Socioeconomic Factors and Education

Which of the factors below are used to define a family’s socioeconomic level or status (SES)?

• family’s attitude toward school and learning

• family’s place in their community

• income, education, and occupation of members of the household

• amount of savings that the family has accumulated

Complete this statement: Students in U.S. classrooms today are more diverse than ever, including

• a wide range of races, ethnicities, and cultures.

• more than 100 different languages.

• an array of academic, physical, and social abilities.

• different races, ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, languages, abilities, and skills.

Which of the terms below is defined as "the human mind’s tendency to simplify people or groups into a narrow range of characteristics, habits, or reactions"?

• bias

• prejudice

• perception

• stereotype

Which of the following statements about diverse students is most accurate?

• They will display different ways of learning, behaving, communicating, and interacting with others.

• They speak a range of different languages at home.

• They will not understand the behaviors expected in the classroom.

• They have families that immigrated to the United States from all over the world.

When we use the word "culture," we are generally referring to which of the following?

• values and traditions of a person’s native country

• beliefs, values, customs, and traditions that are different from those of the majority

• visiting museums or going to the theater or the opera

• the beliefs, values, customs, and social behaviors of a group that are reflected in their everyday life

Which of the following statements about "exceptionalities" in K–12 schooling is accurate?

• The term refers to both disabilities and giftedness.

• The term refers only to students identified as gifted.

• The term is used to describe students with intellectual disabilities.

• The term means the same as disabilities.

Proficiency in social language does not have to be achieved before teachers introduce academic language. For what reason is this true?

• Social language has usually been acquired by 1st grade.

• Social language does not need to be explicitly taught.

• Academic language must take priority over social language.

• Social and academic language often develop at the same time.

The individualized education program (IEP) for each student with a disability is used to outline which of the following?

• student’s preferences for accommodations

• role of the parent in the student’s instruction

• specific instructional strategies which must be used by the teacher

• supports and services needed by the student

Which of the following statements about students from low-SES families is typically true?

• They have better school attendance than do high-SES students.

• They score at least 50% lower than the national average in mathematics and reading.

• They enter kindergarten with significantly higher language skills.

• They achieve at lower levels than do students from middle- and high-SES families.

In addition to English, more than 150 languages are spoken in U.S. schools. Which of them is the most common?

• Arabic

• Vietnamese

• Mandarin

• Spanish