Free FELE Leadership for Student Learning Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A middle school principal is worried that the curriculum does not represent the school's diverse student demographic. He understands that students are more invested in learning when they make connections to the curriculum. What is the best action the principal can encourage teachers to take to recognize cultural diversity in their lessons?
- Restrict students from sharing information about their culture with their classmates
- Devote 5-10 minutes per lesson to celebrating the accomplishments of minority figures
- Include teaching materials that reflect the diversity of the classroom; e.g., literary texts by diverse authors (Correct answer)
- Create a new curriculum that includes diversity in the standards and materials
Correct answer: Include teaching materials that reflect the diversity of the classroom; e.g., literary texts by diverse authors
Explanation: <br> Cultural diversity can be incorporated by finding materials, activities, and historical and cultural figures that reflect the students in the classroom. When students see themselves in the curriculum, they are more engaged and invested in learning.
Question 2: When evaluating a teacher during a young adult novel discussion, the principal notices the teacher missed several opportunities to support students' diverse backgrounds through characters and setting development. The teacher also did not address questions that could have allowed students to share their individual experiences and culture. Based on the principal's observation, which of the six Educator Accomplished Practices is the principal least likely to identify as an area that requires additional of focus?
- Instructional design and lesson planning
- Continuous professional improvement
- Professional responsibility and ethical conduct (Correct answer)
- Instructional delivery and facilitation
Correct answer: Professional responsibility and ethical conduct
Explanation: <br> Based on the teacher's selection of a text that represents diverse backgrounds, there is no evidence that the teacher is intentionally failing to respect student differences. The scenario does not contain evidence of irresponsible or unethical conduct.
Question 3: At a professional development session, several departments said they were adding lessons and activities to their course content each year. They shared that they were overwhelmed by the volume of information that needed to be covered and the number of required assessments. What professional development session would support teachers in evaluating content choices that will minimize these concerns?
- Differentiated learning
- Stress management
- Learning goals
- Backward planning (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Backward planning
Explanation: <br> Backward planning promotes teachers scaffolding their lessons based on the identified learning standard and requires that assessments mirror these activities. An aligned, intentional curriculum will eliminate the large amount of unnecessary materials.
Question 4: What instructional strategy is least effective in creating a culturally responsive school supportive of diverse populations?
- Developing a curriculum and resources that illustrate students' cultures and experiences
- Creating an educational environment of high expectations for all learners
- Providing materials translated into parents' native language when requested (Correct answer)
- Maintaining positive and caring relationships that support all students
Correct answer: Providing materials translated into parents' native language when requested
Explanation: <br> The translation of materials for parents is a service that will open communication with families and promote a positive school climate, but it is not considered an instructional strategy.
Question 5: Dr. Beck has guided his middle school teachers through vertical alignment for the past three years. Which of the following components could he add to make the work more beneficial for teachers and students?
- Writing up the results and presenting them to district officials for use across the district
- Utilizing the results to justify the purchase of new curricular activities
- Soliciting parent feedback on how the vertical alignment implementation has affected students
- Collaborating with the high school's teachers to include ninth grade in the vertical alignment crosswalk (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Collaborating with the high school's teachers to include ninth grade in the vertical alignment crosswalk
Explanation: <br> This expansion of the vertical alignment work will benefit students past the eighth grade and prepare them for the transition to high school.
Question 6: An Orlando middle school has a building goal to "create a climate for learning." The administrative team will work with staff to define high expectations for students and staff, but they plan to begin by sharing what that looks like for administrators first. What two key concepts best define the role of administrators?
- Understanding student classroom learning gains and regularly surveying stakeholders on the learning climate
- Communicating the vision of high expectations and using data-driven planning (Correct answer)
- Providing resources for instructors on differentiation and requesting staff lesson plans
- Requiring additional classroom observations and professional development sessions
Correct answer: Communicating the vision of high expectations and using data-driven planning
Explanation: <br> The administrator's role is to communicate the vision of high expectations by using a variety of modes of communication and implementing data-driven planning. They should consistently use data to evaluate issues and measure success.
Question 7: The high school foreign language department would like to take a more detailed look at individual test items on their department unit exams in order to assess the quality of those items and of the test as a whole. What process would aid this team in their evaluation?
- Disaggregated data
- Quantitative data
- Item analysis data (Correct answer)
- Qualitative data
Correct answer: Item analysis data
Explanation: <br> An item analysis would assist this team in looking at individual questions and the corresponding student responses to determine issues with items such as validity and difficulty. Item analysis is helpful in determining if the test is measuring what is being taught.
Question 8: The principal received several contacts from parents about their children doing poorly on their math tests. The low test scores result in low-class grades, and the parents do not believe their children are learning. This issue seems to be isolated to one particular classroom. What approach can the principal suggest to the teacher that is in accordance with the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs)?
- Expanding the use of testing to provide additional information on student performance
- Increasing the grade weight of math classwork and homework to offset test scores
- Providing math support nights to share math curriculum with parents
- Analyzing and applying data from multiple assessments to inform instruction (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Analyzing and applying data from multiple assessments to inform instruction
Explanation: <br> According to the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs), "The effective educator uses assessment to drive instruction." The instructor should analyze and apply data from homework and multiple assessments to drive the planning for classroom instruction and additional student support.
Question 9: Because of an unusually high number of retirements in the math department, the high school principal has had to replace almost 50% of her experienced upper-level math instructors with relatively inexperienced teachers. What is the best approach to supporting this new cadre of teachers?
- Meeting bi-monthly with the new teachers to discuss lesson planning and instruction
- Providing an extensive new teacher orientation meeting at the start of the year
- Asking new teachers to meet monthly to discuss key school and district policies
- Creating a mentoring program that connects teachers of the same discipline (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Creating a mentoring program that connects teachers of the same discipline
Explanation: <br> A mentoring program provides new teachers with direct contact with other professionals for ongoing support. This relationship tends to foster open communication and sharing of additional resources.
Question 10: A middle school principal notices that teachers are having a difficult time determining what data to collect and how to analyze the information in order to make the greatest impact on instruction. In an effort to develop a culture of data-driven decision-making, the principal created monthly data digs. What is the best approach to these data-informed instructional sessions?
- Providing time for teachers to evaluate the item analysis results of their current students based on their standards-based tests (Correct answer)
- Asking teachers to bring in significant forms of data collected in their classrooms to share with other department members
- Sharing with staff models of data collection and interpretation that have been successful in other districts
- Including discussions by district department leaders related to information gathered by district-level data teams
Correct answer: Providing time for teachers to evaluate the item analysis results of their current students based on their standards-based tests
Explanation: <br> When working with novice building data teams, it is best to begin with the students that team members currently have in the classroom and evaluate data by discipline based on classroom or state standards-based tests. This is more effective when done on a regular and consistent basis and connected to student learning goals.
Question 11: Which of the following approaches is least effective in meeting the district goal of supporting family cultural needs and remaining sensitive to the many different cultures represented in the schools?
- Increasing family night engagement nights at all of the schools in the district (Correct answer)
- Celebrating diversity of language through instructional reading materials
- Training teachers to incorporate different cultures into curriculum and course activities
- Providing interpreters and school communication for non-native-English-speaking households
Correct answer: Increasing family night engagement nights at all of the schools in the district
Explanation: <br> Family engagement nights may be somewhat helpful in meeting the cultural needs of diverse families and learners, but since these nights only reach those in attendance and those who understand the language, other actions will have a stronger effect.
Free FELE Leadership for Student Learning Questions and Answers
A middle school principal is worried that the curriculum does not represent the school's diverse student demographic.
He understands that students are more invested in learning when they make connections to the curriculum.
What is the best action the principal can encourage teachers to take to recognize cultural diversity in their lessons?