to use to quantify students' specific strengths and weaknesses in reading?

- Running record Quantified results are expressed as measurements of number or amount. The running record collects and analyzes information about students' reading abilities, specifically their error and self-correction rates, and expresses the results as number counts.

Which of the following types of memory is primarily increased by chunking information? (Psychology)

- Short-Term Memory Chunking requires organizing information into smaller or shorter meaningful pieces, thereby increasing a person's capacity to recall information using short-term memory.

Which of the following learning theories is a physical education teacher applying by pairing less skilled players with more skilled players for tennis practice?

- Social development Vygotsky's theory of social development supports that learning occurs as a result of interacting with more a knowledgeable other (MKO), a person who has a higher level of ability than the learner. By pairing a less skilled player with a more skilled player (MKO), the teacher is promoting the learning of the less skilled player.

Which of the following best describes the scope and sequence of a curriculum guide?

- The content of the curriculum and the order in which it will be presented The scope is the depth and breadth of the content to be covered, and the sequence is the specific order the units within the curriculum are to be taught.

The following is a goal statement written by a third-grade student. I will try harder in math. I will do better on Friday math quizzes. I will raise the grade on my next report card from a C to a B. A teacher can best improve the goal by recommending that the student

- make the goal more specific Well-written goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and time bound. The student's goal contains a measure and a timeline—raising the report card grade to a B by the end of the marking period, and the goal seems achievable for a third-grader. However, the goal lacks specificity. There is no identification of what constitutes trying harder and doing better.

Which of the following assessments is most likely to be criterion referenced?

-A chapter test from a textbook A criterion-referenced assessment measures how well students perform against a fixed set of learning standards and returns scores as the number of correct responses rather than a ranking against peers. A test at the end of textbook chapter generally measures how much of the content presented in the chapter the students learned.

Ms. Blaine wants to introduce students to peer assessment. She plans to begin by asking students to brainstorm criteria for evaluating each other's work. She then plans to give students time to apply the criteria to a partner's work as she provides feedback about how well the students are doing. Finally, she and the students will talk about how they can improve their peer assessment in the future. Which of the following changes will best improve Ms. Blaine's lesson?

-Adding a step where students practice applying criteria to sample work The outlined plan is most improved by offering students the opportunity to apply the developed criteria to samples of work of varying quality before attempting to evaluate peers' work.

Which of the following examples best represents analytical scoring on an essay?

-Assigning a B for content and an A for mechanics. Analytical scoring requires that an essay be evaluated in parts, rather than just as a whole

Which of the following responsibilities is primarily considered part of a paraeducator's role when working with a classroom teacher?

-Assisting the teacher with planning and instruction. The paraeducator can assist the classroom teacher with both instruction and planning. They are not trained to devise a program of study on their own, nor should they be responsible for all instructional decisions, assessment, and analysis.

A reading teacher wants to create an assessment that will require students to answer questions at the evaluation level of Bloom's taxonomy. The best assessment for meeting the teacher's goal is to have students do which of the following?

-Critique an author's point of view. The evaluation level of Bloom's taxonomy requires students to make a judgment about a text by presenting and defending opinions. Critiquing readings is an assessment that can be used to assess a learning objective on the evaluation level of Bloom's taxonomy.

A sixth-grade teacher begins a literary unit with a roundtable discussion focusing on students' personal life experiences and their aspirations for the future. Which of the following reasons best explains the teacher's rationale for choosing this activity?

-Learning about students' diverse backgrounds to understand their unique cultural filters. Learning about the students' backgrounds will help the teacher better understand the students and their unique cultural filters.

Which of the following is the most appropriate use of an analytical checklist for assessment in the classroom?

-Monitoring student success at completing a multistep project An analytical checklist allows a teacher to assess how students perform on a VARIETY of facets or at different steps of an assignment.

A fifth-grade science teacher is preparing a unit on biodiversity. Which of the following is the best initial action the teacher can take to support the learning of English-language learners in the class?

-Preteaching content-related vocabulary to the English-language learners before each lesson English-language learners have difficulty in content-area learning because they are unfamiliar with the language of academic subjects. Pre-teaching vocabulary allows English-language learners to identify vocabulary and place it in context when they encounter it in texts or lessons.

When addressing continued misbehavior, teachers can best establish expectations for student behavior by developing clear rules and procedures as well as by doing which of the following?

-Providing consequences for student misbehavior. Students need to be aware of the rules and procedures that they need to follow to be in compliance and understand that there are consequences for not adhering to the established rules and procedures of the classroom.

A fourth-grade teacher observes that several students are upset about their mathematics grades. The students are receiving low grades on daily assignments and weekly quizzes, and some are beginning to show signs of low self-efficacy. Which of the following teacher actions will most help the students regain their self-efficacy? (Classroom support)

-Providing students with descriptive and specific feedback that aligns with their strengths When students receive feedback that communicates their ability and capability to perform a task, they are more likely to invest in the task by putting in more effort. Providing descriptive, actionable feedback can help students understand their performance and prompt them to make their best effort.

Level of Bloom's Taxonomy

-Reciting Newton's laws of motion involves the recall of knowledge. -Explaining Newton's laws of motion involves comprehension. -Calculating kinetic energy requires the APPLICATION of knowledge. -Differentiating between different types of energy requires analysis.

Which of the following strategies best targets students' zone of proximal development during reading instruction?

-Selecting guided reading books for students at a level above their independent level. By selecting guided reading books for students that are one level above their independent level, the teacher will effectively challenge the students by taking them out of their comfort zone while being there to offer support and guidance to teach new concepts and strategies. The teacher is using scaffolding to reach the students in the zone of proximal development.

A fourth-grade teacher is about to start a reading lesson, but the classroom is noisy with talkative students. Which of the following is the most effective nonverbal communication strategy that the teacher can use to capture students' attention in order to begin the lesson?

-Standing still at the front of the room while staring at the clock. Of the options given, the most effective nonverbal communication strategy that the teacher can use to capture students' attention in order to begin the lesson is for the teacher to stand still at the front of the room and stare at the clock until the students are quiet.

Library media specialists in a school setting are primarily responsible for

-supporting the development of information and technological literacy Library media specialists work with students, teachers, and administrators to promote information and technological literacy in a variety of ways.

Which of the following is the most important question for a teacher to consider when reading the results of a study on an instructional intervention?

Does the intervention meet a need of my students? Instructional interventions are used to address identified student needs. Therefore, no matter how large a study is or how well it has been validated, the most important question for the teacher to answer is if the intervention is appropriate for his or her students.

Due Process

Due process provides an individual with the right to a fair and unbiased hearing when accused of violating a law or, in the case of Goss v. Lopez, a school rule. The Court's decision affirmed that students have the right to due process and that due process procedures apply to disciplinary processes within schools.

Running Record

A formative assessment and are one way to document teacher observations of reading behaviors. The process of conducting a running record includes the teacher taking notes on the student's errors and corrections when he or she is orally reading a leveled text.

Episodic

A person's memory of a specific event. Because each person has a different perspective and experience of an event, their episodic memory of that event is unique. Episodic memory is a category of long-term memory that involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences.

instructional intervention

A program or set of steps to help kids improve at things they struggle with. Instructional interventions focus on subjects like reading or math. They're designed so that you and the school can track your child's progress.

The primary benefit of using scoring guides for student assessment is that: (What are Scoring Guides?)

A scoring guide is an evaluation tool that is used to promote the consistent application of standards to measure student performance against predetermined criteria. (Rubric)

Stanine Score

A stanine ("standard nine") score is a way to scale scores on a nine-point scale. It can be used to convert any test score to a single-digit score. [1-4] Bellow Average, [5] average, [6-9] Above Average

Semantic Memory

A type of 'declarative' (explicit, consciously recalled) memory. -Recalling certain facts with meaning, as opposed to the recall of past life events associated with episodic memory. -[Example]: recalling that you listen to music using your ears does not require knowing when or where you first learned this fact.

gross-motor delay

when a child is not rolling, crawling, walking, or doing other gross motor activities when the child is at the right age to do those things. Gross motor activities are big movements that use the arms, legs, and torso (middle of the body).

Procedural

Implicit knowledge of tasks that usually do not require conscious recall to perform them. One example would be riding a bike -you might struggle to consciously recall how to manage the task, but we can [unconsciously] perform it with relative ease.

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

Make sure public schools provide a quality education for all kids. ESSA gives states more of a say in how schools account for student achievement. This includes the achievement of disadvantaged students.

Criterion Referenced

Measures how well students perform against a fixed set of learning standards and returns scores as the number of correct responses rather than a ranking against peers. [What and How much a person learned from their experience.]

Before students read a chapter from the class novel, the teacher asks them to record a prediction in their reading journals about what they think is going to happen. After they finish reading the chapter, the teacher asks them to comment on the predictions they made before reading. The act of making and thinking about predictions is primarily an example of

Metacognition - Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's thinking and cognitive processes. An aspect of metacognition is prediction because it requires students to use prior knowledge or evidence to anticipate what might happen at a later time or as a result of an action or situation.

Which of the following variables exerts the most influence on a student's academic achievement?

Parents' level of education A large body of research has shown a link between parental education levels and child outcomes such as educational experience, attainment, and academic achievement.

What is the difference between Reflection and Metacognition

Reflection is an act of looking back in order to process experiences. Metacognition, a type of reflection, is a way of thinking about one's thinking in order to grow. - Reflection is more how you felt in the moment and what happen. -Metacognition is breaking down the filling to understand Why.

What is the difference between a percentile Rank and a Grade-equivalent score? (Assessment)

The Grade Equivalent corresponding to a given score on any test indicates the grade level at which the typical student obtains this score. ... A percentile rank indicating the status or relative rank of a student's score compared with a nationally representative sample of examiners of a similar grade.

A fifth-grade teacher wrote the following learning objective on the board before beginning a lesson that the principal was observing. - Students will be able to appreciate the need for community members to take a more active role in environmental issues affecting them.- The principal requested that the teacher rewrite the objective. Which of the following is the most likely reason for the principal's request?

The objective needs to include observable and measurable verbs in its statement. The teacher used a vague, undefined, and unmeasurable verb, "will be able to appreciate," in the objective. A well-crafted objective should include the skills that the students will demonstrate and the conditions under which they will demonstrate the skills.

occupational therapist

Treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills needed for daily living and working.

Ms. Bhodi is a first-year teacher who has difficulty reflecting on her practice. Which of the following actions will be most helpful for strengthening her REFLECTION SKILLS?

Viewing and analyzing videos of her own lessons. Reflection is an introspective, critical analysis of a process, situation, or event for the purpose of gaining knowledge, developing perspective, and identifying strategies to apply in the future. Watching videos of her own teaching is Ms. Bhodi's best method for cultivating the self-awareness needed for effective reflection.

Probing Question

help students realize and correct their mistakes and also help the teacher to identify students' misconceptions.

Peer Assessment

the assessment of students' work by other students of equal status. Students often undertake peer assessment in conjunction with formal self-assessment. They reflect on their own efforts, and extend and enrich this reflection by exchanging feedback on their own and their peers' work.

Schema

the basic building block of intelligent behavior. Schemata enable people to form a mental representation of the world by organizing and adapting units of knowledge.

Which of the following statements by a fifth grader best exemplifies attribution?

- "I'm late to class because the hallways were crowded." Attribution theory offers an explanation for the process individuals use to explain the cause of their behavior. Attribution generally seeks to assign the discomfort resulting from an individual's behavior to another cause or person. The student is using attribution to explain how the crowded hallways resulted in lateness to class.

The primary benefit of using scoring guides for student assessment is that

-Teachers have an evaluative standard that promotes consistent scoring A scoring guide is an evaluation tool that is used to promote the consistent application of standards to measure student performance against predetermined criteria.

Which of the following actions is the best example of a student using short-term memory to complete an instructional task?

-Using a table of contents to quickly locate a specific chapter in a textbook When a student refers to a table of contents to locate particular content in an informational text, the student uses short-term memory to store and process a limited amount of information to meet an immediate need.