Interactive PLT K-6 (5622): Practice Test, PLT Praxis: Practice Test: FORM 2

Zone of proximal development

A teacher introduces multiplying two-digit numbers by breaking down each step during whole-class instruction. Three students continue to struggle after four days of instruction and practice. The teacher provides three additional days of small-group instruction to the students, who are then able to be successful independently. Which of the following learning theories does this best represent?

determine actual progress to see if they reached their goals

At the end of a unit of study, students refer back to a KWL chart they started to fill out at the beginning of the unit. By reflecting on what they have learned, students can

Achievement test

Which of the following assessments can a teacher use to best determine whether a student is reading on grade level?

Constructivism

A teacher asks her class, "How did people measure length before they had rulers?" Students work in groups to brainstorm ideas, such as using their hands and feet. The teacher's question best exemplifies which of the following theories?

Assigning a B for content and an A for mechanics

Which of the following examples best represents analytical scoring on an essay?

Auditory

A third-grade teacher observes that a student has trouble remembering information and following directions that are presented orally. The student also has difficulty focusing in loud environments. Which of the following best describes the probable area of exceptionality this student demonstrates?

Boys are more likely than girls to bully others and use physical aggression.

Which of the following findings about bullying is best supported by research?

Erikson

Students are given assignments on the basis of their ability levels and provided with frequent opportunities for success.

Maslow

Students are encouraged to eat if hungry, provided with a safe environment, and made to feel accepted in the classroom.

Watson

Students are given a reward for positive behavior and academic success and a consequence for negative behavior and lack of academic progress.

Thorndike

Students are assessed and encouraged to work at their own pace as they are introduced to new information one step at a time.

Meeting with administrators to talk about the purpose and scope of the project

A science teacher wants to build a garden on school property for students to grow plants and study life cycles. The teacher creates an action plan that includes goals for involving the community. Which of the following describes the best first step for the teacher's action plan?

Classical conditioning

To help with classroom management, a teacher teaches students to associate certain clapping sequences and light signals with desired behaviors. The teacher's classroom management technique is an application of which of the following learning theories?

Review with the parents the classroom rules and consequences that are aligned to the school's standards

John, a second grader, complains to his parents that his teacher kept him in from recess for misbehaving in class. At a parent-teacher conference, the parents say that they think the consequence was too extreme. Which of the following best describes what the teacher should do to address the parent's concern?

Affective Domain and Psychomotor Domain

Students will create an original piece of art using their favorite colors and share it with the class.

Cognitive Domain

Students will label the states and their capitals on a map of the United States.

Affective Domain and Psychomotor Domain

Students will be able to solve classroom conflicts through discussions and role play.

Formative

Ms. Smith's students have been studying single-digit subtraction. Before moving on to double-digit subtraction, Ms. Smith develops a quiz to assess how much her students understand about single-digit subtraction. If any of her students do poorly, she will spend another day reteaching and reviewing the concepts. Which of the following types of assessment does Ms. Smith's quiz best represent?

seek answers by making connections to prior knowledge

Constructivist teaching is based on the belief that the teacher's role is to encourage students to

Cooperative learning groups

Which of the following instructional approaches will best allow a teacher to increase student interdependence?

Permitting several groups of students to watch a portion of a teacher-purchased movie

Which of the following actions complies with the fair use provisions of copyright law?

Prohibited

A teacher makes 25 copies of a compilation of songs. Students practice the songs in class and perform them in the auditorium for parents.

Allowed

A teacher makes 25 copies of a short story from a book to be distributed to each student in the class.

Allowed

A teacher copies a poem to be displayed in class. Students discuss the poem in small groups.

Assessing student mastery of specific concepts

Which of the following is an appropriate goal for administering a criterion-referenced test?

Aiko may have grown up in a culture that encouraged him to be quiet and obedient without questioning his superiors.

Mr. Irwin encourages his elementary students to be active participants during his lessons. A few weeks into the new school year, Mr. Irwin notices Aiko, an Asian Pacific student, does not participate in discussions or ask any questions. Which of the following should Mr. Irwin consider first about Aiko?

ensuring that concepts students need to learn guide lessons

A teacher planning instruction completes the following ordered steps.

1. Identify the lesson's objective

2. Develop assessment criteria

3. Choose instructional activities

By following the steps, the teacher best demonstrates an understanding of

Supporting communication between home and school

A teacher implements message journals in the classroom. The teacher sends a journal home with each student on Monday, along with a note regarding accomplishments, concerns, needs, and upcoming school events. Parents return the journals on Thursday with any questions or concerns. Which of the following best describes the purpose of the journals?

Differentiated instruction

A teacher notices that some students learn best by discussing subject matter content with peers, while others prefer a quiet place to read and practice on their own. In response, the teacher decides to adjust lesson expectations and create space in the classroom to meet the needs of both sets of students. By taking this action, the teacher demonstrates an understanding of the importance of which of the following?

evaluate specific criteria for an assignment

The primary purpose of an analytic scoring rubric is to

readiness

Aria is learning to write her first and last name in cursive. After each correct attempt, Aria is rewarded with a sticker on her paper. After Aria masters the skill, her teacher stops giving her stickers for correct responses, which causes Aria to become upset. According to Edward Thorndike, this reaction is due to the law of

Sounds that are different in the student's native language

With respect to phonemic awareness, which of the following could be the greatest area of challenge for an English-language learner?

Providing one-to-one assistance for new teachers

A school establishes a mentoring program for incoming teachers. Which of the following is the primary goal of this program?

Makayla's overall reading ability is comparable to that of a student who is in the second month of seventh grade.

Makayla, a sixth-grade student, received a grade-equivalent score of 7.2 on a recent standardized reading test. Which of the following interpretations of the data is most accurate to communicate to Makayla's parents?

The teacher must differentiate instruction to meet the wide range of ability levels in the class.

A teacher evaluates the scores students in a class achieved on a recent standardized assessment. Which of the following best describes the instructional implications of a high standard deviation in the scores?

Why do you think the character's actions were justified?

Which of the following questions best promotes the highest level of student thinking skills?

A teacher reads a student paper using a rubric that addresses the scoring criteria. The teacher balances the strengths and weaknesses and assigns an overall score.

Which of the following scenarios best describes a teacher's use of holistic scoring?

Join the National Science Teachers Association

Which of the following should a teacher do to best improve content knowledge in science?

Independent study

An elementary school teacher has developed a series of centers at which students can practice literacy skills and create learning logs. Which of the following teaching strategies is the teacher most likely utilizing?

inferring

Mr. Larson is teaching his third graders how to "read between the lines." He will later explain that the skill they are practicing is an example of

encourage students' expression of ideas

A teacher sets up an interactive Web site that allows students to post comments about the book that the class is currently reading and to read one another's posts. The teacher is most likely using technology in this way to

The student scored higher than 70% of all students.

A score report from a standardized test ranks a seventh-grade student in the 70th percentile. The score indicates that which of the following is true?

They believe in acting in their own best interests.

Question: According to the second stage of Kohlberg's stages of moral development, which of the following is true of students who exhibit characteristics of preconventional moral development?

Helping students link prior knowledge to the current lesson

Which of the following is the primary benefit of using a KWL chart with students during instruction?

Providing students with a menu of instructional choices

Which of the following strategies best increases motivation and achievement in students?

Meeting with the principal to discuss how to manage the problem

Ms. Erman, a new teacher, has met once a week for 30 minutes with an assigned mentor to discuss curriculum and discipline management during the past month. Ms. Erman is frustrated that the mentor spends the whole time sharing personal issues and disregards Ms. Erman's questions. Which of the following best helps Ms. Erman obtain the needed support to address and resolve the issue?

Providing students with engaging materials and focused instruction on successfully completing reading and writing tasks

A teacher wants to improve the literacy skills and self-motivation of several fifth-grade students who are struggling with reading and writing. Which of the following strategies will most likely accomplish this goal?

Students benefit from receiving explicit instruction on when to use cognitive strategies.

Which of the following statements accurately describes the impact of metacognition on the learning of elementary students?

Creating a class library that includes a variety of topics and a range of reading levels

Which of the following teacher strategies is most effective for motivating elementary students to read recreationally?

receiving support from a knowledgeable helper

According to social learning theory, students working within the zone of proximal development are most likely to learn because they are

The No Child Left Behind Act

Which of the following requires that public schools provide increased accountability measured by the administration of standardized tests?

Norm-referenced

A multiple-choice test that evaluates basic mathematics skills for the purpose of determining the students need for academic support

Criterion-referenced

A mathematics test provided by the district twice each year that determines student mastery of state performance standards

Criterion-referenced

A pretest and posttest that evaluate teaching effectiveness and students' learning progress in mathematics

What do you predict would happen to a lion born in the wild with a coat of a much darker color?

Which of the following is an open-ended question?

Relating classroom activities to the various needs and interests of children and families

Which of the following activities best reflects a family-centered program and a promotion of parent partnerships with the school?

Concrete operational

A teacher observes that a student is able to do the following:

•Solve problems with hands-on manipulatives in a logical fashion

•Understand laws of conservation and is able to classify and seriate

•Understand reversibility

According to Piaget, which of the following stages of cognitive development has the student reached?

Providing students with frequent and specific positive feedback

Which of the following is the best action for a teacher to take to develop self-motivation in a group of students?

Moving closer to the students

A small group of students in a sixth-grade class is socializing during instructional time. Which of the following teacher responses is most likely to be effective in redirecting the students' attention to their task?

Students will construct a cocoon using thread and white paste.

A second-grade teacher is planning a unit on insects. Which of the following objectives for the unit best addresses the psychomotor domain?

Which reading strategies did you try using?

Which of the following questions during a reading lesson best fosters metacognition in elementary students?

Keep a reflective journal about the types of problematic behaviors that occur

After the first week of school, a beginning teacher has concerns about managing behavior in the classroom. Which of the following is the teacher's best first step to address the concern?

A teacher maximizes each student's growth by meeting his or her level of readiness

Which of the following best describes an example of differentiated instruction?

Reteaching content not mastered and reassessing students with a new tool

A teacher administers a summative test following a unit of study. More than 80 percent of the students receive a grade of 50 percent or below. Which of the following is the best next step for the teacher to take?

The mentor observes the new teacher in the classroom and then meets with the teacher to discuss and reflect on the observations and plan strategies for improvement.

Which of the following best describes the primary role of a mentor working with a new teacher?

Rubric

Prior to an activity, a teacher gives students written criteria that explain what they will need to know in order to receive a specific grade. Which of the following assessment tools is the teacher most likely using?

Posting assignments on a Web site so parents can monitor their child's work

Which of the following is most likely to encourage parents to help their child continue his or her learning after school hours?

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

A student who has been diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) needs additional time to complete work and to take tests. Which of the following pieces of legislation is most appropriate for the school to use in implementing a plan to help the student?

Spiral curriculum

A teacher exposes students to a topic several times with increasing complexity throughout the school year. The new learning is put in the context of prior learning. By instructing students in this manner, the teacher best demonstrates an understanding of which of the following?

Providing students with extrinsic rewards for finishing activities

Which of the following strategies is most likely to increase students' self-motivation during a unit?

It provides scores that can be used to determine program effectiveness.

Which of the following best describes a characteristic of a summative assessment?

team teaching

Two teachers share responsibilities for leadership and instruction in a classroom. The teachers alternate leading instructional activities and supporting students. The classroom described is primarily an example of

an instructional accommodation

Increasing the font size of a student's reading assignment is best described as

Using think-alouds to model how to question text

A teacher who supports the theory of social learning will most likely plan instruction to include which of the following activities?

Reviewing the curriculum standards provided by the state and school district

Which of the following is the best strategy for a new teacher to use when determining instructional content?

Reliability measures the consistency of an assessment, and validity measures the accuracy.

Which of the following statements about validity and reliability is most accurate?

Using verbal and nonverbal clues to help students understand the story

An elementary teacher, Ms. Reed, reads aloud a story to a group of English-language learners. She pauses to indicate a change in events, points to illustrations in the book, and changes the volume and pitch of her voice to emphasize certain aspects of the story. Which of the following strategies is she most likely implementing?

Timed repeated readings

The use of which of the following is most effective for improving the reading fluency of emerging readers?

Using pretest data to develop lessons that account for students' prior knowledge

Which of the following actions is the best example of a teacher applying the zone of proximal development theory?

Second-grade teachers meet to review the results of a benchmark reading assessment. After reviewing the data, they discuss strategies they can use to support struggling readers. The teachers agree to meet the following month to discuss how the struggling readers are progressing. The professional development practice the teachers are using is

A.participating in a professional learning community

B.completing independent research

C.holding a study group

D.conducting action research

Option (A) is correct.

A common feature of professional learning communities is using student assessment results to develop strategies for responding to the information revealed in the data.

Before students read a chapter from the class novel, the teacher asks them to record a prediction in their reading journals about what they think is going to happen. After they finish reading the chapter, the teacher asks them to comment on the predictions they made before reading. The act of making and thinking about predictions is primarily an example of

A.reflection

B.metacognition

C.adding meaning

D.transfer of knowledge

Option (B) is correct.

Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's thinking and cognitive processes. An aspect of metacognition is prediction because it requires students to use prior knowledge or evidence to anticipate what might happen at a later time or as a result of an action or situation.

Which of the following is the most important question for a teacher to consider when reading the results of a study on an instructional intervention?

A.Does the intervention meet a need of my students?

B.What other schools are using the intervention?

C.How large was the sample the researchers studied?

D.Have the results of the study been repeated in other studies?

Option (A) is correct.

Instructional interventions are used to address identified student needs. Therefore, no matter how large a study is or how well it has been validated, the most important question for the teacher to answer is if the intervention is appropriate for his or her students.

Which of the following is the defining characteristic of a criterion-referenced test?

A.It compares students' performance with the performance of peers.

B.It identifies innate talents and aptitudes.

C.It provides factual data about an observed event or behavior.

D.It measures student performance against specific learning standards

Option (D) is correct.

Criterion-referenced tests are designed to measure how well a student has achieved a learning goal, standard, or objective.

According to Piaget's theories of cognitive development, which of the following is the structure that children use to continually adapt to and organize concepts?

A.Metacognition

B.Equilibrium

C.Schema

D.Zone of proximal development

Option (C) is correct.

Piaget called the schema the basic building block of intelligent behavior. Schemata enable people to form a mental representation of the world by organizing and adapting units of knowledge.

Which of the following variables exerts the most influence on a student's academic achievement?

A.Parents' employment status

B.Student's culture

C.Number of siblings in the household

D.Parents' level of education

Option (D) is correct.

A large body of research has shown a link between parental education levels and child outcomes such as educational experience, attainment, and academic achievement.

After two students refuse to help their table mates clean up the learning center, the teacher gives tokens for good behavior to those students who helped clean up. Which of the following is the teacher using to deal with the two unhelpful students?

A.Positive reinforcement

B.Negative reinforcement

C.Negative punishment

D.Positive punishment

Option (C) is correct.

Negative punishment is the removal of a desired stimulus, in this case, tokens, after an undesired behavior is exhibited. The hoped for result is a reduction of the undesired behavior in the future.

The primary advantage of testing student knowledge with an essay test rather than a selected-response test is that an essay test

A.is easier and faster to score

B.provides more reliable scores

C.requires more critical thinking

D.tests more content

Option (C) is correct.

Essay questions are more efficient than selected-response questions at measuring higher-order cognitive objectives such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

Which of the following is the most important reason for the efficient use of physical space in a classroom?

A.Creating a quiet learning environment

B.Providing sufficient space to organize classroom materials

C.Providing student access to the teacher

D.Creating safe movement through the room

Option (D) is correct.

Student safety is the most important factor in determining the physical layout of a classroom.

Which of the following scores is best for determining how a student has performed on a test when compared to a peer group taking the same test?

A.Raw score

B.Percentile rank

C.Stanine

D.Grade-equivalent score

Option (B) is correct.

A percentile rank indicates what percent of the students in the norm group received the same or lower score than a particular student.

Ms. Bhodi is a first-year teacher who has difficulty reflecting on her practice. Which of the following actions will be most helpful for strengthening her reflection skills?

A.Observing lessons taught by experienced colleagues

B.Viewing and analyzing videos of her own lessons

C.Discussing her teaching techniques with a mentor

D.Making detailed notes in her lesson plans

Option (B) is correct.

Reflection is an introspective, critical analysis of a process, situation, or event for the purpose of gaining knowledge, developing perspective, and identifying strategies to apply in the future. Watching videos of her own teaching is Ms. Bhodi's best method for cultivating the self-awareness needed for effective reflection.

A teacher is disciplining a fourth grader for misbehavior in the lunchroom. As the student describes the incident, the teacher continually contradicts the student's account. The student becomes increasingly agitated, resulting in disrespectful behavior and further discipline. Which of the following changes in the teacher's communication is most likely to improve the outcome of the discipline?

A.Using body language to convey interest

B.Repeating what the student says to confirm understanding

C.Maintaining eye contact to encourage the student to continue

D.Mirroring the student's facial expressions to show agreement

Option (B) is correct. Repeating or paraphrasing what the student says demonstrates understanding. The teacher may disagree with the student's account, but as an effective listener, the teacher should acknowledge that he or she is receiving a true representation of what the student means to say.

Which TWO of the following are distinguishing characteristics of interdisciplinary instruction?

A.Uses multiple instructional resources

B.Combines knowledge and skills associated with two or more content areas

C.Uses teams of teachers to plan lessons, deliver instruction, and create assessments

D.Differentiates instruction to meet the needs of a variety of learners

Options (B) and (C) are correct.

Interdisciplinary instruction synthesizes more than one discipline and relies on teams of teachers to enrich students' learning experience.

During back-to-school night, a teacher shares strategies parents can use to support students' understanding and application of skills taught in class. The teacher is involving parents by sharing information about

A.valuing education

B.establishing home/school partnerships

C.reinforcing learning

D.building students' study skills

Option (C) is correct.

Informing parents about ways to assist their children with schoolwork helps strengthen the learning that takes place in the classroom.

Before third graders read a text on tornadoes, their teacher distributes K-W-L charts and asks them to fill in the "K" column. The purpose of having students complete the "K" column is to prompt them to

A.identify the text structure

B.monitor their level of comprehension

C.respond to the text

D.activate their prior knowledge

Option (D) is correct.

A K-W-L chart is a graphic organizer used to increase students' comprehension of text. The "K" column asks students to record information they already know about the subject of the text, thus activating their prior knowledge.

Which of the following is the median for the following set of scores: 85, 90, 87, 100, and 95?

A.85

B.87

C.90

D.95

Option (C) is correct.

The median is the middle number in a sorted list of numbers. When sequenced by value, the scores are

85, 87, 90, 95, and 100; therefore, the median (middle number) in the sequence is 90.

Which of the following is a teacher's best course of action when a sixth-grade student answers a question incorrectly?

A.Telling the student the response is incorrect and then providing the correct answer

B.Changing the question and allowing another student to respond to the new question

C.Restating the question so that another student can correct the student's wrong answer

D.Asking the student a probing question to understand the student's reason for the response

Option (D) is correct.

Probing questions often help students realize and correct their mistakes and also help the teacher to identify students' misconceptions.

A fourth-grade teacher wants to evaluate students' analyses of plot structure in a chapter book the class has just read. Which of the following assessments is the teacher's best choice?

A.Observation checklist

B.Student portfolio

C.Selected-response test

D.Extended constructed response

Option (D) is correct.

Extended constructed response is an assessment method that provides opportunities for students to develop arguments, evaluate ideas, demonstrate creativity, or apply their learning to real-world situations. It is the teacher's best choice for evaluating students' analytical abilities.

For each row, identify whether the statement about the assessment is true or false.

1. An essay is an appropriate method for evaluating how students apply spelling rules.

2. Peer assessment shows teachers how students perform when compared to their classmates.

3. A selected-response assessment is effective for evaluating knowledge of factual content.

1. The first statement is true.

An essay demonstrates how students apply spelling rules within a real-world context.

2. The second statement is false.

Peer assessment is the process of evaluating the work of a peer based on set criteria. It does not provide information on how students compare to one another.

3. The third statement is true.

A selected-response assessment is an appropriate way to determine if students know factual content. Because selected-response questions are quick to respond to and score, a large number of questions covering multiple learning points can be included.

Which of the following best describes the scope and sequence of a curriculum guide?

A.The specific concepts, skills, and knowledge that the curriculum will introduce to students

B.The strategies and activities a teacher will use to achieve curriculum goals

C.The content of the curriculum and the order in which it will be presented

D.The process of measuring how well students achieved curriculum goals

Option (C) is correct.

The scope is the depth and breadth of the content to be covered, and the sequence is the specific order the units within the curriculum are to be taught.

Which of the following is the most appropriate use of an analytical checklist for assessment in the classroom?

A.Observing student behavioral changes day to day

B.Monitoring student success at completing a multistep project

C.Noting student responses during a running record

D.Evaluating student understanding of a complex idea

Option (B) is correct.

An analytical checklist allows a teacher to assess how students perform on a variety of facets or at different steps of an assignment.