FELE subtest 1

1.1.1 Subtest 1, Competency 1: Teachers in a high school social studies department are developing school learning goals that address State Board of Education benchmarks related to a standard on preparing students to participate as active and engaged citizens. One of the benchmarks states that students will "Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues that cause the government to balance the interests of individuals with the public good."

The teachers can best address this benchmark by developing learning goals focused on promoting students'

•         Self-determination skills.

• Goal-setting skills

• problem-solving skills

• Critical-thinking skills.

1.1.2 Subtest 1, Competency 1: A principal wants to plan professional development activities for teachers aimed at reversing a school trend toward declining scores on the statewide reading assessment. The principal can most effectively begin the planning process by taking which of the following actions first?

•    Analyzing test data to identify specific reading skills needing improvement or subgroups of students needing additional support

•      Reviewing materials disseminated by the state about the types of questions and tasks that appear on reading assessment

•    Identifying high-quality teacher resources aimed at improving reading instruction that are available in the school or district

• Meeting with small groups of teachers to elicit information about the methods they currently use to promote student reading skills

After reviewing these data, the middle school principal should place the highest priority on answering which of the following questions?

• A. Should the school investigate other mathematics programs that may maximize mathematics gains for all student groups?

• B. How can the achievement gap in mathematics performance between the total group and the subgroup be closed?

• C. What factors were most important in promoting improvement in the school’s overall performance in mathematics?

• D. Has there been a significant change in recent years in the number of students in the total group and the subgroup?

1.1.4 Subtest 1, Competency 1: School administrators are in the process of designing a data report that will be used to communicate standardized assessment results to classroom teachers. The reports are likely to be most useful in facilitating and improving the teachers' instructional planning if they

• A.      include information about each student’s performance on each section of a test.

• A.      incorporate a variety of summary statistics, such as mean, range, and standard deviation, to characterize student scores.

• A.      compare an individual’s current performance to performance on previous tests.

• A.      provide an indication of how each class performed on each test question compared with other classes at the same grade level.

1.2.1 Subtest 1, Competency 2: A principal has established grade-level teacher teams to provide teachers with professional support and improve school performance. A key school goal at this time is to "set and achieve high academic expectations for every student." In observing the teacher teams in action, the principal can best ensure that they are effectively striving to meet this goal if team members place the greatest emphasis on discussing ways to

• A. determine the skills and content that are most important for students to master.

• B. provide students with enhanced opportunities to practice and improve their test-taking skills.

• C. create meaningful incentives that encourage students to work to their potential.

• D. respond to students who are progressing at different rates in the classroom.

1.2.2 Subtest 1, Competency 2: A recently hired principal at a low-performing school wishes to create a school climate that fosters strong academic achievement for all students. Which of the following approaches by the principal would best help promote the attainment of this goal?

• A. using a variety of means to communicate a vision of high expectations for students and faculty on a regular basis

• B. guiding faculty to give students ample flexibility in determining what they learn and how they will learn it

• C. providing meaningful incentives to reward faculty when a specified proportion of their students meet expectations

• D. prompting faculty to offer students a mix of individual, small-group, and whole-class learning opportunities

1.2.3 A principal recently assigned to a school in an impoverished community realizes that the school embraces a culture focusing on blaming students, families, and the community for the low achievement of the school. What would be an effective strategy to create a culture of high expectations for all students?

• A. begin the documentation process to terminate negative employees

• B. issue a memo mandating a change in perspective

• C. hold parents more accountable

• D. survey successful schools for best practices and collaborate with staff to develop a plan

1.2.4 Subtest 1, Competency 2: A principal, who has been reviewing student scores on the statewide assessment, is concerned about a significant and rapid decline in the performance of students from a subgroup in the school. The principal's best initial response would be to involve faculty and staff in

• A. identifying additional human or other resources that would be expected to improve the students’ performance.

• B. determining specific factors that are likely to be causing or contributing to the observed student trend.

• C. analyzing the extent to which the problematic test results reflect the students’ true skills and abilities.

• D. evaluating the match between the school curriculum and the content that is covered on the students’ tests.

1.3.1 Subtest 1, Competency 3: A recently hired principal wishes to evaluate teacher quality in the school by determining the extent to which the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices are currently being implemented. The principal can best achieve this goal by taking which of the following actions first?

• A. Providing each teacher with an instructional self-evaluation form to complete

• B. Meeting with each teacher to discuss their teaching methods and priorities

• Arranging to spend time observing in each teacher’s classroom

• D. Analyzing samples of student work submitted by each teacher

1.3.2 A high school administrator is conducting walk-throughs and has noted a pervasive lack of teaching to the standards of the language arts department. What is the first step to address the issue?

• A. collect lesson plan and observation data to determine alignment with standards

• B. attend PLCs to help with planning

• C. require weekly lesson plans to be re-written including standards for review

• D. Involve the literacy coach to provide guidance in unpacking the standards