Study Guide Elementary Assessment of Teaching Skills — Written (ATS–W) (090)

Prepared by Alan Singer, Hofstra University School of Education, Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology

VIDEO TUTORIAL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hwq_3VgRRs&feature=youtu.be

The Elementary Assessment of Teaching Skills is an old exam resurrected as a back-up for student teachers during the Spring 2020 semester who were unable to complete edTPA or who submitted but did not pass the assessment.

The test is supposed to measure whether a “New York State educator has the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively teach the approved curriculum in New York State public schools. The teacher understands how children learn and develop and can provide learning experiences that support all children’s intellectual, social, and personal growth, including children who have special needs and children for whom English is not their primary language. The teacher can use a variety of instructional and assessment strategies to foster students’ academic development and to encourage students’ active engagement in learning. The teacher recognizes the roles that family and community play in student learning and forges home-school partnerships to achieve common goals for children’s education. The teacher is a reflective practitioner who is able to work collaboratively with other members of the school community and can take advantage of opportunities for professional development. Most importantly, the teacher is able to create a cooperative and supportive classroom environment that addresses the needs of individual students and within which all students can grow and learn.

Test booklet links:

http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY_fld90_objs.pdf

http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY_fld090_prepguide.pdf

Format: Computer-based at Pearson Vue. 80 multiple-choice questions and one essay.

Time: Four hours.

Passing score: 220 out of 400 (60%)

Fee: $119

Note: The test was first designed in 2003. It may include test questions being evaluated for future administrations and that do not affect a candidate’s score.

Structure of the Exam:

The test has three multiple-choice sub-areas.

I. Student Development and Learning 25%

II. Instruction and Assessment 38%

III. The Professional Environment 17%

Area IV. Constructed-Response on Instruction and Assessment: 20%

Alan’s Test Taking Tips

· This is not a difficult test. The key to passing is preparation and relaxing.

· Time is not an issue. You have four hours to complete a test that will take you less than three hours.

· There are 80 multiple-choice questions plus an essay worth 20 points. You only need a 60 on this test to pass. If you get full credit on your essay, you only need to get half of the multiple-choice questions correct to pass.

· On the multiple-choice questions, if there is a prompt, read it carefully. The answer is usually in the prompt.

· Select the BETTER choice from the options. DO NOT ARGUE WITH THE TEST. You may think another answer is better than one of these, but you can’t pick it if it is not one of the choices.

· Don’t get stuck on a question that stumps you. The easier questions may be at the end, so you want to make sure you get to them. You can always go back to the question that stumped you after you write your essay and if necessary, guess. At the end of the test no question should be left blank.

· The directions for the essay say it should be between 300–600 words. You want full credit, not part credit, so your essay should be almost 600 words.

· Read the essay prompt and question carefully. Think about your answer and write a quick draft. When you finish the draft, go back and edit.

· Don’t worry about word length as you write. Write your answer and when you are finished, you can add or subtract words.

· Make sure you answered the question, accurately and effectively apply relevant knowledge and skills; and support your response with appropriate examples (evidence) and sound reasoning.

· The essay does not have to be perfect but avoid careless errors. If you don’t know how to spell automobile, write car. Simple is better. They say spelling and grammar do not count, but also that your essay must be written in Standard English, which means spelling and grammar do count so edit carefully.

· Review the sample questions from the test booklet to familiarize yourself with the exam and then look at the answers they prefer at the end of this guide.

Sample Questions: Answers are at the end of this package.

Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow. Students in a fourth-grade class will be doing research and writing reports as the final activity in a social studies unit the class has been working on for several weeks.

Question 1. The teacher is considering how to motivate a student with a history of limited academic success. The student has developed an expectation of failure that makes him reluctant to put effort into his schoolwork. Which two of the following strategies would likely be most effective in engaging the student in the assignment?

I. organizing the assignment so that students have the opportunity to choose their own research topics

II. offering public recognition, such as gold stars on a chart, as an incentive for good work

III. pairing the student with a high achieving classmate to work with on the assignment

IV. making it clear that students will be rewarded for effort as well as for achievement

Question 1 Choices

A. I and III only

B. I and IV only

C. II and III only

D. II and IV only

Question 2. One skill that the class will be learning during the report-writing activity is note taking. When planning the note-taking component, the teacher should be aware that, in terms of cognitive development, students of this age typically find it most difficult to:

Questions 2 Choices

A. create categories for organizing varied types of information.

B. recognize repeated information in a text.

C. identify information that is not related to a specific topic.

D. copy information accurately from a text.

Use the excerpt below from a first-grade science lesson to answer the three questions that follow.

Ms. Lamont’s first-grade class is just beginning a life science unit. In an introductory lesson on the functions of skin, Ms. Lamont talks to her students about the skin of an apple. A portion of the class’s discussion appears below. Ms. Lamont: Why does an apple have skin, do you think? Andrew: To cover it up. Thai: To make it red. James: No, sometimes apples are green. Ms. Lamont: Yes, that’s very good. An apple’s skin can be different colors, can’t it? The skin covers the apple up and gives it color. Another thing the skin does is protect it from germs and insects. Today we’re going to do an experiment to see how an apple’s skin protects it. What do you think will happen to this apple if we cut off some of its skin? Kevin: It will turn brown. Melissa: It will get mushy. Ms. Lamont: Kevin predicts the apple will turn brown, and Melissa predicts it will get mushy. A prediction is what somebody thinks will happen. What do the rest of you think will happen? [The other children agree with Kevin’s and Melissa’s predictions.] Any other predictions? No? Okay, I’ll cut some of the skin off of this apple, like this, and we’ll put it on the shelf. We’ll also set out an apple that hasn’t been cut. Now, how will we know if our predictions were right or not?

Question 3. Which of the following strategies for promoting learning is most evident in Ms. Lamont’s lesson?

Question 3 Choices.

A. encouraging students to reflect on inconsistencies between their current beliefs and new information

B. using students’ prior knowledge as a basis for understanding new content

C. helping students relate knowledge in one content area to other domains of knowledge

D. prompting students to generate the questions that the teacher plans to address

Question 4. Ms. Lamont’s instructional strategy is an especially good one for young children because of its:

Question 4 Choices:

A. emphasis on directly observable phenomena.

B. responsiveness to individual students’ strengths and needs.

C. emphasis on the use of creative problem solving.

D. responsiveness to a variety of learning styles.

Question 5. Ms. Lamont’s questioning strategy in this lesson serves primarily to:

Question 5 Choices.

A. motivate students’ independent exploration of ideas.

B. establish students’ recognition of conflicting ideas that need to be resolved.

C. encourage students’ active involvement in learning.

D. promote students’ comprehension of information they have just encountered for the first time.

Question 6

6. According to research studies, which of the following home factors is likely to have the greatest effect on an elementary student’s perception of his or her own academic competence?

Question 6 Choices.

A. disciplinary practices used in the home

B. birth order and nature of relationships with siblings

C. parents’ expressed beliefs about the student’s abilities

D. types and educational value of playthings in the home

Question 7. A fourth-grade teacher wants to help her students develop the habit of using self-monitoring to improve their comprehension of content-area readings. Which of the following strategies is likely to be most effective in accomplishing this goal?

Question 7 Choices

A. After students read a passage, they spend a few minutes writing in a learning log what they learned about the topic and what they did not understand.

B. Before students read a passage, they quickly write down what they already know about the topic and then briefly discuss what they wrote with a partner.

C. After students read a passage, they answer a set of questions the teacher has developed about the vocabulary and facts introduced in the passage.

D. Before students read a passage, they scan the text to identify unfamiliar vocabulary words and then use reference resources to find their meanings.

Question 8. A new elementary school teacher has been assigned to teach in a classroom that includes students from many cultural backgrounds. The teacher wants to ensure that the students’ learning experiences will be positive and productive. This can best be accomplished by using which of the following principles to help guide instructional planning?

Question 8 Choices.

A. A student’s cultural background can be expected to have a negligible effect on the student’s learning-related behaviors and interactions in the classroom.

B. Students from all cultural groups are likely to learn best if lessons are designed to avoid reference to any specific groups represented in the class.

C. Students within a particular cultural group can be expected to exhibit a broad range of interests, strengths, and needs.

D. Students from different cultural groups are not likely to share similar values and goals in regard to education

Question 9. Several months into the school year, a second-grade teacher is informed that Carl, a student with a moderate hearing loss, will be joining her class in a week. Carl wears hearing aids, and although his speech sounds unusual, he is able to communicate effectively with speech. Which of the following would be the best strategy for the teacher to use to prepare the other students for Carl’s arrival?

Question 9 Choices

A. Inform students that Carl, a student with a disability, will be joining the class and discuss why they should not talk about the disability with him or in his presence.

B. Conduct a lesson before Carl’s arrival that addresses how people hear sound and different types of hearing loss.

C. Inform students that a new classmate, Carl, will be joining them, but allow them to learn about their new classmate on their own after his arrival.

D. Explain before Carl’s arrival that he wears hearing aids and why, and invite students to ask any questions they have on the subject.

Question 10. Ms. Santoro is a preschool teacher whose class includes three and four-year olds. In the first week of school, she receives a large number of complaints from children in the reading center that children playing in the block and dress-up areas are too noisy and are disturbing them. Which of the following would be Ms. Santoro’s best initial response to this problem?

Question 10 Choices

A. Hold a class meeting to explain the problem to the children and ask for their help in finding a way to solve it.

B. Identify the children whose behavior is most problematic and schedule conferences with their parents to discuss the matter.

C. Analyze the layout of the room to assess whether changes in the spatial arrangement would be likely to solve the problem.

D. Establish a system of rewards to be given at the end of each week to the children who have been most considerate of others.

Question 11. In which of the following situations would it be most important for the faculty at a school to reevaluate the adequacy of its current curriculum?

Question 11 Choices

A. The school recently received a textbook grant and plans to purchase new textbooks for many classrooms.

B. State and national professional organizations in some subject areas have recently changed their curriculum guidelines.

C. A substantial proportion of the school’s faculty has changed since the current curriculum was developed.

D. Teachers have begun emphasizing newer teaching methods, such as cooperative learning, over more traditional methods.

Question 12. A teacher’s use of which of the following procedures can best help ensure fair and accurate assessment of content-area learning for students for whom English is a second language?

Question 12 Choices

A. Give the students varied opportunities (e.g., through speaking, writing, performing) to demonstrate what they have learned.

B. Emphasize the students’ use of self-assessment procedures in evaluating their acquisition of knowledge and skills.

C. Administer classroom tests on a flexible schedule that allows the students themselves to determine when they are ready to be evaluated.

D. Use standardized, grade-level assessments whose norm group includes nonnative-English speakers to monitor the students’ learning on an ongoing basis.

Question 13. A sixth-grade teacher creates a questionnaire for each student to complete during the first week of school. The following are typical items on the questionnaire. This questionnaire is likely to be most useful in helping the teacher:

Question 13 Choices.

A. promote students’ recognition of the value of varied types of learning experiences.

B. evaluate the effectiveness of instructional activities and approaches used with the class.

C. plan instructional activities that are responsive to students’ learning styles and preferences.

D. develop appropriate expectations for each student’s behavior and achievement in the class.

Question 14. A third-grade teacher begins a lesson on nutrition by asking the class to help him develop a day’s menu for each of two imaginary characters, Pat and Val. Pat, he tells the class, eats a healthful diet every day, while Val eats only foods with little nutritional value. He then asks the class to suggest a typical day’s menu for each character for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, including any snacks. The teacher writes the two menus on the board as students suggest foods based on the two characters’ eating habits. Partial menus for Pat and Val are shown below. This way of introducing the lesson would be especially effective for:

I. encouraging students to apply critical-thinking skills.

II. promoting student’s self-assessment of their knowledge of the topic.

III. prompting students to apply their current knowledge of the subject.

IV. generating students’ interest in the subject.

Question 14 Choices:

A. I and II only

B. I and IV only

C. II and III only

D. III and IV only

Question 15. Students in a fifth-grade classroom will use the Internet to conduct research for a social studies project. How can the teacher most effectively use the features of the Internet and Web browsers to help the students learn how to use the Internet for their work?

Question 15 Choices.

A. by using a search engine while planning the project to prepare a list of appropriate pages for the students to visit as they conduct their research

B. by helping the students use the browser’s “favorites” or “bookmark” feature to mark good sites to revisit and explore further

C. by using the browser’s “history” and “back” functions to gather source and bibliographic information on the Web sites that the students have visited

D. by helping the students use the “feedback” or “e-mail” feature on the Web pages that they visit to address questions directly to the authors of those pages

Question 16. In school districts in New York State, the major responsibilities of the district superintendent include:

I. implementing policy decisions of the local school board.

II. representing faculty in contract negotiations.

III. approving and adopting annual district budgets.

IV. providing educational leadership for faculty and administrators.

Question 16 Choices. A. I and III only B. I and IV only C. II and III only D. II and IV only

Question 17. Mr. Anderson, a fifth-grade teacher, learns that his supervisor will be observing him as he presents a lesson to one of his classes. The observation is part of a formative evaluation system used regularly in the school to promote teachers’ professional growth and development. Before the observation, the supervisor schedules a pre-observation conference. Mr. Anderson can best ensure that the observation process will be an effective means of promoting his own professional development by taking which of the following actions during the pre-observation conference?

Question 17 Choices.

A. Elicit from the supervisor as many ideas as possible about alternative ways to present content that is relevant to the lesson that will be observed.

B. Provide the supervisor with research justifying the instructional methods he plans to use during the observation.

C. Ask the supervisor to describe lessons presented by other school faculty who have performed especially well on similar evaluations.

D. Talk to the supervisor about self-identified areas of need and request feedback about performance in those areas.

Question 18. A number of parents and community members have volunteered to help out for several hours a week in an elementary school classroom. Guidelines that the teacher could establish to make the best use of such volunteers include:

I. using volunteers primarily for tasks that involve less intensive student interaction, such as materials distribution and bookkeeping.

II. recognizing that the volunteers themselves are the best judges of how they can be of most help in the classroom.

III. obtaining specific time commitments from volunteers and establishing a regular schedule for their work.

IV. providing ongoing training and monitoring of the volunteers’ performance of clearly defined tasks.

Question 18 Choices. A. I and II only B. I and IV only C. II and III only D. III and IV only

Question 19. A sixth-grade teacher has concerns about Becky, a student with special needs who has not been making much progress in achieving the goals in her individualized education program (IEP). The teacher has followed the recommendations in Becky’s IEP and has been consulting with Becky’s special education teacher, but the situation has not improved. It is now three months into the school year, and Becky’s IEP team is scheduled to reconvene near the end of the school year. Which of the following best describes the sixth-grade teacher’s responsibility at this point?

Question 19 Choices.

A. requesting that members of Becky’s IEP team meet as soon as possible to discuss the situation and reconsider the appropriateness of her current IEP

B. continuing to maintain records documenting Becky’s problems, and share the information with other members of the IEP team at the next scheduled team meeting

C. revising the current IEP goals immediately to reflect Becky’s strengths and needs better and notify others on Becky’s IEP team of the changes

D. discussing the situation with Becky’s parents and have them decide whether to meet now with Becky’s IEP team or wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting

DIRECTIONS FOR THE WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT: This section of the test consists of a written assignment. You are to prepare a written response of about 300–600 words on the assigned topic. The assignment can be found on the next page. You should use your time to plan, write, review, and edit your response to the assignment. Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response. You may use any blank space provided on the following pages to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your response. However, your score will be based solely on the response you write in the written response booklet. Your response will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria.

PURPOSE: Fulfill the charge of the assignment.

APPLICATION OF CONTENT: Accurately and effectively apply the relevant knowledge and skills.

SUPPORT: Support the response with appropriate examples and/or sound reasoning reflecting an understanding of the relevant knowledge and skills. Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above, not writing ability. However, your response must be communicated clearly enough to permit valid judgment of your knowledge and skills. The final version of your response should conform to the conventions of edited American English. This should be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work. Be sure to write about the assigned topic. Please write legibly. You may not use any reference materials during the test. Remember to review what you have written and make any changes that you think will improve your response.

Sample Essay Question: It is important for teachers to be able to provide students who have disabilities with effective learning experiences in an inclusive regular education classroom. Imagine that the educational goal below, formulated by a joint committee of teachers, administrators, and parents/guardians, has been established for your school.

GOALS FOR EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE Goal 5: Provide students who have disabilities with effective learning experiences in an inclusive regular education classroom.

Examples of Teaching Objectives:

Work with others inside and outside the school to facilitate student achievement of desired learning goals in an inclusive classroom.

Individualize instruction to promote learning and development for students with special needs. Implement procedures to ensure that students with special needs participate to the greatest extent possible in all classroom activities.

In an essay written for a group of New York State educators, frame your response by identifying a grade level/subject area for which you are prepared to teach; then:

• explain the importance of providing students who have disabilities with effective learning experiences in an inclusive regular education classroom;

• describe two strategies you would use to achieve this educational goal; and

• explain why the strategies you describe would be effective in achieving this educational goal.

Be sure to specify a grade level/subject area in your essay and frame your ideas so that an educator certified at your level will be able to understand the basis for your response.

ANSWER TO THE ESSAY QUESTION:

First paragraph opening — I will be teaching fourth grade science (third grade social studies etc). The unit I will be teaching will focus on . . .

Second paragraph opening — It is vitally important to provide students who have disabilities with effective learning experiences in an inclusive regular education classroom. It is important because . . .

Third paragraph opening — Two strategies I will use to achieve the educational goal of provide students who have disabilities with effective learning experiences in an inclusive regular education classroom are . . .

Fourth paragraph opening — These strategies would be effective in achieving this educational goal because . . .

Answers to Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1 Correct Response: B. The teacher in the question can probably best motivate a student with a history of limited academic success by using strategies to enhance the student’s interest in the subject of the research report and help him find his own motivation. Allowing students to select their own research topics (Option I) is likely to serve this purpose by prompting the student to relate classroom activities to his own interests and experiences. Rewarding students for effort as well as for achievement (Option IV) would allow a student with a history of limited academic success an opportunity to be successful by reducing task risk (e.g., anxiety over receiving a grade) and increasing the potential for success without oversimplifying the task.

Question 1 Wrong Answers:

Responses A and C include Option III: pairing the student with a high-achieving classmate. Pairing learners with differing achievement levels can be a useful strategy for cooperative learning; however, it is not likely to be an effective motivational strategy in this situation, since it could prompt the low-achieving student to compare his work to that of his high-achieving peer rather than valuing his own effort, achievement, and progress.

Responses C and D include Option II: offering public recognition as an incentive for good work. This motivational strategy is probably not appropriate for this situation because it would establish a focus on the student’s performance relative to that of other, higher-achieving students, thereby fostering an atmosphere of competition and possibly diminishing the chances that he would fully engage in the assignment.

Question 2 Correct Response: A. Of the response options given, fourth-grade students are likely to find it most difficult to create categories for organizing varied types of information. This task requires the higher-order thinking skills of analysis (involving the ability to break information into its component parts and examine relationships of the parts to one another and to the whole) and synthesis (involving the ability to put parts together to form a pattern or structure that is new to the learner). In creating their own organizational categories, students are being asked to organize the information they have researched and synthesize it in a creative manner that emphasizes the discovery of new patterns or structures.

Question 2 Wrong Answers:

Response B. Although some fourth-grade students may have difficulty recognizing repeated information in a text, this kind of recognition task requires thinking that is less cognitively demanding than analysis or synthesis.

Response C. Although some fourth-grade students may need help in identifying information extraneous to their topic, the thinking skills required (comparing, differentiating) are less cognitively demanding than the analysis and synthesis required for students to create their own categories as a means of organizing information.

Response D. Although the teacher may wish to remind the class about the importance of taking accurate notes from texts, the thinking skill required for copying information from a text is less cognitively demanding than analysis or synthesis.

Question 3 Correct Response: B. In using an apple as the focus of an introductory discussion on the functions of skin, the teacher prompts students to use their shared experiences relating to a common phenomenon as a basis for understanding new content. Basing lessons on such prior knowledge helps make classroom learning more accessible and relevant to students and can thereby encourage their active exploration of new concepts.

Question 3 Wrong Answers:

Response A. Although the class discussion could possibly prompt some students to discover inconsistencies between their current beliefs and new information, the teaching strategy employed here is intended mainly to help students extend their current understanding of the concept of skin rather than reflect upon inconsistencies.

Response C. Although both the content and the methodology of this lesson may have applications in content areas other than science, the primary purpose of the lesson is to promote students’ understanding of science concepts, not to help them make interdisciplinary connections.

Response D. Although this lesson could lead students to ask questions, its primary purpose is to prompt students to share relevant knowledge and make predictions based on their understanding of the function of an apple’s skin. Throughout the discussion, the teacher generates the questions she wishes to have students pursue.

Question 4 Correct Response: A. Research indicates that young children learn best from working with concrete objects, materials, and phenomena. Using words and other types of symbols is less effective than using concrete things to promote their understanding. Therefore, the teacher’s instructional strategy, which involves manipulating and observing an apple and making predictions about what will happen to the apple, is an especially good one for young children because of its emphasis on concrete, observable phenomena.

Question 4 Wrong Answers:

Response B. This lesson involves a whole-class activity that is based on a general understanding of how young students learn; there is no indication that the teacher is emphasizing the use of strategies that are responsive to the specific strengths and needs of individual students.

Response C. The thinking skills targeted in this lesson involve identifying relevant prior knowledge, drawing thoughtful conclusions, and making reasonable predictions rather than using creative problem solving.

Response D. Because this lesson is devoted mostly to oral questioning and class discussion, it does not emphasize the presentation of content through multiple means that might appeal to students with different learning styles and preferences.

Question 5 Correct Response: C. The teacher’s questioning strategy in this lesson serves mainly to encourage students’ active involvement in learning. By basing the lesson on her students’ familiarity with a common object (an apple) and asking a series of questions about that object, the teacher prompts the students to examine their own prior experiences, share relevant knowledge with one another, and collaboratively explore future possibilities.

Question 5 Wrong Answers:

Response A. Although the teacher’s questioning strategy is intended in part to prompt individual students to think about what they already know, the primary purpose of the questioning is to facilitate collaborative investigation of ideas rather than to motivate individual exploration.

Response B. Although the teacher’s questioning strategy may elicit from students a number of different ideas, the primary purpose is not to resolve potentially conflicting ideas but to establish and explore the students’ shared experience.

Response D. Because this portion of the lesson is based on students’ familiarity with a common phenomenon, its aim is to explore their shared experience and to make predictions based on that experience, not to promote their comprehension of new information that they are encountering for the first time.

Question 6 Correct Response: C. Research suggests that children in their elementary years have a natural desire to gain competence and skills that allow them access to new realms of experience and give them greater control over their environment. Various factors may influence whether and how this natural desire for increased competence manifests itself in any particular child. One important factor is parents’ expressed beliefs about their child’s capabilities and potential for achievement, which in turn can affect the child’s perceptions of his or her own competence and learning potential. Parental expressions of confidence and encouragement can contribute significantly to a child’s sense of competence in school. On the other hand, parents who express a lack of confidence in their child’s abilities may see this attitude mirrored in the child’s lack of academic competence and confidence.

Question 6 Wrong Answers:

Response A. Although disciplinary practices in the home may have significant effects on a child’s overall personal development, this factor generally plays a less significant role in forming a student’s perception of his or her own learning abilities than parents’ expressed beliefs about those abilities.

Response B. Birth order and relationships with siblings can have significant effects on the way children think of themselves and are socialized within the family; however, this factor generally has little direct or consistent effect on students’ sense of academic competence.

Response D. Although play is important for young children’s cognitive and social–emotional development, the precise types and educational value of playthings that are available in a child’s home are likely to be less important than parental attitudes in forming a child’s perceptions of his or her own academic abilities.

Question 7 Correct Response: A. The activity described in Response A is a self-monitoring technique that the students can learn to use independently to monitor their comprehension of what they read. The students are expected to apply the technique after they have read a passage, when they have had an opportunity to comprehend the passage. Because the technique can be used by the students without the involvement of others, it represents a practical habit for them to develop.

Question 7 Wrong Answers:

Response B. This activity is to be applied before students read a passage, at a point when they have not yet had an opportunity to comprehend the passage. The technique is used to prepare for reading, not to monitor comprehension.

Response C. This activity focuses on vocabulary and facts in the passage, rather than on the comprehension of ideas and the relationships between them. Further, the activity depends on the questions developed by the teacher and does not represent a habit that students can develop and use independently.

Response D. This activity is to be applied before students read a passage, at a point when they have not yet had an opportunity to comprehend the passage. In addition, it focuses on vocabulary rather than comprehension.

Question 8 Correct Response: C. The teacher can best ensure positive, productive learning experiences by recognizing that students, whatever their cultural background, are likely to exhibit individual interests, strengths, and needs that are not simply a product of cultural differences. In instructional planning, the teacher should respect individual differences and ensure that decisions about learning opportunities are based on an understanding of individual students rather than on cultural assumptions and stereotypes.

Question 8 Wrong Answers:

Response A. This principle is inappropriate because a student’s behaviors and interactions in the classroom (e.g., in relation to collaboration versus competition with peers, teacher– student relationships) are often molded, at least in part, by cultural background and the norms learned as a member of a particular culture.

Response B. This principle is inappropriate because learning is likely to be enhanced for students from different culture groups if the teacher incorporates into instruction content and examples related to various cultures, especially their own, to illustrate key concepts. This instructional strategy can help promote student learning by making content more relevant to students.

Response D. Values and goals related to education vary widely among individual students and are not primarily a function of cultural differences. Students from different cultures may exhibit similar education-related values and goals, while students from the same culture may exhibit significant differences in this area.

Question 9 Correct Response: D. Second-grade students are likely to have many questions about people they encounter who have disabilities, and a discussion of the type described would give them a chance to ask questions and would communicate to them that their interest is natural and acceptable. A class discussion before Carl arrives that addresses his hearing aids and why he uses them can help decrease any initial anxiety students may experience regarding Carl’s differences and reduce the possibility of insensitivity or stigmatization.

Question 9 Wrong Answers:

Response A. In urging students not to comment on Carl’s disability in his presence, the teacher may communicate the idea that differences among people should not be discussed and are in some way shameful. This could increase the students’ discomfort and anxiety about interacting with Carl and having him as a member of the class.

Response B. Although a lesson that addresses how people hear sound and different types of hearing loss might be informative for the class, the lesson may lack the specific application necessary to prepare second-grade students effectively for Carl’s arrival. The indirectness of the approach may also negatively affect students’ perceptions of and reactions to Carl when he arrives.

Response C. Having students learn about Carl’s disability on their own after his arrival will not help them understand and deal sensitively with their new classmate’s disability, which could lead to disruption and anxiety when he joins the class.

Question 10 Correct Response: C. One important responsibility of a preschool teacher is to ensure that the classroom environment is conducive to productive activity and sustained involvement in learning. One factor that has a significant effect on the classroom environment is the arrangement of space. Given the nature of the problem described, it may be that a simple repositioning of activity centers would ensure that those areas requiring quiet are adequately separated from the noisier areas. Because spatial separation of this type is such an important principle of classroom management for preschoolers, it should be the first thing that the teacher investigates in response to the problem.

Question 10 Wrong Answers:

Response A. Although enlisting the children’s help in addressing classroom issues is appropriate in some situations, it would not be the best response if the problem is primarily the result of how the teacher has organized the environment. The teacher’s first step should therefore be to assess whether she has provided the children with the best environment for learning.

Response B. Before attempting to identify particular children whose behavior may be problematic, the teacher should take steps to ensure that her own instructional management practices, including her decisions about how to arrange her classroom, are not causing or contributing to the observed problems.

Response D. Establishing a system of rewards for children who have been considerate of others will probably not address the disruptions to learning that are occurring in this classroom, especially if the disruptions are more a result of instructional management issues than student behavior problems.

Question 11 Correct Response: B. State and national professional organizations in most subject areas publish curriculum guidelines specifying the skills and content that should be the focus of learning at various levels. These curriculum guidelines typically represent a consensus among professionals in each field. Periodically, professional organizations review their curriculum guidelines and may revise them in light of emerging issues and ideas in their field. Educators at the school and district levels should respond to such revisions by reviewing their curricula to determine whether revisions are needed to reflect current views and priorities in each field.

Question 11 Wrong Answers

Response A. The function of textbooks should be to support curricular objectives, not to redefine them. Therefore, the introduction of new textbooks should not in itself require changes in the current curriculum.

Response C. Although new teachers may bring their own unique perspectives, methods, and talents to the school, a change in faculty should not affect the school’s curriculum. New teachers would be expected to use their teaching skills to implement whatever curriculum has been deemed appropriate for the school.

Response D. Although a change from more traditional teaching methods to newer teaching methods would affect how curricular content is delivered to students, this type of change would not be likely to necessitate a major reevaluation or revision of the curriculum itself.

Question 12 Correct Response: A. In conducting classroom assessments in English to measure the content-area learning of students for whom English is a second language (ESL students), teachers should strive to use assessment strategies that allow the students to demonstrate what they know while minimizing the potential effects of limited English proficiency on assessment results. Giving ESL students varied assessment opportunities (e.g., through speaking, writing, performing) ensures that the students have a chance to show what they have learned in a way that best reflects their true knowledge and skills.

Question 12 Wrong Answers:

Response B. Although having ESL students engage in self-assessment would be useful in some situations and for some purposes, this method may not yield results that are highly accurate in terms of evaluating students’ actual knowledge and skills.

Response C. Allowing ESL students to determine on their own when they are ready to be evaluated would not remove possible language-related obstacles to fair and accurate content-area assessment and thus would not greatly improve a teacher’s ability to accurately evaluate student learning.

Response D. Ongoing assessment of students’ content-area learning generally requires the use of assessments that reflect specific content that has been the focus of recent classroom instruction. Since standardized, grade-level assessments tend to cover a relatively broad range of knowledge that is not tied to particular lessons, they are not likely to be useful for helping teachers accurately monitor ESL students’ understanding of ongoing content-area instruction.

Question 13 Correct Response: C. The questionnaire elicits information from students about their individual preferences for particular types of learning environments and ways of learning, which in turn helps promote an understanding of their learning styles. Awareness of students’ learning preferences can help the teacher determine how to provide learning opportunities that allow students to work and learn in their preferred modes and thus enhance learning.

Question 13 Wrong Answers:

Response A. The questionnaire focuses on having students think about and identify their own current preferences in learning; it is not intended to prompt students to look beyond these current preferences to understand or appreciate alternative types of learning experiences.

Response B. Although the questionnaire could help the teacher plan instruction that accommodates students’ learning styles, it would be of little use in evaluating the effectiveness of specific instructional activities and approaches, which would require the use of assessments that measure student learning.

Response D. This questionnaire would probably not help the teacher develop expectations for each student’s behavior and achievement, since it provides little or no direct information about students’ typical behavior in class or typical levels of achievement.

Question 14 Correct Response: D. The teacher introduces a lesson on nutrition with an activity that takes advantage of students’ prior knowledge of different kinds of foods by having them generate examples of healthful and unhealthful foods. This helps create meaning for the students and encourages active engagement in learning, which should promote their interest in the lesson. Therefore, the activity should promote learning by prompting students to apply their current knowledge of the subject (Option III) and by stimulating their interest in the lesson (Option IV).

Question 14 Wrong Answers:

Responses A and B include Option I: encouraging students to apply critical-thinking skills. The activity described in the question prompts students to identify and categorize familiar foods on the basis of their healthfulness; it does not require the students to apply critical-thinking skills, which would involve evaluating conclusions through logical and systematic examination. Responses A and C include Option II: promoting students’ self-assessment of their knowledge of the topic. Although the activity requires students to generate examples of healthful and unhealthful foods, it does not include a self-assessment component in which students would have to evaluate their own strengths and needs in regard to their knowledge of nutrition.

Question 15 Correct Response: B. The most effective research-related use of Internet and browser features among the response choices listed is Response B. The browser’s “favorites” or “bookmark” feature is designed to save the addresses of, and links to, visited sites for future use. In their initial research, students are likely to find many Web pages that may be useful; their research will be facilitated if they learn how to note the locations of pages to which they may want to return later (e.g., to read them more carefully, print them, and/or pursue “links” to related pages and sites).

Question 15 Wrong Answers:

Response A. The use of a search engine by the teacher to prepare a list of pages for the students inappropriately shifts the responsibility for the research from the students to the teacher. If the students are to learn how to conduct research using the Internet, it is more appropriate for them to learn to use search engines themselves.

Response C. The use of the “history” or “back” function of a Web browser is not an effective way to gather source and bibliographic information. Typically, a browser will retain only a small number of previously visited addresses, and the list will not be well organized. Students should gather source and bibliographic information at the time they visit or revisit the Web sites that they will use in their research.

Response D. The use of a “feedback” or “e-mail” feature to communicate with the sponsor of a Web page is not an effective research method. Web sponsors cannot generally be expected to respond to e-mails generated by site visitors who seek information beyond what is posted on the site.

Question 16 Correct Response: B. In New York State, the district superintendent is responsible for communicating school board policies to district faculty, administrators, and other stakeholders and ensuring that the policies are implemented effectively and equitably. In addition, the superintendent is responsible for ensuring that district schools develop and maintain effective academic programs that promote all students’ learning and progress. Therefore, the major responsibilities of district superintendents in New York State include implementing policy decisions of the local school board (Option I) and providing educational leadership for faculty and administrators (Option IV).

Question 16 Wrong Answers:

Responses A and C include Option III, which states that the district superintendent approves and adopts annual district budgets. This responsibility is reserved for the local school board.

Responses C and D include Option II, which states that the district superintendent represents faculty in contract negotiations. Teachers are usually represented in contract negotiations and on other issues of employment by local and/or state representatives of the teachers’ union.

Question 17 Correct Response: D. Because the evaluation process is formative, its purpose is to analyze the teacher’s instructional methods and help him grow and develop as a professional. The teacher can best profit from this opportunity by reflecting on and assessing his own teaching performance, identifying areas in which he would like to progress, and working collaboratively with his supervisor to enhance his teaching effectiveness in those areas.

Question 17 Wrong Answers:

Response A. Feedback resulting from the observation is likely to be most useful and constructive if the teacher uses his own characteristic teaching style and methods during the observed lesson. Therefore, eliciting a large number of ideas from the supervisor about alternative ways to present lesson content is unlikely to help achieve the goal of obtaining useful, constructive feedback.

Response B. Providing the supervisor with research justifying the instructional methods used during the observation will not help achieve the primary goal of the observation, which is to permit the supervisor to evaluate and comment on the teacher’s performance.

Response C. The observation is likely to be most useful for promoting the teacher’s professional skills if the evaluator is able to observe instructional methods typically used by the teacher. Therefore, seeking information about lessons presented by other, high-performing faculty members would probably not be helpful or appropriate.

Question 18 Correct Response: D. Parents and community volunteers can be an important resource in the elementary school classroom. Obtaining specific time commitments from volunteers and establishing a regular schedule (Option III) should help the teacher plan class activities more effectively and enable the teacher to make the best possible use of the volunteers’ time in the classroom. Providing volunteers with ongoing training and monitoring their performance (Option IV) can help ensure that their efforts will contribute to and be consistent with the instructional goals of the class.

Question 18 Wrong Answers:

Responses A and B include Option I, which states that volunteers should be used primarily for tasks that involve less intensive student interaction. This guideline would unnecessarily limit the potential usefulness of volunteers in the classroom; many volunteers may have important knowledge and skills that could allow them to play an important role in instructional, recreational, and enrichment activities that involve significant interaction with students.

Responses A and C include Option II, which states that volunteers are themselves the best judges of how they can be most helpful in the classroom. Decisions about how volunteers should be used in individual classrooms should rest with the teacher, whose responsibilities include organizing and coordinating all classroom activities to promote achievement of instructional goals.

Question 19 Correct Response: A. In the situation described, the teacher should take immediate action to help ensure Becky’s continued progress in school while adhering to the legal guidelines governing the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEPs). The teacher has already tried various strategies for implementing Becky’s current IEP, and Becky’s next IEP team meeting is not scheduled to occur for several months. Requesting that Becky’s IEP team meet as soon as possible to discuss the problem and reevaluate Becky’s IEP would enable the professionals on the team to investigate the situation quickly and suggest either new ways of implementing the current IEP or changes in the IEP itself.

Question 19 Wrong Answers:

Response B. If there is a significant problem relating to Becky’s IEP, delaying intervention until the end of the year may jeopardize Becky’s academic progress during the entire year and cause her to fall further behind in school.

Response C. By law, the creation of a student’s IEP is a shared responsibility among all the members of the IEP team; the teacher does not have the right to revise Becky’s IEP goals independently once they have been established by her IEP team.

Response D. Although the teacher should certainly discuss Becky’s academic performance and progress with Becky’s parents, it is the teacher’s responsibility to assess Becky’s progress toward the academic goals specified in the IEP, as well as to request that the IEP team meet as soon as possible if, for any reason, those goals are not being met.