Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Elementary

Question 1

Teachers can best promote the cognitive development of students in the early elementary grades by planning learning experiences that:

Answer 1

Include a variety of hands-on materials for helping students construct their own knowledge

Question 2

According to the theoretical framework developed by Lev Vygotsky, a young child’s cognitive development is most strongly influenced by which of the following factors?

Answer 2

Conversations and other interactions with adults or more able peers

Question 3

Which of the following is an important implication for teaching and learning of Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences?

Answer 3

Prompting schools and teachers to recognize the benefits of broadening the types of learning experiences offered to students

Question 4

An elementary teacher wishes to use scaffolding to promote student learning. Which of the following is the best example of this strategy?

Answer 4

Giving students charts labeled with relevant variables on which to record data they gather during classroom science experiments

Question 5

A teacher is planning a unit on families and has developed several activities in which students identify and discuss different kinds of families. In implementing these activities, the teacher should make which of the following a priority?

Answer 5

Expressing acceptance of an respect for the diversity in students’ family structures

Question 6

An elementary student who has a mild cognitive impairment is likely to experience the most difficulty in which of the following areas?

Answer 6

Generalizing learned skills to new contexts

Question 7

A sixth-grade teacher wishes to assess students’ ability to use the Internet to locate information. Which of the following represents the best approach for assessing this skill?

Answer 7

Designing a performance task in which students must use the Internet to answer a series of questions

Question 8

A significant challenge for teachers in using essay tests to assess student learning is that such tests:

Answer 8

Are difficult to score fairly and objectively

Question 9

An elementary teacher is developing several math enrichment activities. The teacher should be aware that the most effective enrichment activities meet which of the following criteria?

Answer 9

They support or extend specific lesson objectives

Question 10

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?

Answer 10

What background knowledge and experience do students already have with regard to the unit topic?

Question 11

A third-grade teacher wants students to be able to identify the main idea and supporting details in informative texts. Which of the following methods of organizing instruction would be the best first step in helping students develop this skill?

Answer 11

Providing ample opportunities for students to practice the targeted skill with teacher feedback

Question 12

Which of the following strategies would likely be the most effective in improving the quality and effectiveness of cooperative learning experiences for elementary students?

Answer 12

Providing students with direct instruction and guided practice in group-process skills

Question 13

Which of the following strategies by a fifth-grade teacher is most likely to promote students’ intrinsic motivation to learn?

Answer 13

Meeting regularly with individual students to set short-term goals and helping them track their own progress in achieving these goals

Question 14

Students in an early elementary class are completing a unit about their community. Which of the following teacher questions related to the unit best promote the students’ use of divergent thinking?

Answer 14

What are some things you can do on your own to keep your community clean and attractive?

Question 15

A kindergarten teacher provides students with individual cubbies to store their belongings and completed work. Each cubby is labeled with a student’s name and photograph. Which of the following is likely to be the most important benefit of this practice?

Answer 15

Helping students learn to take responsibility for themselves and their possessions

Question 16

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 achievements of a classmate or to thank a classmate for assistance. Beginning class meetings in this way is most likely to have what outcome?

Answer 16

Building a supportive and caring classroom community

Question 17

Members of a community service organization have expressed interest in volunteering in a second-grade classroom. Which of the following should be the teacher’s first step in responding to this offer?

Answer 17

Identifying specific ways that individuals in the organization can support curricular goals

Question 18

As a new school year begins, a second-grade teacher is making plans to hold a conference with the parent(s) of each student. The teacher will discuss goals and expectations. Which of the following additional actions would help promote positive communication/sense of partnership with parents?

Answer 18

Encouraging parents to share their own goals for their child’s learning and development during the upcoming year as well as any concerns they may have

Question 19

Which of the following actions best demonstrates a teacher’s accountability for student learning?

Answer 19

The teacher checks the alignment between instruction and content standards in daily lesson plans

Question 20

A new teacher has asked her mentor to observe instruction during several lessons and provide feedback on her teaching. These observations are likely to be most beneficial if the new teacher takes which of the following actions before they occur?

Answer 20

Identifying for the mentor specific aspects of her instruction, such as leading discussions, that she has particular concerns about