Domain I

Question 1

001 The campus-improvement team in a low-performing school uses three questionnaires to
gather data for making recommendations to the school leadership. One questionnaire
asks students about their perception of their school experience. Another asks parents
how effectively the school serves students. The third asks teachers what beliefs they
hold about students. The responses in the questionnaires will be most valuable for
helping the team to determine the
A. factors that may be affecting student performance.
B. school’s reputation in the community.
C. gaps in the school’s communication methods.
D. influence of family involvement on student motivation.

Answer 1

Option A is correct because the
questionnaires provide multiple sources of
data that will create a more complete
picture and help school leadership
determine the root cause behind current
student performance. Option B is
incorrect because the stakeholders being
surveyed are both internal and external.
Without intentional development of the
questions to obtain valid information about
the school’s reputation, these surveys
would not be most valuable for this
purpose. Option C is incorrect because
providing this data would not support any
conclusion on the topic. Option D is
incorrect because providing this data
would not support any conclusion on the
topic.

Question 2

001 Roy, a middle school student with speech and motor delays, is regularly the target of
derogatory comments by Jeremy, one of his classmates. One day, Roy tells Jeremy that
he likes a girl in the class. That evening, Jeremy creates a fake social media account
pretending to be the girl Roy likes. After multiple online messages, Jeremy posts Roy’s
comments for everyone to see, although they were intended for the girl. Roy is
humiliated and refuses to go to school. Roy’s parents reach out to the principal and
request help.
In addition to investigating the situation, the principal plans to take several actions. For
each row, determine whether the action is appropriate or inappropriate.

Develop a response plan for Roy in
collaboration with his parents
Have Roy and Jeremy participate in peer
mediation
Provide Roy’s parents with a list of the
students who saw the social media posts
Discuss strategies for monitoring the online
activities of teens with the parents of students
involved
Provide schoolwide lessons on appropriate
student-to-student interactions with peers

Answer 2

Rows 1, 4, and 5 are appropriate because
each action supports developing a strong
culture of health and wellness support and
develops an entire school culture that
bullying is not permitted and all students
are included and respected. Row 2 is
incorrect because conflict resolution and
peer mediation are not effective
interventions for bullying. Mediation can be
very upsetting for the student being bullied
and make the situation worse. Row 3 is
incorrect because Family Education Rights
and Protection Act (FERPA) protects the
names of students involved. Each student’s
parents can only receive information on
their student.

Question 3

001 Given the characteristics of turnaround schools and the indicators of success, which of
the following actions should the principal consider to best proactively address the
resistant teachers mentioned in Key Point 1?
A. Communicating nonnegotiable, goal-oriented expectations for committing to the
schoolwide vision and establishing support structures to facilitate the change process
B. Recruiting new staff in core content areas and special education to support the
learning of at-risk students
C. Planning a campus-wide incentive system to encourage resistant staff to actively
promote and support campus change initiatives
D. Encouraging teachers with the most years of teaching experience to mentor resistant
teachers on effective instructional strategies

Answer 3

Option A is correct because change is
necessary, not optional, at a turnaround
school to improve student outcomes.
Principals should communicate this
expectation to staff and frame it in a goaloriented way that connects them to the
plan and motivates them to commit to
change efforts. Option B is incorrect
because the action described does not
directly target resistant teachers. Option C
is incorrect because research indicates
that using large-group incentives to
motivate teachers is not effective and can
often have a negative effect on the
intended outcome. The use of small-group
incentives to get teachers to support a
change initiative may be more effective
than campus-wide incentives. However, the
principal should pursue setting
nonnegotiable high expectations and
providing support structures to implement
and monitor the change process. Option D
is incorrect because the number of years
of experience is not the most effective
criteria to consider when selecting mentor
teachers. The principal should consider
other criteria when selecting teachers for a
mentorship role. Ensuring teacher buy-in,
regardless of years of teaching experience,
has proven to be most effective. Ms.
Washington should spend time working
with appropriately selected teachers to pilot
desired changes, discussing the
implementation process with these
teachers before making them mentors.

Question 4

001 When considering Key Point 3, the principal acknowledges that it will be difficult to
sustain and inspire staff through the turnaround initiative. Which of the following actions
most clearly demonstrates the principal’s commitment to the change process?
A. Waiting long enough to compile longitudinal evidence that implemented programs
are showing positive results
B. Creating a common purpose when conflicts arise from introducing strategies that
may challenge existing district and school norms
C. Identifying staff members with the leadership potential to continue the turnaround
initiative over the long run
D. Having ready alternate strategies to implement should staff members show
resistance to the strategies identified by the school leadership team

Answer 4

Option B is correct because the special
circumstances involved with turnaround
schools require leaders to innovate, move
away from what has not worked in the
past, and push to find what works. This
process will involve managing the change
process in a manner that creates a
common understanding and purpose for
their work. Option A is incorrect because
in a turnaround school it is necessary to
take action and monitor changes in other
ways that provide data more quickly.
Option C is incorrect because identifying
and grooming potential teacher leaders is
less effective than establishing a common
purpose among all teachers as they work
toward implementing change. Identifying
leadership potential in teachers is helpful to
kick-start the change process, but to show
a long-term commitment to the change
process, the principal needs to combat
burnout and develop a common purpose to
maintain the persistence needed among
teachers. Option D is incorrect because
there should be evidence that strategies
identified by the team are ineffective, as
measured by missed benchmarks, before
moving on to alternate strategies.

Question 5

002 At the beginning of the school year, a high school principal and grade level chairperson
plan a home visit to welcome and establish a relationship with a new student and the
student’s family, who are refugees.
Before the visit, the principal and chairperson explore the best ways to establish a
relationship and shared understanding with the family.
For each row, determine whether the action is effective or ineffective in establishing a
family-centered academic success plan for the student.

Requesting information on the family’s preferred
language
Focusing attention on the message that the
families need to conform to school expectations
in a short period of time
Learning about the family’s cultural and ethnic
values to enhance the student’s learning
experience
Providing the instructional approach the teachers
most commonly use during classroom instruction
Providing a list of school rules and requirements
for the parents to sign acknowledging receipt

Answer 5

Rows 1 and 3 are effective because home
visits are a proactive approach to parent
involvement and work to develop a familycentered action plan to increase student
success. Elements of an effective home visit
include preparing by reviewing records and
family history, setting a positive tone and
being a good listener, having specific goals
and objectives for each visit, allowing family
input and respecting cultural and ethnic
values, and providing follow-up resources and
information. The principal can respect cultural
values by learning about the family’s
preferred language to enhance
communication and learning more about the
family’s culture to better weave the student’s
experiences into instruction.
Row 2 is ineffective because the family
should be the focus of the visit. All family
members should be encouraged to
participate, share, and develop a familycentered plan to help the student be
successful at the new school. The principal
should not be the focus of the visit and
require conformity; rather, the tone of the
meeting should be collaborative and
respectful. Row 4 is ineffective because the
purpose of the visit is not to tell the family
how to conform to a teacher’s instructional
approach, but to listen to their input and
learn more about the natural learning styles,
preferences, and learning needs of the
student. Row 5 is ineffective because
providing the list of rules to be signed
provides little help when establishing a
family-centered plan for the student.