Study Guide for Secondary Assessment of Teaching Skills — Written (ATS–W) (091)
Secondary Assessment of Teaching Skills — Written (ATS–W) (091) Study Guide
Prepared by Alan Singer, Hofstra University School of Education, Department of Teaching, Learning and Technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JurHOKAbbMU&feature=youtu.be
The Secondary 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_fld91_objs.pdf
http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/content/docs/NY_fld091_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.
· Do worry if the sample in the prompt is not from your content area. The question is not about subject content but teaching approaches.
· 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.
Question 12. An English teacher who is planning a unit on Elizabethan drama is trying to decide whether to spend class time viewing a video on Elizabethan England. The teacher should make the decision based primarily on whether:
A. the students in the class have had previous success with learning through video.
B. the video will require students to use higher-level thinking skills than those typically used in the class.
C. the students in the class exhibit a preference for whole-class rather than individual learning activities.
D. the video will provide an effective means of introducing or reinforcing instructional content.
I’m not an English teacher and I know nothing about Elizabethan England, but video should provide an effective means of introducing or reinforcing instructional content, whatever the content. A and B look good, but D is the better answer and the one they want.
Question 16. Historically, a fundamental goal of public schools in the United States has been to:
A. serve as a counterbalance to the influence of society’s other institutions (e.g., economic, religious).
B. promote the idea that the well-being of the individual is subordinate to that of society.
C. prepare individuals to be productive citizens in their community and in the broader society.
D. prompt individuals to question key values and assumptions underlying their society’s political system.
I wish the answer was D, but you know the answer they want is C.
Sample Questions: Answers are at the end of this package.
Question 1. During a health unit, a ninth-grade teacher asks his students to imagine that they have just found out that a friend is selling drugs. He asks the students to suggest possible actions they might take in response (e.g., tell a teacher, talk to the student, do nothing) and what might happen as a result. This activity is likely to promote adolescents’ development by encouraging them to:
I. consider what a person’s negative behaviors reveal about what that person values.
II. recognize the social problems that may arise when basic human needs are not met.
III. reflect on their responsibilities toward other people in their society.
IV. develop problem-solving strategies in regard to real-life situations.
Question 1 Choices A. I and II only / B. I and IV only / C. II and III only / D. III and IV only
Use the information below to answer the three questions that follow. Ms. Morales, a seventh-grade social studies teacher, has planned an activity in which students will spend several weeks working in cooperative learning groups researching a person or event related to New York’s colonial period. Each group will then give an oral presentation about that person or event to the rest of the class. After student groups are created, Ms. Morales gives each group a form to guide students as they move on to successive phases of their projects. The students have used similar forms for previous projects, so Ms. Morales reminds the class how to use the form. Then she leads a class discussion designed to help all the groups begin thinking about how to address the first day’s goal. Following is the first page of the form.
Goal for Day 1: Identify a person or event to research. Discuss how you will achieve this goal.
• What specific steps will you take to figure out which person or event to research?
• What resources will you use?
• What role will each group member play to help accomplish this goal?
Goal for Day 2: Identify useful resources for learning about your research topic. Discuss how you will achieve this goal.
• What specific steps will you take to identify resources that will be helpful in learning about your topic?
• What role will each group member play to help accomplish this goal?
Goal for Days 3–7: Gather and organize information about the person or event you have selected. Discuss how you will achieve this goal.
• What specific steps will you take to gather information about your topic using the resources you have identified?
• How will you organize information that is gathered from different resources?
• How will you organize information that is gathered by different group members?
• What role will each group member play to help accomplish this goal?
Goal for Day 8: Determine what main points about your research subject you want to emphasize in your oral presentation. Discuss how you will achieve this goal.
• What specific steps will you take to make a decision about which ideas and information to focus on in your group’s presentation?
• What role will each group member play to help accomplish this goal?
Question 2. Use of this form by the student groups as they work on their projects is most likely to benefit students by:
I. reinforcing their recognition of the importance of continuous selfassessment in the learning process.
II. modeling for them the use of a systematic approach that can be used with many complex learning tasks.
III. helping them clarify connections between new information gained through project work and their prior knowledge.
IV. providing them with a structure that enhances the ability of the groups to work independently.
Questions 2 Choices
A. I and III only / B. I and IV only / C. II and III only / D. II and IV only
Question 3. Ms. Morales’s class includes Milos, a student whose family immigrated to the United States a year ago. Milos’s English language skills have been improving, but he is not yet proficient in English. Which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for Ms. Morales to use to respond to Milos’s needs during the cooperative learning activity?
Question 3 Choices.
A. Assign Milos to one of the cooperative learning groups and have him determine independently whether and how to participate in the group’s work.
B. Give Milos an alternative assignment, such as a reading task at his current English language reading level, that focuses on the same content as that being addressed by classmates.
C. Have Milos observe the various cooperative learning groups as they work on their projects, so that he will have maximum access to spoken and written English in varied group learning contexts.
D. Have Milos participate as a member of one of the cooperative learning groups, while ensuring that he is supported in his assigned roles as needed.
Question 4. Before the students began working on their projects, Ms. Morales took steps to ensure that the groups’ research would proceed as smoothly as possible. Which of the following planning procedures would likely have been most appropriate and useful for achieving this goal?
Question 4 Choices:
A. Meet with the school librarian to review the resources students will likely need to conduct their research and discuss potential issues related to the students’ access to those resources.
B. Distribute a schedule to students establishing specific times during each class when the teacher will be available to confer with each group and answer members’ questions.
C. Ask the chairperson of the social studies department to request that other seventh-grade teachers in the school try to incorporate instruction about relevant research skills into their own lessons.
D. Create a written list to distribute to students identifying the specific academic skills needed to complete the entire research project and each of its components successfully.
Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow. Teachers in a large urban junior high school are meeting to discuss the high drop-out rate in their district and strategies they can use in their classrooms to reduce the likelihood of their students’ dropping out of school.
Question 5. These teachers should be aware that effective instruction for students who are considered at high risk of dropping out of school should include a focus on learning opportunities that:
I. minimize the use of assessment and encourage the students to define their own standards for acceptable performance.
II. emphasize the application of instructional content in ways that clarify its relevance to the students’ own lives and needs.
III. allow the students to experience success and develop a sense of competence and confidence as learners.
IV. address educational objectives mainly at the “knowledge” level rather than at higher cognitive levels.
Question 5 Choices.
A. I and III only / B. I and IV only / C. II and III only / D. II and IV only
Question 6. During the discussion of the drop-out problem, many of the teachers agree that it would be helpful for them to identify ways to manage their classrooms more effectively. As the teachers discuss this issue, they ought to be aware that a key goal for managing their students’ learning environment should be to:
Question 6 Choices.
A. organize time so as to ensure that approximately equal emphasis is placed on whole-class, small-group, and individual learning activities.
B. organize activities in ways that promote students’ sense of membership in a cooperative, purposeful learning community.
C. organize time around a uniform daily schedule that maximizes predictability for students and eliminates unfamiliar activities or settings.
D. organize activities to focus on student-initiated, student-directed activities rather than teacher directed activities.
Question 7. A middle school teacher provides students with explicit instruction and practice in the use of a variety of reading techniques (e.g., scanning, skimming, reading for main ideas, reading for details, reading for appreciation). This practice is most appropriate for helping students learn to:
Question 7 Choices
A. use self-assessment strategies to improve their reading comprehension.
B. evaluate the effectiveness of literary techniques and devices in works of fiction.
C. adjust their reading approach to suit different texts, content areas, and purposes.
D. analyze the validity of arguments and the accuracy of supporting statements in persuasive writing.
Question 8. Of the following, the most significant advantage of using a full-inclusion model to provide special education services to students with disabilities is that this approach:
Question 8 Choices.
A. fosters all students’ understanding and appreciation of individual differences.
B. facilitates the individualization of instruction based on the specific strengths and needs of students with disabilities.
C. motivates classroom teachers to expand their repertoire of teaching strategies.
D. encourages the parents/guardians/ caregivers of students with disabilities to take a more active role in their children’s education.
Question 9. A group of educators has been asked to create a new district arts curriculum based on new state standards. To ensure development of an effective district curriculum, the educators should adhere to which of the following principles?
Question 9 Choices
A. Focus on skills-related goals rather than content goals in the curriculum for each grade level.
B. For each grade level, specify content and skills goals at varied levels of difficulty for students functioning at different levels.
C. Use knowledge of students’ developmental levels and prior learning to help define content and skills for each grade level.
D. For each grade level, emphasize content and skills in the arts that have clear interdisciplinary connections.
Question 10. 10. In developing a written classroom test, the teacher’s primary goal should be to create a test that:
Question 10 Choices
A. challenges students to apply knowledge and skills in ways that are new to them.
B. yields information about student strengths and needs in relation to instructional objectives.
C. clarifies differences among students in regard to targeted knowledge and skills.
D. provides information about students’ long-term potential to achieve as well as about their current achievement.
Question 11. Inquiry-based learning (discovery learning) is a particularly appropriate instructional approach for teachers to select when they wish to ensure that students have opportunities to:
Question 11 Choices
A. engage actively in the process of constructing knowledge.
B. learn new content in a standard progression from simpler to more complex.
C. set clear learning goals and monitor progress in achieving their goals.
D. gain an overview of a broad area of content to facilitate subsequent learning.
Question 12. An English teacher who is planning a unit on Elizabethan drama is trying to decide whether to spend class time viewing a video on Elizabethan England. The teacher should make the decision based primarily on whether:
Question 12 Choices
A. the students in the class have had previous success with learning through video.
B. the video will require students to use higher-level thinking skills than those typically used in the class.
C. the students in the class exhibit a preference for whole-class rather than individual learning activities.
D. the video will provide an effective means of introducing or reinforcing instructional content.
Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow. A social studies teacher notices several students debating the new school dress code as they enter class. As more students arrive in the classroom, they join in the debate. In recent weeks, the students have been studying individual rights in a democracy and the role of laws in society. The teacher decides to start this day’s class by having the students engage in a discussion about the dress code in light of what they have been studying.
Question 13. Which of the following is likely to be the greatest benefit of the teacher’s decision to begin the class with a discussion about the school dress code?
Question 13 Choices.
A. It will encourage the students to make interdisciplinary connections relating social studies content to content they are learning in other subject areas.
B. It will prompt the students to assess their own understanding of the topics they have been studying and recognize misconceptions they may have developed.
C. It will motivate the students to become involved in thinking about course content by linking it to issues that are important to them.
D. It will help the students develop a clear, coherent overview of course content into which subsequent ideas and information may be integrated.
Question 14. Following a brief class discussion about the new dress code, the teacher suggests that the students hold a debate on the topic. The teacher helps the class generate a list of guidelines that each student should follow during the debate. The purpose of the guidelines is to help ensure positive communication among students and a productive learning experience. Of the following guidelines, which would be most appropriate to include in the list?
I. Try to support your opinions with ideas and examples from what we have been studying in class.
II. Make every effort to present a balanced view of both sides of an issue whenever you speak.
III. Avoid expressing open disagreement with ideas expressed by your classmates.
IV. Make sure to listen carefully to others so that you can focus your response on their ideas.
Question 14 Choices:
A. I and III only / B. I and IV only / C. II and III only / D. II and IV only
Question 15. Students in a high school class will use the Internet to gather information for research reports. The students can best evaluate the accuracy and validity of the information on a Web site by checking:
Question 15 Choices.
A. how many links are presented on the site and how often they are updated.
B. whether the author’s credentials are listed on the site and can be verified.
C. how clearly and concisely the information is presented.
D. whether the information is presented in a serious and authoritative manner.
Question 16. Historically, a fundamental goal of public schools in the United States has been to:
Question 16 Choices.
A. serve as a counterbalance to the influence of society’s other institutions (e.g., economic, religious).
B. promote the idea that the well-being of the individual is subordinate to that of society.
C. prepare individuals to be productive citizens in their community and in the broader society.
D. prompt individuals to question key values and assumptions underlying their society’s political system.
Question 17. Ms. Lee, a high school science teacher, is teaching a unit on the structure and functions of the cell as specified in her district’s biology curriculum. As she leads a class discussion intended to reinforce content covered during the past week, students’ questions and comments indicate that much of the class has failed to grasp key concepts. In reflecting on the situation afterward, it is most important for Ms. Lee to ask herself which of the following questions?
Question 17 Choices.
A. Is the content of this unit appropriate for students at this grade level?
B. How can I adjust my instruction to teach students this content more effectively?
C. Would a written test provide a more accurate picture of student learning than a class discussion?
D. How could I have communicated a stronger message to students about the relevance of this content?
Question 18. Secondary school teachers can best foster a sense of partnership in the learning process with the parents/guardians/ caregivers of all students by
Question 18 Choices.
A. acknowledging the parents’/ guardians’/caregivers’ expertise regarding their children and using their input to enhance their children’s instruction.
B. suggesting that all parents/ guardians/caregivers come to school to share with their children’s class relevant knowledge and skills that they may have.
C. ensuring that meetings with parents/guardians/caregivers focus mainly on their children’s learning achievements rather than on problems or needs.
D. having parents/guardians/caregivers routinely participate in planning for the content-area instruction that their children will receive in the classroom.
Question 19. A high school has used grant funds to install two computers in each classroom. At a faculty meeting, teachers note that some students seem to have far more interest than others in working with the computers. In particular, students who have computers in their homes tend to show the greatest interest in the classroom computers. Which of the following best describes the faculty’s primary responsibility in this situation?
Question 19 Choices.
A. Help students with little interest in computers to define their own interests and provide them with opportunities to pursue learning in self-selected areas that do not require substantial computer skills.
B. Organize activities in ways that ensure that all students will have ample opportunity and encouragement to gain proficiency with computers.
C. Use various strategies to communicate with students’ families about the importance of computers and the benefits of having a computer in the home.
D. Strive to have all students achieve approximately equivalent computer proficiency by having students with the least skill and experience spend the most time with the classroom computers.
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 help students develop career awareness and an understanding of the world of work. Imagine that the educational goal and objectives below have been established for all schools in your district.
DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL GOALS Educational Goal #8: Students will develop career awareness and an understanding of the world of work. Objectives include the following: Students will gain awareness of types of career opportunities and major features of the world of work in contemporary U.S. society. Students will recognize connections between their learning in school and the workplace. Students will develop skills (e.g., working in teams, problem solving, communication) needed in the workplace.
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 helping students develop career awareness and an understanding of the world of work;
• 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 ninth grade science (eleventh grade social studies etc). The unit I will be teaching will focus on . . .
Second paragraph opening — In this unit I will develop student career awareness and an understanding of the world of work by focusing on . . .
Third paragraph opening — Two strategies I will use to achieve the educational goal of developing student career awareness and an understanding of the world of work are . . .
Fourth paragraph opening — These strategies would be effective in achieving this educational goal because . . .
Answers to Multiple Choice Questions
Question 1 Correct Response: D. This activity requires students to think about how they would confront a difficult, real-life situation involving peers and drugs and can therefore be expected to help foster students’ social development by encouraging them to reflect on their personal responsibilities toward other people in varied contexts (Option III). In addition, the activity prompts students to apply general problem-solving skills as they analyze alternative solutions to a real-life problem, which should help t
Question 1 Wrong Answers:
Responses A and B include Option I: encouraging students to consider what a person’s negative behaviors reveal about what that person values. The activity described in the question emphasizes students’ thinking about their own responsibilities and actions in responding to a friend who is selling drugs; it does not focus on having the students reflect on the values of the friend.
Responses A and C include Option II: encouraging students to recognize the social problems that may arise when basic human needs are not met. The activity described in the question emphasizes appropriate student responses to a social problem, not student analysis of possible causes of that social problem.
Question 2 Correct Response: D. This form helps students break down a complex research and oral presentation task into a number of smaller component tasks and sequence the tasks in a logical, coherent way that helps ensure successful completion of the project as a whole. This approach can be expected to benefit students by modeling for them a systematic approach they can use in the future with many complex individual and group learning tasks (Option II). It also provides them with clear daily goals and an overall organizational plan that should reduce their dependence upon the teacher for continuous guidance and supervision and thereby enhance the ability of each group to work independently (Option IV).
Question 2 Wrong Answers:
Responses A and B include Option I: reinforcing students’ recognition of the importance of continuous self-assessment. The form emphasizes planning for the steps and activities that will be required to meet a sequence of project goals; it does not include a component related to student self-assessment.
Responses A and C include Option III: helping students clarify connections between new information gained through project work and their prior knowledge. Although students may use prior knowledge in planning some components of their projects (e.g., in deciding the person or event to research), none of the questions on the form are designed to prompt students to make or clarify connections between new information and prior knowledge.
Question 3 Correct Response: D. In planning instruction for Milos, an ESL student, the teacher should make every effort to include him as fully as possible in all classroom activities. This practice should help promote his acquisition of new content and skills while giving him many opportunities to improve his English language skills and form positive, productive relationships with peers in the classroom. In the situation described, the teacher can best achieve the goal of including Milos fully in classroom activities by having him participate as a regular member of one of the cooperative learning groups. At the same time, the teacher needs to monitor his performance in the group on an ongoing basis to ensure that he receives any support that he may need in carrying out his assigned roles within the group.
Question 3 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Allowing Milos to determine on his own whether and how to participate in his group’s work may hinder achievement of the goal of fully integrating him into the classroom. Milos should be encouraged to participate as fully as he possibly can in all learning activities.
Response B. Giving Milos an alternative assignment, such as a reading task, would isolate him while reducing his access to the dynamic elements of group participation that could enhance his learning of new content while improving his English language skills.
Response C. Limiting Milos’s role to being an observer of various groups would substantially diminish the active engagement with project content and with his peers that he would experience as a member of a single group. This approach would also reduce Milos’s opportunities to improve his English language skills through meaningful, authentic interaction and communication with others in the achievement of a common goal.
Question 4 Correct Response: A. A key factor in determining how smoothly the groups’ research will proceed involves ensuring that necessary resources will be readily available to students as they work on their projects. The teacher can best address such resource issues by talking to the school librarian about the availability and accessibility of relevant resources.
Question 4 Wrong Answers:
Response B. Although the teacher should make a practice of conferring with each group on an ongoing basis as the research projects proceed, such conferencing is likely to be most effective if it occurs when it is particularly helpful or appropriate rather than according to a strict schedule.
Response C. Asking other seventh-grade teachers to support the research activity by incorporating relevant research skills into their own lessons is unlikely to be particularly helpful in ensuring that the students’ research proceeds smoothly.
Response D. Although having students reflect on the specific academic skills they will use as they work on this project could enhance their awareness of the nature of their task, giving students a list identifying these skills would probably not have any effect on how smoothly the group work proceeds.
Question 5 Correct Response: C. Classroom instruction that makes connections with students’ out-of school experiences can help motivate all students by personalizing learning and making it meaningful. Because students who are considered at risk of dropping out of school often have relatively low academic motivation, making such connections can be especially important for them. In addition, because these students have often not developed a sense of competence and confidence as learners, a teacher’s use of classroom strategies that allow them to experience success (e.g., covering materials thoroughly and at a moderate pace) can be especially helpful. Therefore, effective instruction for students who are considered at high risk of dropping out of school should include a focus on learning opportunities that link instructional content to the students’ own lives and needs (Option II) and allow students to experience success as learners (Option III).
Question 5 Wrong Answers:
Responses A and B include Option I, minimizing the use of assessment and encouraging students to define their own standards for acceptable performance. At-risk students are likely to benefit from frequent, carefully constructed assessments, which can help both teacher and student monitor academic progress and enable students to see the results of their efforts. In addition, while it may be appropriate for students to define their own standards for acceptable performance on some projects, effective instruction should generally be based upon well-defined learning objectives and performance standards established by the teacher.
Responses B and D include Option IV, which states that effective instruction for at-risk students should address educational objectives mainly at the “knowledge” level. Instruction that involves mainly knowledge-level thinking skills (e.g., defining, listing, recalling) is often less motivating than learning opportunities that require more complex cognitive operations (e.g., analysis, synthesis).
Question 6 Correct Response: B. Students who are at risk of dropping out of school are typically lower achieving students who have a history of repeated academic failure. Such students are likely to benefit from a carefully structured classroom environment that emphasizes purposeful activity and offers frequent encouragement and a sense of membership in a cooperative and supportive learning environment. Participation in this type of classroom can help these students develop a more positive, productive approach to learning and increase their confidence in their own ability to achieve.
Question 6 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Equalizing the time spent in various instructional groupings will not, in and of itself, ensure that students will have a positive or productive classroom experience. The time spent on whole-class, small-group, and individual work will generally vary depending on the nature of the content and students’ instructional needs.
Response C. Although some level of predictability may enhance students’ sense of control within the learning environment, excessive emphasis on uniformity and predictability would tend to make students’ classroom experiences less interesting, motivating, or engaging.
Response D. Lower-achieving students tend to do best in an environment that offers them instructional support, help in maintaining focus, consistent feedback, and frequent encouragement. Thus, while inclusion of some student-initiated, student-directed activities may be appropriate for these students, they can be expected to need and benefit from many teacher-directed activities as well.
Question 7 Correct Response: C. The activity described in the question involves instructing students in the use of a variety of reading techniques. This instruction is most appropriate for helping students learn to adjust their approach to different reading tasks in the many content areas in which they may receive reading assignments. Response C is the best response offered because it addresses this purpose, recognizing that different assignments will call for different reading techniques.
Question 7 Wrong Answers:
Response A. The instructional activity described in the question does not focus on the use of self-assessment as a way to improve reading comprehension. The use of a variety of reading techniques and methods is not a self-assessment process.
Response B. Although this instructional activity may in part help students approach the reading of literary works with greater understanding and appreciation, it does not relate to the evaluation of literary techniques and devices.
Response D. Although this instructional activity may help students approach the reading of persuasive writing with greater understanding, it does not relate directly to the analysis of an argument’s validity or the accuracy of supporting statements used to justify a position.
Question 8 Correct Response: A. Under a full-inclusion model, students with disabilities participate fully and actively as members of a general education classroom along with their nondisabled peers. Besides giving students with disabilities opportunities to experience a broad range of academic and social interactions that can help prepare them to participate fully in society, a full-inclusion model also gives nondisabled students an opportunity, through sustained, direct interaction, to develop an understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities.
Question 8 Wrong Answers:
Response B. Although a full-inclusion model tends to require substantial individualization of instruction for students with special needs, this model does not generally make individualization easier than other models, where students with disabilities often learn in smaller groups and spend more time with special education specialists.
Response C. Although use of a full-inclusion model may challenge teachers to identify strategies that work best for individual students with disabilities, effective teachers should make a practice of using a full range of teaching strategies (e.g., direct instruction, guided practice, student inquiry), whether or not their classrooms include students with disabilities.
Response D. Parents/guardians/caregivers of students with disabilities should be encouraged to take as active a role as possible in their children’s education, regardless of the model used to provide their children with educational services. Although many parents/guardians/caregivers of students with disabilities may support use of an inclusion model, there is nothing inherent in this approach that would necessarily encourage greater parent/guardian/caregiver involvement.
Question 9 Correct Response: C. The purpose of a curriculum is to specify what students should be learning at each grade level. An effective subject-area curriculum specifies goals that are responsive to students’ characteristics and needs at different grade levels and reflect an understanding that learning is a cumulative process in which new knowledge and skills build upon knowledge and skills that have been previously acquired. To create a curriculum with appropriate, achievable student learning goals that are sequenced to reflect increasingly complex content and skills at progressive grade levels, educators need to consider students’ developmental characteristics and needs as well as what students have already learned in previous grades.
Question 9 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Rather than emphasizing skills-related goals over content goals, an effective subject-area curriculum typically includes goals relating to both content knowledge and skills development.
Response B. Although individual teachers may modify their instruction to accommodate students’ varied levels of skills and knowledge in a discipline, a curriculum for the discipline should specify a single set of developmentally appropriate content and skills goals for students at each grade level.
Response D. Although the curriculum for a particular discipline may provide some information and guidance about possible connections with other disciplines, development of the curriculum should be driven primarily by an understanding of the discipline’s own content and skills and sequences of student learning within the discipline.
Question 10 Correct Response: B. When teachers create their own tests, they can customize the assessment to address the specific instructional objectives they have emphasized in class and determine how much progress each student is making toward those objectives. Teachers can then use this information to identify students’ strengths and needs and design instructional strategies that can address their needs.
Question 10 Wrong Answers:
Response A. For a teacher-made test to generate meaningful results and be fair to students, it must assess the knowledge and skills the teacher has targeted in class. Using unfamiliar contexts or methods to test what students have learned may not provide accurate information about the students’ proficiency in relation to the targeted knowledge and skills.
Response C. Although there may be differences among students in their performance on a teacher-made test, the primary purpose of these tests should not be to compare students but to provide an accurate measurement of each student’s performance with regard to targeted knowledge and skills.
Response D. While teacher-made tests can provide valuable information about students’ current level of achievement, such tests are generally not intended to serve as an indicator of students’ long-term potential to achieve.
Question 11 Correct Response: A. Inquiry-based learning (discovery learning) is grounded in the notion that the most meaningful learning occurs when students actively participate in the process of constructing knowledge. In inquiry-based learning, the teacher’s role is to provide rich problem-solving situations that invite students to question, explore, and find connections among ideas. Emphasis is placed on the process of learning as students use creative means to grapple with complex problems. The inquiry-based approach differs from more directed methods of instruction in which the teacher presents specific instructional content for students to master.
Question 11 Wrong Answers
Response B. The standard progression from simpler to more complex concepts is generally associated with more teacher-centered instructional approaches. Because inquiry-based learning involves having students construct their own knowledge in varied problem-solving contexts, learning tends to proceed in a less systematic and orderly manner.
Response C. Although inquiry-based learning experiences may give students opportunities to set learning goals and monitor their progress in achieving those goals, these instructional elements are at least as evident in many other instructional approaches.
Response D. Inquiry-based learning typically focuses on having students explore and solve specific problems rather than gain an overview of a broad area of content.
Question 12 Correct Response: D. Given limited class time to address instructional objectives, a primary concern of the teacher in planning lessons should be to ensure that selected instructional strategies, including showing the video in question, will make the best possible use of available instructional time. After the teacher has determined that the video’s content is relevant to the instructional goals of the Elizabethan drama unit, the teacher should decide whether use of this particular format is an effective means for introducing or reinforcing instructional content to facilitate student learning.
Question 12 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Students’ success with learning through video depends on the particular video and how the teacher chooses to use it. Therefore, in the situation described, students’ previous success, or lack of success, with learning through video should not be the primary factor in the teacher’s decision about whether to use the video in question to present specific content.
Response B. The teacher may choose to use the video in a way that encourages students to apply high-level thinking skills. However, the video itself is unlikely to require students to use thinking skills at a higher level than those typically used in a secondary school classroom. Therefore, this should not be the primary factor in the teacher’s decision about whether to use the video.
Response C. Although student preferences regarding whole-class versus individual activities may play a role in choosing particular instructional strategies for a class, most effective classrooms include a mix of both group and individual activities. In the situation described, it is the teacher’s responsibility to determine how content about Elizabethan England can be taught most effectively, and the teacher’s final decision may or may not correspond to general student preferences.
Question 13 Correct Response: C. By having students discuss the school dress code, an issue that is important to them, in light of what they have been studying in their social studies class, the teacher is likely to help students recognize connections between the ideas being addressed in class and their lives outside the classroom. This discussion can be expected to help students see the relevance of their classroom experiences and motivate them to become more actively involved in reflecting on course content as it relates to important issues in their lives.
Question 13 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Although students may draw upon knowledge they have encountered in other academic disciplines, the primary goal of this discussion is to allow students to make connections between social studies content and relevant personal experience.
Response B. Although this discussion may help some students clarify their understanding of social studies topics that they have been studying, it is not likely to lead to a self-assessment in which students consciously evaluate their own strengths and needs and identify misconceptions related to specific content knowledge.
Response D. Since this discussion focuses on a relatively small part of the social studies curriculum as it relates to a specific real-life situation, it is not likely to help students develop an overview of the course’s content as a whole.
Question 14 Correct Response: B. Having students justify their opinions in terms of information they have studied in class (Option I) should help them establish meaningful connections between academic ideas and their own personal experiences and gain an understanding of the importance of supporting their opinions with relevant, persuasive evidence. In addition, a guideline that encourages students to listen carefully to others’ ideas (Option IV) should help them develop active listening skills, clarify the nature of meaningful debate about issues, and foster the development of essential interpersonal skills such as respect for the opinions of others.
Question 14 Wrong Answers:
Responses C and D include Option II, which states that students should try to present a balanced view of both sides of an issue whenever they speak. Classroom debate does not require that participants express a balanced view regarding the issues. Instead, students should be encouraged to express their own views, provided that these views are logically supported through the use of evidence and expressed in a manner that is properly respectful of other possible perspectives on the issue.
Responses A and C include Option III, which states that students should avoid expressing open disagreement with the ideas of their classmates. A classroom debate should allow for the free and open exchange of personal opinions, even if this exchange provokes disagreement, provided that the exchange takes place in an atmosphere of open-mindedness and mutual respect.
Question 15 Correct Response: B. Of the options listed, the most effective way to verify the accuracy and validity of information is the same whether the information is presented on a Web site or through another medium. The author’s credentials are the best source of information on his or her appropriate preparation, similar work, and scholarly acceptance for published research work. Response B is the best response offered.
Question 15 Wrong Answers:
Response A. The number of links listed on a Web site is not an effective measure of the accuracy and validity of the site. Links are included on a Web site by the author of the site, and if the author’s information is not valid or accurate, the links will add nothing to the quality of the site.
Response C. The clarity and conciseness of a Web site are matters of style, not substance. Inaccurate and invalid information can be presented with as much clarity and conciseness as accurate and valid information.
Response D. The apparent seriousness and authority of the information on a Web site is a matter of subjective judgment. Further, it is possible to present inaccurate and invalid information with just as much seriousness and seeming authority as accurate and valid information.
Question 16 Correct Response: C. A fundamental goal of public education in the United States has been to help students become productive citizens in their community and nation. Public schools have traditionally sought to achieve this goal by helping students develop academic, interpersonal, and other skills and knowledge that they need to contribute to the world of work and to participate as citizens in a democratic society.
Question 16 Wrong Answers:
Response A. By providing high-quality education, public schools have traditionally helped prepare students to support and participate fully in society’s other institutions rather than serving as a counterbalance to these institutions.
Response B. Public schools in the United States have not traditionally promoted the idea that the well-being of the individual is subordinate to that of the society. On the contrary, the political and economic philosophies that have influenced public life and public education have tended to place particular importance on the roles and rights of the individual.
Response D. Although many public schools today are increasing their emphasis on teaching students critical-thinking skills, students have historically been encouraged to understand rather than question the values and assumptions underlying their society’s political system.
Question 17 Correct Response: B. Since the goal of instruction is to promote student learning, a teacher’s primary concern when students fail to learn should be to reassess the instructional strategies currently being used, consider possible alternatives, and determine how to modify instruction to teach the students more effectively and thus enhance their learning.
Question 17 Wrong Answers:
Response A. Since the content in this lesson is specified in the district’s biology curriculum, district personnel have already determined that the content is appropriate and important for students at this grade level.
Response C. In this case, there is no reason to believe that a written test would provide a more accurate picture of student learning than a class discussion. Since the teacher already recognizes that much of the class has failed to grasp key concepts, giving students a written test before they have opportunities for additional learning would probably serve little purpose.
Response D. Although the teacher may wish to heighten students’ awareness of the relevance of what they are studying, such increased awareness of the importance of the material may not have a significant effect on the students’ ability to master it.
Question 18 Correct Response: A. Since parents, guardians, and other caregivers are uniquely situated to understand the characteristics, strengths, and needs of the children in their care, they are often able to provide teachers with a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the abilities, attitudes, and perceptions that individual students bring to learning situations. Using parents’/guardians’/caregivers’ expertise regarding their children in this way can enhance the teacher’s ability to provide instruction that is responsive to each child while promoting a sense of partnership between teachers and parents/guardians/caregivers.
Question 18 Wrong Answers:
Response B. Teachers may wish to invite parents/guardians/caregivers who have particular types of knowledge or skills into the classroom to share what they know with their children’s class. However, teachers should not expect all parents/ guardians/caregivers to be willing or able to play this role in the classroom.
Response C. Although teachers should strive to establish positive relationships with parents, guardians, and other caregivers, this does not mean that they need to focus on children’s achievements while downplaying their problems or needs. Teachers should offer parents/guardians/caregivers an honest assessment of students’ performance and work collaboratively with parents/guardians/caregivers to address issues or concerns.
Response D. Although teachers may invite parent/guardian/caregiver input in many areas of school life, planning content-area instruction is a professional skill for which teachers have been trained; thus, responsibility for planning instruction should rest primarily with the teachers.
Question 19 Correct Response: B. Given the importance of computers in today’s world, all young people need opportunities to develop a sense of comfort and competence regarding computer use. Therefore, the faculty’s primary responsibility in the situation described is to ensure that all students, regardless of their background or prior experience, are provided with ample access to computers and strong encouragement to become computer proficient. For students with little interest in computers, faculty should use varied types of computer activities (e.g., online and e-mail activities, learning and research activities, free exploratory time) and instructional approaches that motivate students to become computer proficient in an atmosphere of support and encouragement.
Question 19 Wrong Answers:
Response A. While the faculty should provide students with opportunities to identify and pursue knowledge that is of particular interest to them, computer skills are increasingly a basic requirement for success in both school and work. Therefore, teachers must encourage even students with little prior exposure to computers and little interest in them to gain proficiency in their use.
Response C. The faculty may wish to communicate with families about the importance of computer literacy, but they should not expect all families to be willing or able to purchase a home computer. School personnel have a responsibility to help all students become computer proficient, including those with no access to a computer at home.
Response D. The purpose of having computers in the classroom is to provide all students with opportunities to enhance their learning. Providing access to computers based on existing skills and experience levels is unlikely to motivate students to increase their computer skills, whatever their current level of expertise.