Family/Family Engagement

1. Ms. Murphy is concerned about a student's recent academic and behavioral performance. Ms. Murphy best prepare for a productive conference with the parents by

• A. sending the parents an email to inform them of their child's difficulties and to designate a time conference.

• B. making arrangements for a special education teacher and an administrator to attend the conference to address any potential parental concerns.

• C. collecting other student's work samples and behavior logs to give the parents as a basis for comparison.

• D. gathering the student's various work samples and anecdotal records of the student's behavior.

2. Twice each year, a preschool teacher plans an event for preschoolers and their families. During this time children can show their families their work and families can see what their children are doing in school. Which of the following is likely to be the primary benefit of such events?

• A. Reinforcing home-school relationships and a sense of community among teacher, families, and children

• B. Enhancing children's motivation to learn and to be productive in the classroom

• C. Enabling the teacher to provide children with learning experiences that are responsive to their particular backgrounds and needs

• D. Motivating families to engage in activities at home that reinforce what children are learning at school

3. A few months into the school year, a teacher begins to prepare for a conference with the parent of a student who is having academic problems in the teacher's class. Which of the following steps taken by? The teacher before the conference occurs would best help ensure its success?

• A. Eliciting from the student general information about his or her parent and the parent's attitudes regarding the student's achievement

• B. Copying key sections of the student's school records for the parent to review

• C. Meeting with the student to determine types of school-related information he or she typically shares at home

• D. Having examples of the student's work available for the parent to review

4. A teacher learns that parent/guardian volunteers will be available in the teacher's classroom during specific times each week. The teacher would most appropriately assign these volunteers to do which of the following tasks?

• A. Create and implement mini-lessons to address specified goals for students in the class who have special needs

• B. Work with students who are having academic problems to help them complete or review teacher assigned work

• C. Monitor student behavior during class activities and take charge of any students whose behavior is disruptive

• D. Evaluate selected student work products and meet individually with students to discuss strengths and needs

5. A teacher sends completed school work home in a folder every Thursday. In the folder, both teacher and parents can add comments, questions, and concerns and request a conference. By establishing the procedure, the teacher is primarily showing an understanding of which of the following?

• A. Involving families in their children's education and knowing how to communicate effectively with them

• B. Monitoring student performance and achievement in order to provide the student with timely feedback

• C. Applying principles and strategies in order to effectively utilize family support resources

• D. Employing effective motivational strategies and encouraging students to assess their own behavior

6. A first-grade class includes a student with special needs who spends time each week with a variety of specialists outside the general education classroom. In this situation, an important role of the classroom teacher should be to

• A. monitor the work of the specialists and give each of them ongoing feedback regarding the effectiveness of their work with the student.

• B. determine changes in the student's educational priorities over time and how each team member can best work with the student to address those priorities.

• C. collaborate with team members to ensure that the student has adequate time for instruction with his or her peers in the general education classroom.

• D. Document and regularly distribute to all team members information about the student's progress with each specialist and his or her general progress in the classroom.

7. A teacher sets up a parent conference for a student who comes from a non-English speaking household. The teacher plans for an interpreter to attend the meeting as well. While in the parent conference, it is most appropriate for the teacher to

• A. give written notes to the parent.

• B. give written notes to the interpreter.

• C. address the interpreter directly

• D. address the parent directly

8. The teachers at a middle school are concerned about many students’ failure to complete their homework assignments. During the school’s first round of parent-teacher conferences, the teachers learn from some parents/guardians that their children often tell the adults in their homes that they have no homework to do. In response, the teachers decide to create a homework help line that students and their families can use to obtain information about homework assignments for each class. Which of the following is likely to be the most significant benefit of this strategy?

• A. Strengthening families’ ability to be partners with school personnel in their children’s education

• B. Promoting students’ sense of ownership of and responsibility for their own learning

• C. Enhancing teachers’ ability to create a classroom environment that is responsive to diverse student needs

• D. Reinforcing the idea to both students and families that teachers have high expectations for students’ achievement

9. When planning conferences with families, a teacher can best demonstrate the value of parent-teacher interaction through which of the following strategies?

• A. Utilizing email as the main method of communication with families

• B. Sending home conference talking points for families who cannot attend

• C. Rescheduling conference times to accommodate families’ schedules

• D. Asking students to convey school-related messages to their families