SL #2

A principal has been appointed to an elementary school in which the scores on the fourth-grade state language-arts tests have been decreasing each year for the past three years. The weakest area is writing. With a goal of improving writing instruction, the principal and the fourth-grade teachers decide to set aside time to examine and discuss student writing samples as a group.

Each teacher brings copies of student writing samples to share with the group. Which of the following actions should the teachers take first to improve instruction?

• Conducting an analytical review of all papers to assign scores

• Reviewing all papers to identify common areas of weakness

• Targeting students in need of remediation based on the samples provided

• Identifying benchmark-quality samples to use as exemplars for next year’s instruction

A principal has been appointed to an elementary school in which the scores on the fourth-grade state language-arts tests have been decreasing each year for the past three years. The weakest area is writing. With a goal of improving writing instruction, the principal and the fourth-grade teachers decide to set aside time to examine and discuss student writing samples as a group.

Over the course of several weeks, the principal observes each of the fourth-grade teachers. In light of the concern about improving students’ scores on language-arts assessments, the principal’s primary concern should be whether the teachers

• align their lesson objectives with their teaching strategies and materials

• match their lesson plans with the lessons actually taught

• include teaching strategies that meet the needs of diverse learners

• match their lesson objectives with the fourth-grade language-arts standards

A principal has been appointed to an elementary school in which the scores on the fourth-grade state language-arts tests have been decreasing each year for the past three years. The weakest area is writing. With a goal of improving writing instruction, the principal and the fourth-grade teachers decide to set aside time to examine and discuss student writing samples as a group.

Which of the following two pieces of information would be most relevant for the principal to use to help the teachers determine strategies for improving fourth- grade students’ achievement in language arts?

• The school’s vision statement and student demographic information

• The language arts block schedule for the fourth-grade classrooms and the reading levels of each fourth-grade student

• The language arts standards for fourth- grade students and disaggregated standardized test data

• The educational background and years of experience of the fourth-grade teachers

Recommended practice suggests that which of the following should be involved in the decision-making process concerning curriculum?

I. Curriculum experts

II. Boards of education

III. Professional staff

IV. Students

• I and III only

• II and III only

• III and IV only

• I, II, and III only

Which of the following is the most crucial question to consider in using community resources in the classroom?

• Can the resources be used by several groups at the same time?

• Have such resources been overused?

• Do the resources meet the needs of the program?

• What time limits have been established for the use of the resources?

A group of high school English teachers have approached the newly appointed department chair with concerns about the existing curriculum. The teachers explain that the curriculum has not been revised in nearly 10 years and is out of date. In response to the teachers’ concerns, the department chair should first

• review the research on exemplary high school English programs

• convene a meeting with the parents, superintendent, and board of education to gather their input

• collaborate with the teachers to examine the alignment between the existing curriculum and state standards

• immediately begin to analyze the curriculum and observe classroom instruction

According to due process, teachers are entitled to

• the presence of a defense counsel at any hearing and the right to refuse to testify

• adequate notice of the charges against them and a hearing in which they have the opportunity to defend themselves against those charges

• an appeal of an adverse decision and exemption from disciplinary action while the appeal is being decided

• a cross-examination of an adverse witness and the control of conditions under which such examination takes place

Of the following evaluation methods, which would provide the most valid indication of the success of a course of study in meeting its instructional goals?

• Compiling results of a survey of the students’ opinions of the course

• Reviewing anecdotal records that describe students’ interpersonal growth during the course

• Reviewing data that indicates the degree of students’ mastery of course objectives

• Surveying parents about the students’ transfer of concepts learned in the course

The newly appointed principal of an elementary school is concerned about the performance of the fourth grade on the state standardized tests for mathematics. Which of the following should be the principal’s initial step in developing a plan to improve students’ scores?

• Hire a staff developer to teach staff innovative approaches to mathematics instruction

• Collect information about the instructional methods, materials, and assessments currently in use

• Conduct a curriculum audit of the mathematics program at all grade levels

• Administer another assessment to identify speci c areas of weakness in students’ performance

A department chair is concerned about a few students in the advanced-level biology class who have received barely passing or failing grades on their rst marking period report cards while their classmates have performed well. Which of the following areas of investigation is likely to provide the most valuable information for explaining the weak performance of some students?

• Teacher records of tests grades, homework assignments, and class participation

• National Science Education content standards for the appropriate grade level

• The currency and appropriateness of the instructional materials in the course

• Admission standards for the advanced- level science classes