Praxis 120
A school leader reviews a report regarding a new schoolwide mathematics program after its first year of implementation. Which of the following statements from the report best demonstrates the effectiveness of the program?
"Student benchmark data indicates that program objectives were met."
Which of the following practices best demonstrates a school leader's commitment to involving parents in decision making about their children's education?
A Seeking parent input when creating action plans
Which TWO of the following are essential elements of an effective school mission statement?
A brief statement that is memorable and specific to the school & The school's priorities and focus
Using which of the following instructional approaches is most effective for supporting the learning of a struggling student?
A multitiered intervention guided by student outcome data
The new school leader of a high school hears the following comments from teachers regarding changes in student demographics and low scores on state-mandated assessments. "Why are they sending these kids to our school now?" "These new kids do not seem to value getting a good education." Which of the following is the best first step for the school leader to take to improve the school culture?
Acknowledging the challenges of teaching a diverse student population in a positive and inclusive manner
A high school holds parent conferences at the end of every grading period, sends home monthly newsletters, and maintains a school Web site. A survey indicates that parents do not think they receive pertinent information from the school in a timely manner. Which of the following actions will best improve school-parent communication?
Adding a parent portal feature to the school's existing student information system
Several students have life-threatening allergies and require injectable epinephrine in emergencies. Which of the following procedures approved by the school leader best ensures the immediate availability of the medication when it is needed?
Additional nonnursing staff are trained to administer the medication, and the students are permitted to carry the medication as prescribed by a doctor.
A school leader observes a teacher's mathematics lesson. The lesson plan indicates that the learning objective is teaching students to add fractions. The lesson begins with a minilesson on adding fractions, followed by guided and independent practice using several problems. The teacher provides students with feedback and support as they work. At the close of the lesson, the teacher provides each student with an exit slip. The exit slip contains three fractions for students to reduce to the lowest common denominator. Which of the following is most important for the school leader to target in the teacher's postobservation conference?
Aligning assessments with instructional goals
Which of the following is the best question for a school leader to ask to determine the value of district-wide benchmark assessments?
Are the assessments providing information about students that is useful for instructional decision making?
A school leader is responsible for assembling a search committee to fill an open position for an assistant principal. Which THREE of the following practices will best ensure that the recruitment and selection processes used by the committee are ethical and equitable?
Basing hiring decisions on the employee's qualities rather than on résumés and other traditional hiring tools Providing a detailed description of the qualifications and responsibilities related to the position in the job posting Using screening and assessment tools that demonstrate substantial job-related fidelity
Which of the following is the most effective way for a new school leader to advocate on behalf of the school district within the community?
By forming a community advisory committee
Which of the following should be Ms. Jackson first action upon hearing about the incident?
Checking on the condition of the student as assuring the parents that a full investigation will be conducted
Which of the following is the best recommendation a school leader can make to teachers who find parents unresponsive to their efforts to establish school-home partnerships?
Communicating positive information about students more often than negative information
The school leader of a middle school wants to assess the effectiveness of a new science curriculum that has been in place in seventh grade for one year. Which of the following methods will provide the school leader with the most valuable data?
Comparing the performance of seventh graders on the annual state science assessment with the performance of previous seventh graders
The school leader of a high school who is examining data from the district's annual freshman writing sample observes that students in certain teachers' classes scored significantly higher than their peers in other classes. Which of the following is the school leader's best initial response to the data
Comparing value-added growth data of the teachers within the grade level
After a teacher requests supplies to build a weather station for the science club, a school leader agrees to purchase the supplies for the current school year. Which of the following is the best way for the school leader to proceed?
Consulting the district-approved list of vendors of educational supplies
Which of the following is a school leader's best strategy for using community services to support student success?
Coordinating opportunities for students and families to access community services at multiple sites in the community
The school leader of a high school allocates time during faculty meetings for teachers to propose a solution to a schoolwide problem or to suggest ideas for school improvement. The practice demonstrates that the school leader has established which of the following norms in the school
Creating a safe environment for risk taking
A school leader invites community members and parents to join a school improvement committee. Which of the following actions by a school leader will best promote accountability among the committee members?
Developing a shared agreement regarding the stakeholders' roles
A school leader, Mr. Hernandez, reflects on his current professional performance. He finds that his complacent leadership style has resulted in minimal schoolwide progress toward campus goals, and he identifies his ability to adapt his leadership behavior to the demands of current situations as an area that needs improvement. Which of the following goals will best improve this area?
Developing his willingness to actively challenge and change the status quo
An elementary school leader meets with the school's leadership team to develop a plan to address problems that occur at afternoon dismissal. Teachers have difficulty directing student traffic, given the large number of students who are dismissed simultaneously into the hallway. Student traffic is bottlenecked at school exits, creating a safety hazard. Which of the following is the best action for addressing the dismissal problem
Developing procedures for staggering dismissal times for each grade level
A school leader wants to reduce the effects of poverty in the building by creating a learning environment that demonstrates respect for all students and families. Which of the following actions is most appropriate for the school leader to use to reach this goal?
Encouraging faculty to develop supportive relationships with students
Which of the following behaviors is the best indication that a school leader is a reflective practitioner?
Engaging in continuous learning by paying critical attention to experiences and values
After conducting a ten-minute walk-through of a third-grade classroom, a school leader makes the following observations: Students worked in flexible groups to sequence story events on cards that have key plot points. Students, when asked, were unable to explain why they were sequencing story events. A word wall presented key vocabulary terms: first, last, then, finally. Which of the following is the most appropriate feedback for the school leader to give the teacher in a postobservation conference to improve the quality of the lesson?
Ensure that students can articulate the lesson objectives or learning targets.
Which of the following is the best strategy for a school leader to use to keep teachers focused on their primary instructional goal?
Ensuring alignment of the school's vision with teachers' actions through ongoing conversations and observations
A group of students ask the school leader if they can add a religious study club to the school's extracurricular offerings. Which of the following laws dictates the school leader's response to the students?
Equal Access Act
Which of the following identifies the most important initial action for a school leader to take to promote teachers' use of student achievement data to support instructional decision making
Establishing a clear vision for the schoolwide use of data
A school leader in an urban high school observes that dropout rates have steadily increased over the last three years. Further investigation reveals that many students are dropping out because they are unable to retake the courses they have failed before they reach the high school age cut-off. Which of the following is the leader's best action for addressing the situation for these students
Establishing an online credit recovery option that enables failing seniors to retake courses at their own pace
Which of the following is the best way for a school leader to engage the local community in supporting a school's goals?
Establishing relationships with respected community leaders
A school leader is concerned about a number of teachers who are resistant to integrating technology into their classroom instruction. Which of the following actions by the leader is most effective for addressing the concern?
Facilitating a teacher-to-teacher model for developing technological proficiency
Which of the following strategies by a school leader best supports the goal of establishing and maintaining a drug-free school?
Facilitating parent involvement in peer and community groups that provide support and factual information about drug use
Which of the following is a school leader's best method for promoting collaboration among staff members?
Forming teaching teams in which members share the responsibility for student learning
Which of the following is a school leader's best initial action for creating a school vision and goals?
Gathering data from stakeholders about their perceptions of a school's purpose and values
In her email the board president requests information about the methods for assessing the success of the school improvement plan. Which of the following is generally accepted as a valid metric for evaluating the success of the improvement plan?
Graduation rate
The school leader of a middle school plans to share the results of the state assessment test with parents to help them understand how students are performing and where gaps exist in their achievement. Which of the following is the best method for the school leader to use to make the assessment data valuable to parents?
Holding meetings with parents to explain how to interpret the data
A school leader meets with the school improvement committee at the beginning of the school year. During the meeting, the school leader presents the results of a comprehensive needs assessment which highlight the gaps between the school's current status and its desired outcomes. Which of the following should be the school leader's first guiding question
How do we develop a plan for change that addresses the most pressing needs?
Which of the following is a school leader's best initial step for developing programs that target the needs of economically disadvantaged students?
Identifying the barriers that hinder students' academic success
A school that follows an inclusion model experiences an increase in students receiving special education services. To best meet student needs, the school leader should consider hiring which of the following additional personnel?
Instructional paraprofessionals
Following the administration of midyear district benchmarks, the school leader desires to build teacher literacy in using data to measure student achievement. The first step in meeting that goal is to
Interpret recent performance data based on curriculum-guided essential questions
Which of the following is the school leaders best response to the email?
Inviting board president to attend a presentation of the action plan at the next board meeting
A grade-level team leader consults with the school leader about students the team has identified as struggling academically because of emotional or behavioral issues. The team is uncertain about the first action for meeting these students' needs. Which of the following is the school leader's best recommendation to the team leader?
Inviting the school counselor to attend a grade-level meeting to share information about the students
"We help each and every student in our high school develop higher-order thinking skills and leadership skills in preparation for postsecondary education and the global workforce. We empower students to achieve their potential using community internships and projects." Which of the following is the most appropriate question to ask about the draft vision statement above?
Is the statement more reflective of a mission statement
Which of the following is the most important reason for a school leader to share a school's vision with stakeholders?
It helps focus their collaborative efforts on school improvemen
Which of the following school resources is most appropriate for school leaders to offer when creating community partnerships?
Locations for meetings and special events
Which of the following is the most effective use of student achievement data by a school leader to support decisions about teaching practices?
Making data collection part of an ongoing cycle of instructional improvement
Mr. Foster is a middle school English teacher who is friends with many of his students on his personal social media page. Several parents contact the school leader to inquire about the appropriateness of teachers and students forming friendships on social media. Which of the following is the leader's best initial response to the situation?
Meeting with Mr. Foster to determine whether his use of social media conforms to district policies on relationships with students
A school improvement committee has completed a revision of the school vision and goals. Which of the following is the committee's best next step for gaining feedback on the revision?
Meeting with a focus group of stakeholders to discuss their impressions of the revised vision and goals
A school leader observes an increase in the number of students that teachers refer for evaluation for special education services. The referrals state that the students are functioning too far below grade level to keep up in general education classes. Which of the following is the leader's best response to the increase in student referrals?
Meeting with teachers to determine whether they are implementing the steps of the Response to Intervention (RTIR T I) process with fidelity
A high school student with a history of fighting is suspended from school after another violent incident. Because of the student's repeated offenses, the school leader recommends expulsion. Which of the following actions should the school leader take before the expulsion hearing to ensure compliance with due process?
Notifying the student and parents, orally or in writing, of the accusations and evidence gathered
A city is planning to widen a main road by eliminating sidewalks that many students use on their way to school. Which of the following is the school leader's most effective means of advocating for student safety?
Presenting the council with data on the number of students who use the sidewalks and student pedestrian accidents
Based on the custodian's actions, Ms Jackson should work with the head custodian on building which of the following skills?
Prioritizing
A school leader hosts a parent meeting to solicit support for a high school senior internship program with local businesses. Which of the following aspects of the internship should the school leader communicate as being the primary benefit of the program
Promoting skills and knowledge in a student's field of interest
The schools committee identifies increased family involvement as a key factor in students success. Which of the following is the best action for the committee to include in it's improvement plan?
Providing multiple outlets for parents to receive and respond to information about the school and classrooms
Which of the following actions by school leadership has the best potential for reducing the technology gap for students who are economically disadvantaged, transient, or homeless
Providing students with tablets enabled with mobile hot-spot devices
Ms.Miss Thompson is a new seventh-grade teacher. Pressed for time, she administers a test she finds in the files left by her predecessor. When students uniformly perform poorly, she realizes that the test assesses content she did not teach. She decides against administering another test and records the students' grades in her grade book. Her testing error comes to light when the parents of several students complain to the school leader about their children's grades. Which of the following is the school leader's most appropriate action for improving Ms.Miss Thompson's practice?
Providing the teacher with immediate targeted training on professional ethics
Which of the following has research identified as a powerful instructional strategy that positively impacts student achievement?
Providing timely feedback to students on their work
Which of the following should be Ms. Jackson best action for reinforcing the importance of crisis management procedures
Reminding teachers that following procedures is important
The computer technician in a high school informs the school leader that a teacher has been using a district computer for personal purposes during the instructional day. Which of the following is the school leader's most appropriate initial response to the information
Reminding the teacher that district computers are for school-related use only
Which of the following is the best way for a school leader to ensure that teachers are addressing the learning needs of English learners (ELsE L's)?
Requiring that lesson plans show evidence of differentiation for ELsE L's at a range of language proficiency levels
Which of the following best describes an action of a school leader working as a change agent?
Reviewing existing procedures with staff to identify needed improvements
Following a suicide attempt by a student, a school leader learns that the student's counselor became aware of suicidal ideation during counseling sessions but did not disclose the information to authorities. Which TWO of the following actions by the leader have the best potential for avoiding a similar counselor error in the future
Reviewing with the counselors the legal requirements for informing authorities of student suicides or other harmful acts & Ensuring that the school counselors are up-to-date with their training on suicide prevention and intervention
A school leader is using data to assess the effectiveness of a volunteer tutoring program for improving student achievement in reading. Which TWO of the following types of data best evaluate the success of the initiative?
Scores from pretests and posttests administered to the students Anecdotal records from the teachers of students who receive tutoring
The school leader of an elementary school discusses a research-based instructional strategy during weekly grade-level team meetings. Which of the following actions best monitors implementation of the new instructional strategy?
Selecting the targeted strategies as the focus for upcoming classroom walk-throughs
The school leader of a high school assesses reading scores, which have shown a steady decline for the last few years. The chairperson of the reading department asks the school leader for assistance in identifying methods to boost students' reading abilities. Which of the following data will be most important for the school leader to suggest that the chairperson share in guiding the department's instructional decisions?
Subskill reading assessment scores
A school leader is reviewing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBISP B I S) with a teacher who struggles with student misbehavior. Which of the following components of PBISP B I S should the school leader emphasize first?
Teaching and monitoring clear behavioral expectations of all students
Which of the following scenarios best describes a school leader's reinforcing transparent decision-making practices?
The school leader of a middle school holds open forums to meet with teachers and parents to discuss the possibility of using block scheduling and the impact on student achievement. After receiving mainly positive feedback, the school leader decides to form a committee of stakeholders to design the implementation plan.
A special education paraprofessional tells the school leader that the classroom teacher is delegating difficult instructional tasks regularly. When responding to the situation, the school leader should ensure that the general education teacher is primarily considering which of the following when assigning tasks to the paraprofessional?
The skill level of the paraprofessional and needs of students in the classroom
A school leader is advocating among district administrators and teachers for establishing school-based health centers (SBHCsS B H C's). Which of the following is the school leader's
They increase student attendance.
Several teachers in the school hold certification in school counseling. Which action should be taken?
Training the teachers to act as additional crisis counselors when needed
Which of the following is the most appropriate direction for a school leader to give teachers regarding formative assessments
Use assessment results to inform instructional decision making.
After conducting several classroom walk-throughs, a school leader observes that novice teachers are struggling to modify daily instruction based on the level of student mastery. Which of the following represents the most effective guidance the school leader can give the teachers?
Use formative assessment results to inform instructional practice.
A small district plans to implement a computer-based student information system (SISS I S). Teachers in the elementary school express concern about the requirement that student data will have to be entered on a weekly basis. Which of the following initial actions by the school leader best helps address the teachers' resistance?
Using a survey to determine how teachers currently monitor and report student progress
Which of the following practices by a school leader best reinforces professional behavior and communication between the teachers and the students and parents
Using real-world situations to promote regular discussions about ethical behavior
A school leader is working with the campus planning committee to develop a new strategic plan to better focus its efforts. The school leader wants the planning committee to begin by identifying the current state of school programs and campus culture. Which THREE of the following questions are best to ask to help the school leader address this goal
What are our strengths and weaknesses? What resources do we have to work with? What resources do we have to work with?
Which of the following is the most effective action for communicating to parents and community members that the district is taking action to address the declining scores?
Working with the district media liaison to arrange an interview with the newspaper to explain the school's action plan
After increasing the rigor of the school's annual improvement plan, Dr.Doctor Xian, an elementary school leader, recognizes that she will need to prioritize her role as instructional leader to support teachers in meeting the goals of the plan. Dr.Doctor Xian can best support the success of the new plan by
allocating sufficient time to conduct thorough classroom observations and facilitate feedback conferences
During an annual review of school programs, a school leader asks committee members to refer to the school improvement plan while reviewing the effectiveness of various programs. By taking this action, the school leader demonstrates an understanding of the importance of
analyzing accomplishments against a benchmark
To effectively address harassment, bullying, and other threats to student safety, a school leader should first
communicate a personal commitment to school safety
Which of the following actions is most important for a school leader to take to ensure faculty and staff are implementing goals associated with a newly developed shared vision?
communicating progress toward the plan frequently throughout the year
Because of budget constraints, a school leader must eliminate some of the school's extracurricular programs. When deciding which programs to keep, the school leader should first consider whether the program
contributes toward achieving the school's vision
school-improvement team develops a goal to reduce the incidence of violence and bullying at school over the course of the upcoming year. A school leader can best support this goal by
creating a school climate of communication and trust
A school leader can best use the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems to
develop a school vision, target action plans, and direct professional development
A school leader reviews the results of a summative assessment for fourth-grade science and observes that overall scores are unusually high. Further investigation reveals that the items on the assessment measure second- and third-grade concepts and skills. When meeting with the fourth-grade teaching team, the school leader can best address the discrepancy by
emphasizing the importance of aligning assessment content with grade-level learning standards
According to research, school leaders can best optimize learning for minority students by
encouraging teachers to integrate the students' life experiences into instruction
When acting as a cultural leader, a school leader focuses on
enhancing student achievement by seeking to develop a community with a common purpose
To best ensure that teachers have relevant data for educational decision making, a school leader should
ensure that information in the student information system is updated frequently
A high school leader plans to implement a schoolwide program to develop students' ability to use reasoned decision making. To most effectively monitor the implementation of the program, the school leader should
ensure that the program uses quantitative measures to assess the program's effect on student behavior
Mr. Dinh, an elementary school leader, keeps a journal to reflect on his daily interactions with members of the school community. His most recent entry asks, "What could I have done to improve the outcomes of today's interactions?" The primary purpose of the question is to
gain insight into how to develop relationships
During the middle of the school year, the Parent-Teacher Association (PTAP T A) asks the school leader to report on the school's progress toward achieving campus goals. The school leader's best response is to
gather information on processes the school is using to reach intermediate goals as well as on indicators toward meeting outcome goals
A school leader plans professional development for the staff focused on cultural competency, which includes a self-assessment of attitudes and abilities both before and after the training. The primary reason for the school leader to promote this activity is to
guide others to examine their own assumptions and beliefs
During an informal observation of a lesson, a school leader notices a lack of differentiation. When the school leader asks the teacher about what strategies are used for the gifted students, the teacher comments, "The gifted students do not need any extra help to learn." The school leader can best coach the teacher to improve instruction for gifted students by
guiding the teacher to challenge the assumption because it adversely affects student learning
School leaders can best implement academic goals with rigor and measurable expectations by establishing a curriculum based upon
high-quality standards
After each grading period, teams of elementary teachers meet with the school leader to discuss student performance data such as the results of formative and summative assessments. The most likely goal of this meeting is to have teachers
identify trends by student groups in order to inform instruction
When a school leader is deciding whether to permit a community group to use the school cafeteria, it is most important to ensure that the group
meets the terms of the district's facilities-use policy
A new school leader meets with the school improvement team to analyze how the fifth‑grade students' reading performance compares to the reading performance of a national sample of fifth graders. The school leader can best facilitate this analysis by reviewing data collected from
norm-referenced assessments
To best establish an ethical school culture, a school leader should apply a leadership style that focuses on
reflection and understanding
A school leader is planning to invite members of the community to serve on the school's improvement team. When selecting community members, the school leader should primarily strive to ensure that potential members
represent diverse community voices
A school leader has been informed that a student has been diagnosed with clinical depression. Which of the following school personnel is most appropriate to consult for designing a plan to meet the needs of the student?
school psychologist
Given the changing mobility rate of students, the school leader decides to see whether there has been an impact on the overall student population. To gather the most relevant data, the school leader should review
student demographics
A middle school leader meets weekly with grade-level teams to guide teachers in examining the class report graphs and item analysis graphs they have created from the results of classroom assessments. The leader asks the following questions to facilitate a targeted discussion. Did certain classes outperform others? Did certain class periods outperform others? Which instructional strategies were used in the outperforming classrooms? By facilitating this discussion, the school leader primarily emphasizes the importance of
using data analysis to improve instruction
