SLLA Instructional Leadership for Learning 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school leader is examining the gap between a school's written curriculum (what is planned) and the taught curriculum (what is actually delivered). Which tool is MOST useful for closing this gap?
- State standardized test score reports
- Classroom observation data compared to pacing guides and lesson plans (Correct answer)
- Parent survey results about homework quality
- Student self-assessment portfolios
Correct answer: Classroom observation data compared to pacing guides and lesson plans
Comparing observation data with pacing guides and lesson plans reveals discrepancies between intended and actual instruction, enabling targeted support.
Question 2: Which of the following is the PRIMARY purpose of a school's instructional vision?
- To satisfy state accreditation requirements for documentation
- To provide a shared framework that guides teaching and learning decisions across the school (Correct answer)
- To outline the consequences for teachers who do not follow prescribed methods
- To describe the school's history and community values
Correct answer: To provide a shared framework that guides teaching and learning decisions across the school
An instructional vision provides a coherent, shared understanding of effective teaching and learning that aligns all stakeholders' decisions and actions.
Question 3: A principal reviews student work samples from multiple classrooms and finds that the rigor of assignments varies widely across the same grade level. What is the MOST systemic approach to address this?
- Require all teachers to use identical worksheets
- Implement a school-wide calibration process where teachers collaboratively score student work using shared rubrics (Correct answer)
- Reassign the teachers with the lowest-rigor assignments to different grade levels
- Allow each teacher to maintain their own standard since students have different needs
Correct answer: Implement a school-wide calibration process where teachers collaboratively score student work using shared rubrics
Collaborative calibration using shared rubrics builds a common understanding of rigor and ensures consistent expectations across classrooms.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes the relationship between instructional coaching and teacher evaluation?
- They are the same process with different names
- Coaching is developmental and non-evaluative, while evaluation is a formal accountability measure (Correct answer)
- Evaluation results should determine which teachers receive coaching
- Coaches should report their observations directly to administrators for use in evaluations
Correct answer: Coaching is developmental and non-evaluative, while evaluation is a formal accountability measure
Keeping coaching and evaluation separate preserves the trust necessary for teachers to be vulnerable and take instructional risks during the coaching process.
Question 5: A data review reveals that students in a school perform significantly better on skills-based tasks than on application and problem-solving tasks. What should the instructional leader prioritize?
- More practice on basic skills until mastery is stronger
- Increased use of higher-order thinking tasks and complex performance tasks across all classrooms (Correct answer)
- Reducing the number of application tasks on assessments to improve scores
- Grouping students by skill level for all core instruction
Correct answer: Increased use of higher-order thinking tasks and complex performance tasks across all classrooms
When students perform well on lower-order skills but struggle with application, the gap signals a need for more instructional emphasis on higher-order thinking.
Question 6: A teacher implements a new research-based reading strategy but student outcomes do not improve after six weeks. What is the BEST next step for the instructional leader?
- Conclude the strategy is ineffective and discontinue its use immediately
- Investigate the fidelity of implementation and whether the strategy was applied as designed (Correct answer)
- Extend the implementation timeline to one full year before evaluating results
- Require all teachers to stop using the strategy school-wide
Correct answer: Investigate the fidelity of implementation and whether the strategy was applied as designed
Before concluding a strategy is ineffective, leaders must determine whether it was implemented with sufficient fidelity, as poor fidelity often explains weak outcomes.
Question 7: Which of the following MOST accurately describes differentiated instruction?
- Giving different students entirely different curricula based on ability groups
- Adjusting the content, process, product, or learning environment to meet diverse student needs while maintaining rigorous standards (Correct answer)
- Allowing students to choose whether they complete assignments
- Providing additional worksheets for advanced students
Correct answer: Adjusting the content, process, product, or learning environment to meet diverse student needs while maintaining rigorous standards
Differentiated instruction modifies how students access content and demonstrate learning while holding all students to high academic standards.
SLLA Instructional Leadership for Learning 4
A school leader is examining the gap between a school's written curriculum (what is planned) and the taught curriculum (what is actually delivered).
Which tool is MOST useful for closing this gap?