SLLA Study Set 1

The Midland County School Board reported to the superintendent that the percentage of students who drop out of high school has increased over the last three years. The principal has been charged by the superintendent with addressing this concern. Of the following, which would be the most effective approach for the principal to use to encourage students to stay in school? - ANS Form a collaborative team to research successful dropout-prevention programs and recommend one for use in Midland High School The School Academic Progress Report for Jones High School indicated that nearly 50 percent of its students had enrolled in and completed an Advanced Placement (AP) course prior to graduation. This rate is 20 percent higher than the national average and 35 percent higher than the state average. The report also showed that while the students earned an average final grade of 93.7 in these courses, only 10 percent of these students scored at least proficient (grade 3-5) or better on the standardized AP test. The principal was asked - ANS The school's AP curriculum and instructional program should be evaluated to ensure they meet the rigor required by the national standards. Cone Middle School has failed to achieve adequate yearly progress over the past two school years due to chronically low standardized test scores in math and reading. The principal and administrative team have been charged with developing a school action plan for the upcoming school year. Which of the following would be the most effective initial action of the plan? - ANS Dis aggregate the data, identify specific areas for improvement, and then form a collaborative team of teachers, community members, and officials to develop the action plan The principal is considering revising grade-level teaching assignments as part of a plan to address the weaknesses of the instructional program. After proposing the changes to the faculty, the principal senses growing opposition. - ANS Bring together representative members of the faculty to examine the potential benefits and drawbacks of revising the teaching assignments At the end of the school year, the parent of a gifted first-grade student asks the principal to allow his child to accelerate to the third grade the following school year. The student's teacher, an experienced first-grade teacher, is in agreement and shows evidence of the child's ability to perform far above grade level expectations. Currently, the school's gifted-and-talented program for the primary grades is one of enrichment rather than acceleration. For the student's best interest, which of the following considerations is most important in deciding whether to place the student in second grade or third grade? - ANS Whether the student is motivated and socially and emotionally ready for third grade The Mountain View Middle School is open to students on school days from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. Each morning, the principal arrives on campus at 7 AM and routinely finds groups of students waiting outside the school building. A similar situation occurs each afternoon after dismissal. Many working parents in the community drop off and pick up children before and after their work hours. The principal would like to address the potentially unsafe situation. Which of the following should be his initial action? - ANS Consulting with the superintendent about the districts ability and/or obligation to supervise students who arrive at school before or after hours. A new principal at a suburban high school with a zero-tolerance policy has initiated a program to enhance school safety by encouraging students to report potential threats to school security. Shortly thereafter, a student reports seeing another student displaying a handgun in the locker room. The principal quickly investigates the issue and discovers that the gun is a fancy cigarette lighter. Which of the following should be the principal's next step? - ANS - ANS the need to provide equal access to technology resources - ANS Contact the health officials to analyze the stain Janesville School District requires that all teachers submit electronic copies of their weekly lesson plans to the school curriculum coordinator. Written guidelines for developing lesson plans indicate that the plan must clearly emphasize rigorous curriculum and standards-based instruction. A first-year teacher often fails to submit his lesson plans on time, and when he does submit them, the plans often do not appropriately reflect the standards contained in the guidelines. Which of the following steps should the curriculum coordinator take to best help the teacher comply with the established procedures? - ANS Directing the teachers' mentor to make preparing and submitting lesson plans the primary focus of their collaborative work. A principal has been appointed to a middle school in which the scores on state tests have been decreasing each year for the past three years. The superintendent is concerned the school will not make adequate yearly progress (AYP), and improving this school's performance is a top priority in the district. Which of the following actions by the principal is most likely to be effective in addressing the issue of declining scores? - ANS As the principal of Dolly Madison Secondary School, Mr. Constantine supervises several academic departments, including social studies. Ms. Riley teaches eleventh-grade American history and is a veteran teacher and one of six in that department. During the last week, as Mr. Constantine routinely monitored the hallways, he noticed that Ms. Riley's classroom was often dark and that the television was on loudly. From the sounds, the television seemed to be playing cartoons and old episodes of I Love Lucy. A. Which of the following methods should the principal use to determine Ms. Riley's purpose for choosing the instructional resources and strategies she has? B. If the principal determines that Ms. Riley has been using resources that do not align with the curriculum's instructional goals, which of the following is his most appropriate next action? - ANS A. Meeting with Ms. Riley to discuss the rationale for her use of the teaching materials B. Developing a professional-development plan with Ms. Riley that focuses on effective teaching strategies Ms. Mansour is the principal at Riverview Elementary School. The past three years have shown a marked increase in the number of beginning teachers leaving the school to pursue other professions. Ms. Mansour has identified learning more about attracting, retaining, and supporting new teachers as her individual professional-development project this year. She plans to conduct research into the problem, including surveying the beginning teachers, and to improve Riverview's practices for supporting them. A. If the Riverview School is typical of national trends, Ms. Mansour's teacher survey is likely to find which of the following as the primary reason for teachers leaving the profession within the first five years? B. Ms. Mansour's research has revealed several impediments to attracting and retaining quality teachers. Which of the following impediments is Ms. Mansour able to address as a building principal? C. The prac - ANS A. Lack of Administrative Support B. New teachers are frequently assigned to difficult classes and afforded few opportunities for support or growth. C. desire to be active participants in another's learning and growth - ANS They provide information for professional dialouges between the principal and teachers focused on improving instruction