SLLA 6990

A school leader 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 school leader 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 writing samples to assign scores
• Reviewing all writing samples to identify common areas of weakness
• Targeting students in need of remediation based on the writing samples provided
• Identifying benchmark-quality writing samples to use as exemplars for next year’s instruction

An elementary school leader is contacted by the parents of a student who broke his arm over the weekend. They are concerned that he will be unable to complete assignments because of his inability to write. The school leader can best address the parents’ concern by providing the student with services through

• temporary placement in special education
• Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• occupational therapy

Ms. Walsh, the school leader of a middle school, has a new assistant principal, Mr. Levinson. She is concerned that she will not be able to effectively train him while maintaining her responsibilities as the school leader. How can she best orient Mr. Levinson to his new position while still attending to her own responsibilities?

• Have Mr. Levinson shadow her for at least a week so he can learn his basic responsibilities
• Meet with Mr. Levinson, outline his responsibilities, and provide him with a detailed job description
• Spend a week working alongside Mr. Levinson, showing him school procedures and introducing him to teachers and students
• Ask another district assistant principal to serve as Mr. Levinson’s mentor, showing him the responsibilities of the job and offering him support and guidance

A new high school leader observes a longstanding pattern of high rates of disciplinary referrals among students from ethnic minorities. Which of the following is the school leader’s best response to the observation?

• Reviewing the disciplinary records of all students for the previous year
• Prioritizing the recruitment of teachers who represent different cultures
• Arranging professional development that builds teachers’ intercultural competency
• Revising the code of conduct to acknowledge behavioral differences among cultures

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

A new school leader can best assess the competency of the campus faculty by

• asking teachers to complete weekly selfevaluations
• reviewing teachers’ past performance evaluations
• checking weekly lesson plans for alignment to state standards
• using walk-throughs that target evidence of positive student outcomes

Ms. Sylvester, an elementary school leader, uses a classroom observation app during walk-throughs. She utilizes a feature that allows her to time stamp specific teacher and student behaviors and make notes about what she observes. Once a walk-through is complete, the app instantly sends a report to the teacher. By using the app, Ms. Sylvester primarily demonstrates a commitment to

• storing important documentation for annual teacher evaluations
• using technology to expedite administrative tasks and duties
• modeling the appropriate use of observation tools
• having systems in place for providing timely feedback

Ms. Bartholomew chairs the business education department in a large vocational high school. She uses a portion of each department meeting to present issues to be discussed and decided upon by the department members. During meetings, members argue openly with one another and are unable to come to consensus on any of the issues presented. It is clear to Ms. Bartholomew that she must concentrate on team building if she ever expects to operate the department as a unit. Which of the following steps in team building should she concentrate on first?

• Reinforcing that members’ contributions to the department are valued
• Communicating openly and frequently about the members’ progress in meeting the department’s goals
• Defining each member’s responsibilities, both individually and as they pertain to the department
• Establishing shared goals to which all department members are committed

A school leader in a diverse community leads a school that does not currently have a parent-teacher organization (PTO) in place. The school leader prioritizes establishing a parent-teacher organization for the upcoming school year. Which of the following is a primary benefit of establishing a PTO in the school?

• The PTO will hold fund-raising events to supplement the school budget allowing for more significant purchases to be made.
• The PTO will assist the school administrators in making decisions about student activities that impact education
• The PTO will provide a way for parents to be more involved in their children’s education and foster a sense of community between families and educators.
• The PTO will reduce the number of transient families and establish a common vision for improved attendance and achievement.

A school population has become increasingly diverse during the last two school years. Many faculty members feel that the changing population is less capable academically; as a result, the members feel powerless to help their students succeed in school. Which of the following steps taken by the school leader can best help the staff address assumptions that could be impacting student success?

• Analyzing student demographic data over a period of three to five years to better understand the changing population
• Distributing a staff questionnaire to determine faculty members’ acceptance of recent school population changes
• Encouraging staff members to become involved in diverse cultural experiences in the community
• Providing opportunities for teachers to identify their biases and learn to embrace student differences