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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of important assessment concepts, such as reliability, validity, and bias, and the characteristics, uses, advantages, and limitations of various types of formal and informal assessments.
- Demonstrate knowledge of appropriate assessment instruments and practices for given instructional situations or needs and how to select or construct assessment instruments for various purposes.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for integrating assessment and instruction, for aligning assessment with instructional goals, and for using assessment to monitor student understanding and to guide instruction.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of using multiple assessment methods to support instruction and appropriate strategies for adapting classroom assessments for students with various characteristics and needs, including students who are English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for providing students with timely, accurate, and effective feedback and for helping students use teacher assessment, peer assessment, and self-assessment to guide their own learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to interpret assessment results and how to communicate assessment results to students and their families.
Sample Item:
A significant challenge for teachers in using essay tests to assess student learning is that such tests:
- tend to be difficult to align with instructional objectives.
- are ineffective in measuring certain types of thinking skills.
- tend to encourage guessing in student responses.
- are difficult to score fairly and objectively.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics,
uses, advantages, and limitations of various types of formal and informal assessments. Since essay tests
require students to create their own answers, subjectivity in judging the quality of the answers becomes a
critical consideration. Teachers must develop and apply consistent criteria to evaluate essay tests
objectively. In addition to the content of students' answers, variation in their communicative effectiveness
and the mechanics of their writing (e.g., neatness, spelling, punctuation) are factors that teachers must
consider when evaluating essay tests.
Descriptive Statements:
- Identify procedures used in curricular planning and decision making, such as defining scope and sequence, determining prerequisite knowledge and skills, and aligning the curriculum with content standards.
- Demonstrate knowledge of key factors to consider in instructional planning, such as local, state, and national standards; the nature of the content; and students' characteristics, prior experiences, current knowledge and skills, and readiness to learn.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to define appropriate learning goals and objectives, select effective instructional approaches, and determine the sequence of instruction.
- Apply knowledge of how to use appropriate criteria to evaluate instructional resources, including technological resources, and how to select resources to meet various instructional needs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the benefits of and strategies for integrating curricula, creating interdisciplinary units of study, and planning learning experiences that provide students with opportunities to explore content from integrated and varied perspectives.
- Apply knowledge of effective lesson and unit plans and their characteristics, such as logical sequence, completeness, and feasibility.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for modifying curriculum and instruction based on student characteristics and needs and for adapting lessons to ensure the success of all students in learning, including students who are English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
Sample Item:
A teacher is planning lessons for a new instructional unit. The teacher can best ensure the effectiveness of these lessons by considering which of the following questions first?
- What is the fairest and most efficient way to evaluate students' achievement of unit objectives?
- Which unit activities are best completed individually and which activities are best done in a group?
- What background knowledge and experience do students already have with regard to the unit topic?
- In what ways does the unit support the goals of the district curriculum in this subject area?
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to identify procedures used in curricular planning and
decision making. The extent of students' prior knowledge and experience with a topic helps determine a teacher's
approach to a new unit. If most students have a good foundation of information with regard to the unit topic,
the teacher may only need to provide a brief review before beginning the unit. Conversely, if students have
had limited or no experience with a unit topic, the teacher will need to help students acquire foundational
knowledge of the topic before proceeding with planned instruction.
Descriptive Statements:
- Identify the characteristics, uses, benefits, and limitations of various instructional approaches, such as direct instruction, cooperative learning, inquiry, and class discussion.
- Apply knowledge of how to organize and implement instruction that promotes the ability of all students to achieve learning goals and of how to continuously monitor instructional effectiveness and respond flexibly to student understanding, engagement, and feedback.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various instructional approaches in terms of student and teacher roles and responsibilities and effectiveness in achieving given instructional purposes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of how to provide instruction that promotes higher-order thinking and creativity; encourages independent thinking and learning; enhances students' ability to synthesize knowledge, solve problems, and acquire, analyze, and organize information; and helps students work cooperatively and productively.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the use of technology in instruction and strategies for effectively integrating technology into specific instructional situations to support student learning.
Sample Item:
Which of the following strategies would likely be most effective in improving the quality and effectiveness of cooperative learning experiences for elementary students?
- allowing students to choose their own group members for group activities
- providing students with direct instruction and guided practice in group-process skills
- delaying group work until students have had a chance to get to know each other well
- giving students verbal feedback on their group work instead of assigning them a grade
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to provide instruction
that helps students work cooperatively and productively. Successful cooperative learning experiences depend on
group members' effective use of specific process skills. These skills include communicating appropriately,
giving and receiving constructive feedback, coming to consensus, and encouraging participation by all group
members. Providing students with explicit instruction in these skills and opportunities to practice them gives
students the tools they need to achieve success in cooperative tasks across the curriculum and in the real world.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, strategies for gaining students' attention and promoting motivation to learn, and ways to use encouragement and various types of peer support to sustain student interest and promote learning.
- Apply knowledge of the relationship between direct engagement in learning and students' interest in lessons and of procedures for enhancing relevance and promoting intrinsic motivation to learn.
- Recognize factors and situations that tend to promote or diminish student motivation, appropriate ways to apply various motivational strategies, and the expected outcomes of different strategies in given situations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors such as age, gender, and cultural and linguistic background that can affect classroom communication and methods for interacting effectively with all students to achieve specified communication goals such as clarifying content, communicating high expectations for learning, building student self-esteem, and promoting a climate of collaboration and support.
- Apply knowledge of communication strategies for meeting specific instructional needs and for promoting understanding and engagement of all students in learning, including students who are English language learners and students with exceptionalities.
- Demonstrate knowledge of skilled questioning and how to use various questioning techniques to achieve instructional goals, such as facilitating recall, stimulating curiosity, encouraging divergent thinking, and promoting higher-order thinking and creativity.
Sample Item:
Students in an early elementary class are completing a unit about their community. Which of the following teacher questions related to the unit would best promote the students' use of divergent thinking?
- What was one important thing you learned about your community during the unit?
- What do police officers do to keep people in your community safe?
- What are some things you can do on your own to keep your community clean and attractive?
- What do people use your community's public library for?
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to use various
questioning techniques to achieve instructional goals. Divergent thinking is the ability to propose many
different ideas or answers. Questions that promote this type of thinking are open-ended, allow for many
possible answers, and do not always have right or wrong answers. Discussion questions that promote divergent
thinking are generally structured so that individual student responses prompt elaboration or additional
responses from other students, providing a wider range of responses and adding depth to the discussion.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of strategies and procedures for creating a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environment that encourages students' active engagement, risk taking, and collaboration in learning.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting positive student interactions, facilitating conflict resolution, and promoting students' understanding and application of ethical principles such as honesty, courtesy and respect, academic and personal integrity, and civic responsibility.
- Demonstrate knowledge of various strategies for managing student behavior and relationships between specific classroom-management approaches and student learning, attitudes, and behaviors.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for creating an organized and productive classroom environment that fosters excellence, promotes learning, optimizes students' time on task, and encourages self-regulation and a sense of responsibility and accountability.
- Apply knowledge of effective strategies for organizing the physical environment of the classroom to meet instructional needs, managing class schedules and transitions, and handling routine tasks and unanticipated situations.
Sample Item:
An upper elementary teacher holds regular class meetings with students. The teacher always begins these meetings by giving individual students an opportunity to recognize the efforts or achievement of a classmate or to thank a classmate for assistance with a difficult or challenging task. Beginning class meetings in this way is most likely to have which of the following outcomes?
- creating a learning environment that fosters excellence
- promoting students' self-monitoring of their own behavior
- building a supportive and caring classroom community
- communicating to students high expectations for their learning
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to apply knowledge of strategies and procedures for creating a supportive classroom environment. In a supportive classroom community, students feel cared about and are encouraged to care about each other. An important step in creating such a community is for the teacher to establish classroom rituals and routines that provide a foundation for positive and caring interactions among students. In the example given, the teacher helps provide such a foundation by adopting a routine for beginning class meetings that sets a positive tone.
Use the case study below to complete the assignment that follows.
Background
Sam is a fifth-grade student who is performing at grade level in the core curricular areas. Sam is an eager participant in class discussions and activities, but he has a hard time organizing his assignments and often forgets to complete his work. He has particular difficulty beginning and completing written assignments and is easily frustrated by the writing process. Sam exhibits some impulsive behaviors, such as interrupting conversations and engaging in mild horseplay, which can annoy his classmates and make it difficult for him to work in groups. The teacher provides him with frequent verbal reminders to stay on task. Sam has a daily planner in which the teacher records his assignments. Sometimes during group-work periods, the teacher has Sam work independently and provides him with close supervision.
Upcoming Social Studies Project on Important Leaders
- Groups of three students will select an important leader to research.
- Each student will gather information on a specific aspect of the leader's life, including early years and background, adult life and leadership qualities, and contributions to society.
- The group will use the information gathered by each student to create a multimedia presentation for the class about the selected leader. Students will have three weeks to complete their projects.
Although groups were assigned, the teacher let Sam choose which students he would like to work with on the project. Then the teacher met with Sam's group to create a checklist of the tasks Sam would complete for his part of the project. The teacher wrote the due dates for each task in Sam's daily planner and allowed him to work on those tasks an extra half-hour each day in a study carrel.
Excerpts from the Teacher's Observation Notes during Week One
Sam chose to work with Manuel and Julia... So far Sam's interactions with his group have been relatively positive; he seems motivated to use the checklist we developed... He completed his first assigned task, but that was two days ago; I need to check in to see how he is doing... I am hearing Manuel and Julia tell Sam to "get to work" more frequently...
Portion of a Discussion in Sam's Group During Week One
Manuel: Sam, it's hard to work with you when you act silly and don't help us.
Sam: I want to help. Sometimes I don't know what to do next.
Julia: Look in your planner. We each agreed to make a list of five facts about our leader. You can tell us lots of information, but you don't have anything written down.
Manuel: We need your information and your help to do the computer presentation.
Sam: I'll bring it tomorrow.
Julia: You're my friend, Sam, and you're really smart, but I don't want our group to have a bad
project because you didn't do your part.
Write a response in two parts based on the elements of the case study presented above.
Part One
- describe one strategy Sam's teacher used to try to help ensure Sam's success in learning, and
- explain why this strategy was a good one to try.
Part Two
- describe one additional strategy Sam's teacher could have used to help ensure Sam's success in learning, and
- explain why this strategy would have been effective in helping ensure Sam's success in learning.
Sample Responses
Sample Strong Response (Show Sample Strong ResponseHide Sample Strong Response)
Part One
One strategy Sam's teacher used to try to help ensure his success in learning was to assist Sam in managing his work by creating a checklist of tasks that Sam would complete for his part of the project. This was a good strategy to try because checklists can be effective tools for helping students learn how to monitor their own progress on an assignment or project. For a student such as Sam, who has trouble staying focused and remembering what he needs to do, a checklist can be particularly helpful. By referring to his checklist, Sam can quickly determine what he needs to work on next, and his teacher as well as the students in his group can tell at a glance if Sam is progressing or falling behind on his assigned tasks.
Part Two
One additional strategy Sam's teacher could have used to help ensure Sam's success in learning is to meet with Sam each day to review his progress and plan strategies for the next day's work. This strategy would have been effective for several reasons. First of all, such meetings would help promote a sense of accountability in Sam for his assigned tasks and maintain his focus on essential elements of the project. Secondly, this strategy would provide an opportunity for Sam's teacher to monitor his progress more closely and help him address potential problems earlier rather than later. By working with Sam to plan the next day's tasks, Sam's teacher can assist him in identifying specific concrete steps he needs to take to fulfill his responsibilities.
Sample Weak Response (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
Part One
It's often frustrating to work with a student like Sam, but his teacher persevered and kept trying to help Sam succeed. This is the hallmark of a good teacher. One strategy Sam's teacher used to try to help ensure his success in learning was to let Sam choose which students he wanted to work with for the group project. This was a good strategy to try because Sam would be more likely to stay on task with a group of his own choosing. He would most likely choose students with characteristics similar to his own, which would promote a sense of community within his group. This sense of community would lead, in turn, to a greater sense of engagement, commitment, and motivation to do well.
Part Two
Although the teacher used many good strategies, there were other ones he could have used. One additional strategy Sam's teacher could have used to help ensure Sam's success in learning is to use a hands-on approach. This would be an effective strategy to use with Sam because students learn more when they manipulate objects or figure things out on their own than they do when they just read information from a book. Additionally, hands-on learning is more time-effective than other approaches. Students learn faster because they work at their own pace. A hands-on approach would have ensured Sam's success in learning.
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