Which of the following best explains why these normal schools were originally established?

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Sample Test Questions

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8.1 The relationship between professional ethics and the law is that

Professional ethics describe what teachers should do while the law describes what teachers must do

8.1 A major limitation of both laws and professional ethics is that

Both are described in general terms, so a teacher needs to use professional judgement in using them to guide their actions

8.1 You encounter a situation where several students are bullying another student. You stop momentarily to think about what to do. Your actions should be guided by:

Both legal and ethical considerations

8.2 Which of the following is not true of federal influences on educational law

They are too specific, and so they don't often apply to individual situations

8.2 Issues regarding teacher certification and employment are typically decided at the:

8.2 You are a high school biology teacher and notice that the text you've been given to teach your courses does a very poor job of describing the theory of evolution. You believe this is a serious omission, but also realize that this is a controversial topic in the community in which you teach and live. Your decisions about what to do next would be most influenced by which dimension of the federal government?

The First Amendment to the Constituion

8.3 Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution addresses teacher tenure and other issues of teacher employment?

8.3 You are nervous about discussing a controversial topic in your classroom. As you consider the topic, which of the following would not guide your actions?

Your ability to teach the subject in an unbiased way

8.4 You are contemplating a field trip to a local pond to study the ecology of the site. Which of the following would address your professional responsibilities in terms of the principle of in loco parentis?

Your understanding of the potential hazards and the degree to which you warn students of these dangers

8.3 You suspect that one of your students is being abused at home. Which of the following describes your professional responsibilities in this issue?

8.3 You have just moved to a new community to take your first teaching position. Which of the following best describes your rights in terms of how you lead your private, out-of-school life?

You will be held to a higher standard than other professionals because you're expected to be a role model for your students.

8.4  You are trying to decide whether to discuss a religious topic in your classroom. Which of the following amendments to the Constitution addresses the whole issue of religion in schools most directly?

8.4 You are a deeply religious person and believe that your religion provides useful guidance and structure in your own life. Your students appear to you to be either amoral or immoral at times, and you would like to share your beliefs with them because you think it would help them figure out the difference between right and wrong. Which of the following describes your best legal options?

You can discuss general principles of right and wrong but cannot embed these principles in any particular religion

8.4 A student approaches you and says she feels uncomfortable when some of her classmates bow their heads and say a prayer before lunch. What legal advice can you give the student?

Students have a legal right to practice their religious beliefs in school as long as it doesn't interfere with the education of other students

8.5 Which of the following best describes students' rights in terms of speech and dress?

8.5 A student shows up at school with a t-shirt that says, "Gays are going to hell." When questioned about the t-shirt, the student replies that his free speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment. What legal advice should you give the student?

8.5 A student enters your classroom clearly high on something. When you confront the student, he denies it. You then threaten to search his locker. What would the courts say about this proposed search?

School locker searches are legal if they target a specific problem

8.5 You have tried everything to manage one of your second-grade students and are at wit's end. You think spanking or some other form of physical punishment might work. What advice do experts and the courts provide?

9.1 Several definitions of curriculum have been offered by experts. Which of the following is not one of those definitions?

The strategies teachers use to help students reach standards

9.1 Of the following, which best describes the relationship between curriculum and you as a teacher?

The curriculum reflects your values, and in essence, who you are as a teacher

9.1 Which of the following best describes the relationship between curriculum and instruction?

Curriculum can be described as what teachers teach, including teachers' goals, whereas instruction involves the ways teachers help students reach goals

9.2 Of the following, which statement best describes the difference between the explicit and the implicit curriculum?

The explicit curriculum describes what teachers intentionally teach, whereas the implicit curriculum represents the unstated and sometimes unintended aspects of the curriculum

9.2 Jalen Rose is working with his students on a unit on health and fitness in his biology class. His text includes a discussion of human reproduction, but he's uneasy about how his students' parents might respond to discussions of sex and reproduction, so he decides to include a technical or biological discussion of reproduction but skip the aspects of the topic. Jalen's decision best illustrates which illustrates which of the following?

The null curriculum (ignored topics)

9.2 Kim Vockel makes it a point to call on all the students in her class as equally as possible. "Students need to earn that they are all capable, and they all are expected to pay attention and be involved in lessons," she explains when asked why she believes this practice is so important. Which of the following is best illustrated by Kim's practice with her students?

9.2 In an effort to be consistent with middle school philosophy, Washington Middle School doesn't have competitive athletics. Instead, they have well-organized intramural programs, and all students participate in it. Which of the following is best illustrated by Washington's efforts?

9.3 Jenna Robinson, a third-grade teacher, is having her students practice identifying the correctly spelled word among four choices, with three of the choices spelled incorrectly. "This is what the students will have to do on their standardized test at the end of the year," she comments, "so they need the practice." Of the following, Jenna's decision best illustrates which influence on the curriculum? 

Standards and accountability

9.3 David Aldridge, a middle school science teacher, believes that all students must be able to write well to succeed in their later schooling, and ultimately in college or the workplace. So, he strongly emphasizes writing in his class, even though he's a science teacher. He requires his students to write up reports on their science experiments using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and he requires them to rewrite the reports if they are poorly organized. Of the following, this example best illustrates which of the forces influencing the curriculum? 

9.3 Amy Winston, a first-grade teacher, has a number of students with exceptionalities in her class. The exceptionalities include specific learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, and students on the autism spectrum. The fact that Amy has students with exceptionalities in her class best illustrates which of the forces influencing the curriculim

9.3 Heather Adams is a third-grade teacher who has her students use the computers in her room every day. On some days, they'll use them in learning activities designed to increase their reading and math skills. At other times, she uses them to teach writing skills. She even has them practice answering sample test questions to prepare them for the end-of-year exams her students will take. Heather's curriculum best illustrates which of the following influences on the curriculum?

9.4 Which of the following best describes parents' and students' attitudes with respect to sex education being taught in schools?

Both parents and students favor sex education being taught in schools

9.4 The belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are so complex that their existence cannot adequately be explained by an undirected process, such as natural selection, best describes which of the following?

9.4 You have taken your first teaching position in a conservative community with a majority of residents who strongly believe in people's second amendment rights to bear arms. In fact, some members of the community advocate the right to openly carry weapons in public places. You share with your students a psychological study which asserts that carrying a weapon tends to increase the likelihood of behaving aggressively in response to a disagreement. A number of parents object, and your school principal asks you to collect the study from your students and avoid any discussion of the relationship of gins and behavior in your classes. Which of the following is best illustrated by this example?

The impact of censorship on the curriculum

9.4 Which of the following terms is broadest and most inclusive?

10.1 Which of the following teachers most nearly creates a productive learning environment?

Sophia Jackson has a set of rules forbidding students from any sarcastic or hurtful remarks, and she strongly emphasizes that we're all here to learn both the content we study and to accept responsibility for our behavior. 

10.1 Which of the following best explains why classroom management is so important for creating a productive learning environment?

A productive learning environment is safe, orderly, and focused on learning. Classroom management is necessary to create a safe and orderly classroom.

10.1 Which of the following best describes the goals of classroom management?

Creating a classroom environment that promotes academic learning and creating an environment that promotes social-emotional learning

10.2 Four processes are involved in creating productive learning environments. Which of the following best outlines those processes?

Communicating caring, organizing your classrooms, preventing problems through planning, and teaching effectively

10.2 "When passing papers forward, put your paper on the top of the stack and then pass the stack to the person in front of you you," best illustrates which of the following?

10.2 Sonja Hendricks has 30 fifth graders in her class. Of her students, 12 are native Spanish speakers, 10 are African American, 4 are recent immigrants from Southeast Asia, 2 moved to the United States from Russia three years ago, and 2 are European Americans. "How do you manage those students?" one of Sonja's colleagues asks. "Aren't they impossible to teach?" Of the following, which best describes Sonja's teaching situation?

Sonja is teaching an urban school

10.3 Students benefit from parental involvement in several ways. Which of the following is not one of the benefits of parental involvement?

Greater participation in athletics

10.3 Of the following, which is likely to be the most effective form of communication with parents?

Calling them personally to discuss issues with individual students

10.4 Mike, one of Ava Stuart's students, can be disruptive, For instance, as Ava walks between the rows of her students doing seatwork, Mike pokes Emily as soon as Ava walks by -just to get a reaction. "Stop it," Emily blurts out, loud enough for the class to hear. Ava turns around, moves to Mike's desk and says quietly, "Mike, the next time you bother one of your classmates, you will be spending a half hour with me after school." Ava's intervention with Mike best illustrates which of the following?

10.4 Karen Wilson's eighth graders are working on their homework as she circulates among them. She is helping Jasmine when Jeff and Mike begin whispering loudly behind her. "Jeff. Mike. Stop talking, and get started on your homework," she says, glancing over her shoulder. The two slow their whispering, and Karen turns back to Jasmine. Soon, the boys are whispering loudly as ever. "I thought I told you to stop talking," Karen says over her shoulder again, this time with irritation in her voice. The boys glance at her and quickly resume whispering. Which of the following best explains why Karen's intervention was not as effective as possible?He

Her verbal and nonverbal behaviors were inconsistent

10.4 You are monitoring students on the playground, an you witness a scuffle between the two boys, although they are not your students. They are pummeling each other, but neither appears to be seriously hurting the other. Which of the following best describes your professional obligation in this incident?

You are required to intervene, although you're not required to physically break up the fight

11.1 Which of the following is not true of motivated students?

They learn content almost effortlessly

11.1 You are taking one class for which the content is very interesting, so you want to understand the content as thoroughly as possible, and you also want to get a high grade in the class. A second class is much less interesting, but you still study hard because you also want a high grade in this class as well. Of the following, which statement best describes your intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the two classes? 

You're both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated in the first  class, but you're only extrinsically motivated in the second class. 

11.1 Which of the following is most likely to have a positive effect on student motivation?

Ask students succeed on tasks they perceive as demanding and challenging. 

11.2 One of your standards focuses on place value (such as understanding that 21 is two 10s and one 1, whereas 12 is one 10 and two 1s). So, you decide to do several lessons where you have the students use interlocking cubes arranged in groups of 10 and other single cubes to illustrate numbers such as 12, 26, 32, and 46. Which of the following planning decisions does your thinking best illustrate?

Preparing and organizing learning activities

11.2 You decide that you want your students to be able to correctly identify the number of 10s and 1s in a series of number, such as 8, 13, 23, and 31. Which of the following planning decisions does your thinking best illustrate?

Specifying learning objectives

11.2 You decide that you will give the students a worksheet with a series of numbers on it, such as 11, 21, 32, and 6, and ask them to identify the number of 10s and 1s on the worksheet. Which of the following planning decisions does your thinking best illustrate?

11.2 Which of the following is the best description of instructional alignment?

The match between your learning objectives, learning activities, and assessments

11.3 To help your first graders understand the concept of living things, you bring a pet hamster to a class and have your first graders pet it and feel it breathing. You also show your students two different bean plants, one that they planted a week ago, and a second that they planted two weeks ago, and pictures of other plants and animals. You guide the students with questions, such as noticing that the bean plant they planted two weeks ago is taller than the one you planted one week ago, as well as others to help them understand the idea of living things. Your actions best illustrate which phrase of effective teaching?

11.3 Lily Jensen if reflecting on the problem of Antonio, a student who is failing in her third-period English class. She has tried reminders to him to complete his work and makes sure she recognizes him when he does so; she has tried simplifying directions; she has tried counseling him; she has tried drawing him out in class and elaborating on his comments and questions. "So far, none of those has really worked for very long," she muses, "I know I can get him to learn. I wonder what I should try next? I think I'll call his parents and ask for their help." Which of the following statements best describes Lily's actions in the episode you just read?

She has demonstrated high teaching efficacy

11.3 A teacher wants her first graders to be able to identify triangles, squares, and circles. When called upon, Mary identifies the triangle as the square. Which of the following is the most effective feedback her teacher can give Mary?

"No, Mary. See the triangle has three sides and the square has four sides."

11.3 At the end of the class Suzy stopped by Mr. Barber's desk and commented, "Mr. Barber, you called on everybody else, but you didn't call on me even once today." Suzy's comment suggests that Mr. Barber most nearly failed to implement which of the following essential teaching skills?

11.4 You want your students to be able to punctuate simple and compound sentences quickly and accurately. To reach this learning objective, which of the following models is likely to be the most efficient choice?

11.4 A teacher places her third graders in groups of four and gives each group magnets and a packet containing a dime, a spoon, aluminum foil, a rubber band, a wooden pencil, a paper clip, and nails. She directs the groups to experiment with the magnets and items for 1o minutes, look for patterns, and record these on paper. After the groups have finished, she leads a discussion in which they identify characteristics of materials that are and are not attracted to magnets. Of the following, the teacher is most nearly using which strategy in her learning activity?

11.4 You want your students to be able to solve simple algebraic equations, such as 3x +9 =24. You take a video camera into your classroom on a Saturday and have a friend record you as you explain how to solve problems, such as the one we see her. You also model solutions to several problems. You then post the video on YouTube, and on Monday, you assign your students the task of watching it by no later than Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, you have your students work in groups to solve a series of simple equations, and you discuss their solutions as a whole class. Of the following, which strategy are you most nearly using with your students?

12.1 The national report, A Nation At Risk, warned that our country's schools were falling behind other countries' educational systems. Which of the following was a major impetus for this report?

Economic data suggested that the educational system of the United States was hampering efforts to remain competitive in international business

12.1 Which of the following is the best example of data-driven reform in the United States?

12.1 Because of the reform movement, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has risen to national importance in guiding reform. Which of the following is not a difference between the NAEP and the other standardized tests?

The test is administered to a large sample of students

12.1 What is the major difference between the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS)?

The primary focus; NAEP focuses on U.S. achievement alone, while TIMSS examines international comparisons. 

12.2 Which of the following best describes the relationship between standards, accountability, and high-stakes test?

Standards describe the content that students should learn, and high-stakes tests are often used to hold both teachers and students accountable for these standards

12.2 Which of the following is not true of standards in different content areas in different states?

Standards in different states are essentially identical in both content and format

12.2 Which of the following is true of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI) ?

It is an attempt to make standards uniform across states

12.2 Which of the following is not a criticism of the standards movement?

It makes teaching too logical, robbing teachers of opportunities for creativity

12.3 Which of the following is true of Race to the Top?

It is a federal effort to encourage reform in different states

12.3 Charter schools differ from regular public schools in that they are:

publicly funded but operated semi-independently from school districts

12.3 Which of the following is true of educational vouchers?

They are educational "tickets" that students can use to purchase educational services at the school of their choice

12.3 Which of the following is not true of the homeschooling movement?

It primarily addresses parental concerns about the moral and intellectual climate of public school classrooms.

12.4 Which of the following is not a criticism of current teacher evaluation practices?

They are too stringent and result in increased teacher anxiety.

12.4 Value-added models of teacher evaluation differ from other forms of teacher evaluation in that they:

Are primarily based upon student gains in performance on standardized tests

12.4 Which of the following is the least common form of pay for performance plans currently in operation in U.S. schools?

Merit pay for exemplary performance

12.4 Which of the following is not a criticism of merit pay plans?

They would make the teaching profession more attractive to high-quality applicants.

13.1 Which of following is not true about the beliefs of beginning teacher?

Beginning teachers' confidence increases over time

13.1 Which of the following most accurately describes how to make yourself marketable?

The time to think about planning to make yourself marketable is right now

13.1 Making yourself marketable is a lengthy and complex process. Which of the following is the most effective sequence for structuring this process?

Developing a professional reputation, broadening your professional experiences, constructing a portfolio, creating a credentials file, and writing a letter of application

13.1 The key to interviewing effectively is to 

describe yourself as a caring and knowledgeable professional 

13.1 A major disadvantage of alternative licensure is

13.2 During the survival stage of teacher development, 

your primary focus is on classroom management and control

13.2 Why is the first day of teaching important for beginning teachers?

It demonstrates to students that you are competent and in charge

13.2 As you prepare yourself for your first teacher evaluation observation by an administrator, you should 

focus on the classroom management aspects of the classroom

13.2 Mentoring and induction programs have many advantages for new teachers. Which of the following is not one of these benefits?

Provide new teachers with alternative theoretical perspectives on teaching

13.3 Which of the following is a professional organization that provides a comprehensive picture of the skills and competencies that all beginning teachers should have?

13.3 The major difference between action research and other more traditional forms of research is that action research

is initiated by teachers to address a classroom question or problem

13.3 Which of the following is not a reason for joining a professional organization as a new teacher?

It can provide a significant pay raise from the district

Why were schools originally established in the US?

Why the school was established?

Which of the following is the best description of the common school movement group of answer choices?

What were the reasons for the introduction of the new education system?