Ethics and Professional Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real NBPTS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Ethics and Professional Practice flashcards as text
A National Board Certified Teacher is asked to write a recommendation letter for a student they do not know well. The ethically sound response is to:
Answer: Decline to write the letter and explain that a better-informed recommender would serve the student more effectively
Honest professional communication means declining when you cannot provide an authentic and meaningful recommendation.
A teacher uses a student's work sample in a conference presentation to illustrate effective writing. Which step is ethically required before doing so?
Answer: Obtain informed written consent from the student and parent or guardian
Student work is protected; sharing it publicly requires explicit informed consent from the student and family to preserve privacy rights.
Which situation represents a direct conflict of interest under NBPTS ethical standards?
Answer: A teacher tutors their own current students for pay without disclosure to administration
Privately charging current students for tutoring creates a financial incentive that can compromise objectivity in grading and classroom support.
According to NBPTS Core Proposition 5, teachers are members of learning communities. This means accomplished teachers should:
Answer: Collaborate with colleagues, families, and communities to improve student learning schoolwide
Core Proposition 5 calls on teachers to contribute beyond their classroom by working collaboratively with all stakeholders to support learning.
A student confides to a teacher about ongoing emotional abuse at home. The teacher believes the student will lose trust if the situation is reported. Ethically, the teacher must:
Answer: Report as required by mandated reporter law, explaining to the student why reporting is necessary
Mandated reporter obligations supersede confidentiality; a teacher must report and can explain the duty of care to maintain trust while complying with law.
A teacher's social media post expresses strong political opinions using their full name and school affiliation. The primary ethical concern is:
Answer: That associating the school with partisan views may compromise professional boundaries and community trust
Public association of personal political views with the school risks compromising community trust and professional impartiality.
A teacher realizes mid-year that their assessment rubric contains a bias that disadvantages English language learners. The ethically and professionally responsible action is to:
Answer: Immediately revise the rubric, communicate the change transparently, and re-evaluate affected work if feasible
Equity requires addressing identified bias promptly and transparently rather than allowing it to continue disadvantaging students.