SLLA Practice Exam 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal reviews data showing that English Language Learners are significantly underperforming in math compared to their peers. What is the BEST first step?
- Assign ELL students to remedial math classes immediately
- Disaggregate data further to identify specific skill gaps and language barriers (Correct answer)
- Request additional funding for after-school tutoring programs
- Hire a bilingual math teacher for the following school year
Correct answer: Disaggregate data further to identify specific skill gaps and language barriers
Disaggregating data further identifies whether the gap stems from language barriers, instructional mismatches, or content knowledge deficits before interventions are chosen.
Question 2: A school leader wants to build a culture of continuous improvement. Which practice BEST supports this goal?
- Conducting annual performance reviews tied to merit pay
- Establishing regular collaborative inquiry cycles using student data (Correct answer)
- Requiring teachers to submit weekly lesson plan reports
- Implementing a peer observation program with mandatory scoring
Correct answer: Establishing regular collaborative inquiry cycles using student data
Collaborative inquiry cycles create ongoing, evidence-based reflection that embeds continuous improvement into daily professional practice.
Question 3: A district policy conflicts with a building-level instructional practice that research shows is highly effective. How should the principal respond?
- Allow teachers to ignore the district policy if student outcomes improve
- Follow the district policy without question to maintain compliance
- Advocate to district leadership with evidence while implementing the policy in good faith (Correct answer)
- Seek a legal opinion before making any changes
Correct answer: Advocate to district leadership with evidence while implementing the policy in good faith
Effective leaders advocate for evidence-based changes through proper channels while maintaining compliance with current policy.
Question 4: Which action BEST demonstrates a school leader's commitment to equitable resource allocation?
- Distributing the same amount of funding to every classroom
- Allocating greater resources to classrooms with higher test scores
- Directing additional support toward students and classrooms with the greatest need (Correct answer)
- Letting teachers request resources on a first-come, first-served basis
Correct answer: Directing additional support toward students and classrooms with the greatest need
Equity means distributing resources based on need rather than equally, ensuring all students have what they require to succeed.
Question 5: A teacher is consistently resistant to coaching feedback despite multiple conversations. What should the principal do NEXT?
- Place the teacher on an immediate improvement plan
- Reassign the teacher to a non-classroom role
- Document the pattern and move toward a formal support or evaluation process (Correct answer)
- Involve the union before taking any further steps
Correct answer: Document the pattern and move toward a formal support or evaluation process
Documenting the pattern and escalating to a formal process ensures due process while addressing instructional quality concerns.
Question 6: During a walkthrough, a principal notices that questioning in most classrooms is limited to lower-order recall questions. What is the MOST effective response?
- Issue a memo requiring teachers to use Bloom's Taxonomy in all lessons
- Provide professional development on higher-order questioning strategies and model in classrooms (Correct answer)
- Evaluate the teachers and note the concern in their formal evaluations
- Ask the instructional coach to observe all teachers for the remainder of the year
Correct answer: Provide professional development on higher-order questioning strategies and model in classrooms
Targeted professional development paired with modeling directly addresses the instructional gap and supports teacher growth.
Question 7: A school leader is developing a strategic plan for improving student literacy. Which element is MOST critical to include?
- A list of commercially published literacy programs to purchase
- Measurable goals, evidence-based strategies, and a progress-monitoring timeline (Correct answer)
- A staffing plan for adding more reading specialists
- Benchmarks based on the highest-performing school in the state
Correct answer: Measurable goals, evidence-based strategies, and a progress-monitoring timeline
A strategic plan must include measurable goals, research-based strategies, and systematic monitoring to guide implementation and track progress.
SLLA Practice Exam 2
A principal reviews data showing that English Language Learners are significantly underperforming in math compared to their peers.
What is the BEST first step?