PECT PreK-4 Practice Test Module 1

Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences focuses primarily on which of the following aspects of education?

A. the key role of environment in promoting children's learning

B. the use of scaffolding techniques to help children learn

C. the active involvement of children in learning activities

D. the various ways in which children think and learn

D

A PreK-4 teacher can best create a culturally inclusive classroom environment for all students by regularly:

A. encouraging students to share information about their cultures with the class.

B. celebrating a variety of cultural holidays from around the world with students.

C. placing students from similar cultural backgrounds together for small-group activities.

D. providing students and their families with information about community cultural events.

A

A kindergarten teacher observes two children playing together. The children are attempting to use blocks and other play materials to build a bridge for their toy cars. The first bridge that they build collapses when they begin to roll the toy cars across it. Which of the following teacher questions would best promote the development of the students' reasoning and problem-solving skills?

A. Why do you think the bridge fell over? How can you build the bridge

differently?

B. What if you pretended that your cars could fly? Would you still need to build a bridge?

C. What different objects did you use to make your bridge? How are they

different?

D. Can you picture a real bridge in your mind? Did your bridge look like a real bridge?

A

Children who demonstrate typical language development most often begin using two-word utterances between the ages of:

A. 6 to 9 months.

B. 12 to 15 months.

C. 18 to 24 months.

D. 30 to 36 months.

C

As second-grade students are learning a new science concept, the teacher helps them acquire knowledge and skills that they could not acquire on their own by using prompts, giving suggestions, providing feedback, and modeling activities. In this situation, which of the following strategies is the teacher primarily using to foster students' cognitive development?

A. modeling

B. cooperative learning

C. scaffolding

D. inquiry learning

C

A prekindergarten teacher wants to establish a classroom environment in which spontaneous play is encouraged and play is recognized and valued as meaningful learning. Which of the following strategies would likely be most effective for the teacher to use to achieve this goal?

A. modeling the correct way to play with new toys and games when introducing them to the classroom

B. asking students to bring in their favorite playthings from home to share with their classmates during show-and-tell

C. designing assessments that ask students to demonstrate content knowledge through play activities

D. ensuring that a variety of materials are available in the classroom for students to try out and explore during playtime

D

PreK-4 teachers have the goal of being culturally competent educators who use an understanding of diversity among young children to plan developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate instruction that meets the needs of all their students. The most important first step for the teachers to take in achieving this goal is to:

A. use the Internet and other resources to gather basic information about various world cultures.

B. survey students' families to determine what they perceive their role to be in their children's learning.

C. examine their own cultures and beliefs and their impact on interactions with students.

D. observe individual students in self-selected activities to determine their preferred learning styles.

C

According to convergent research, which of the following factors has been shown to have the greatest effect on a child's language development?

A. the age at which the child starts attending preschool or prekindergarten

B. the number of family members living at home with the child

C. the quality and diversity of books and toys the child is exposed to

D. the amount of verbal input the child receives from caregivers and others

D

Which of the following is an essential component of a formative assessment?

A. monitoring and adjusting a teaching strategy during the learning process based on individual student progress

B. the production of behavioral and academic progress reports that incorporate parental or caregiver insights

C. identifying and summarizing an individual student's strengths and needs at the end of a unit or semester

D. the development of a timeline designating tasks that will be accomplished by a particular student in a given period of time

A

A third-grade teacher develops an assessment for a particular unit prior to writing up the daily lesson plans for the unit. The most important advantage of this approach is that it helps the teacher:

A. align daily lessons and activities with the targeted learning outcomes.

B. develop an assessment to match state standards.

C. ensure that the assessment will be accessible for all students.

D. improve presentation skills for delivering instruction.

A

Which of the following assessment practices would be considered ethical?

A. obtaining actual test items to use as examples when preparing students for a standardized assessment

B. using ongoing informal assessments of students' learning to guide the instructional process

C. determining assessment accommodations for individual students based on

their classroom performance

D. posting standardized assessment results that include students' identifying information on a class Web page

B

A fourth-grade teacher uses a variety of techniques, including questioning and journal prompts, to check for students' understanding of content-area instruction.

Which of the following outcomes is likely to be the most important benefit of this strategy?

A. helping the teacher identify areas where students may need additional

reinforcement

B. improving students' overall performance on standardized assessments

C. allowing the teacher to spend less time creating and grading student

assessments

D. encouraging students to view learning as a process and become lifelong learners

A

A kindergarten teacher frequently uses home-school notebooks to communicate with families about their children's progress. For example, the teacher and family of one student recently used such a notebook to keep one another informed about the student's progress in mastering specific self-help skills. This approach is likely to be most effective in promoting which of the following outcomes?

A. fostering in students a sense of responsibility with regard to their own learning

B. establishing partnerships with families in the assessment of their children's learning and development

C. helping build caring and friendly relationships between the teacher and students

D. enhancing families' ability to reinforce at home what their children are learning in school

B

Using spreadsheet software to maintain students' performance data is likely to provide a teacher with the most support in which of the following areas?

A. identifying specific gaps in students' learning

B. providing students with accurate and timely feedback

C. designing activities to address individual learning needs

D. determining an appropriate sequence of instruction

A

Which of the following statements best describes a major role of assessment anchors in the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)?

A. providing uniform rules for the types of tests that are allowed to be

administered to students in preparing for the PSSA

B. clarifying the standards assessed on the PSSA to support students' learning of essential skills and knowledge

C. defining the diverse range of tasks that underlie the educational goals

assessed on the PSSA at different grade levels

D. providing a conversion tool for converting a particular student's PSSA score into a grade-level equivalent

B

A fourth-grade class includes a number of students who are English language learners. The teacher is designing formative assessment to measure students' understanding of a specific science concept. When developing this assessment,

the teacher can use Pennsylvania's Language Proficiency Standards for English Language Learners PreK-12 (ELPS) most effectively to:

A. identify the particular supports that individual students are likely to require during the assessment.

B. help ensure that the language function of the assessment is appropriate for the students' level of English language proficiency.

C. make adaptations to the core content assessed that are appropriate for the students' academic levels.

D. determine whether students have achieved the necessary level of English language proficiency to participate in the assessment.

B

A student who is an English language learner who qualifies for migrant education services joins a second-grade class partly into the school year. The teacher is preparing to administer a variety of informal assessments to the student. Which of the following teacher goals should be the main focus of these assessments?

A. evaluating whether the student demonstrates any signs of a disability

B. determining the student's general level of English language proficiency

C. measuring the student's language proficiency and literacy level in the home language

D. identifying any specific weaknesses in the student's academic knowledge and skills

D

A first-grade teacher uses a language experience approach with beginning-level students who are English language learners. A student dictates a story based on personal experience to the teacher who writes the story verbatim. The teacher then leads the student in various reading and language activities using the dictated text. A primary benefit of this approach is that it helps the student:

A. access important content-area vocabulary.

B. develop phonemic awareness in English.

C. achieve grade-level reading and writing standards.

D. make connections between oral and written English.

D

Which of the following accommodations to a content-area reading assignment best provides universal access for all learners?

A. providing digital textbooks with features such as images, text-to-speech, videos, and modifiable text

B. reading aloud the text to students as they follow along in their textbooks and asking frequent questions

C. offering after-school peer tutoring for students who need extra help reading the content

D. providing a list of vocabulary words and definitions to students in advance of the reading

A

A second-grade teacher is reading a story aloud to a class that includes several students who are English language learners. Throughout the reading, the teacher pauses to verify students' comprehension. The teacher encourages all students to

speak and participate in discussions during and after the reading. Which of the following types of feedback from the teacher would provide meaningful English language input to the students who are English language learners during the discussions?

A. repeating what students say to model correct pronunciation

B. posing literal questions that elicit one- or two-word answers

C. giving simple explanations about basic grammar rules and syntax

D. responding to the intent and content of the students' utterances

D

Jessica, a 6 month old baby in the infant room, has been losing weight, is irritable and has been tired and sleepy everyday she is at the center. On top of that, Jessica does not smile or make any type of social response to her caretakers and she is showing indicators that she is delayed in motor development. Lastly, Jessica does not appear to have a bond with anyone that cares for her, even her mother. What is the developmental concern that may be happening with Jessica?

A. Going through a growth spurt

B. Jessica is exhibiting signs that she has a developmental disorder like autism

C. Jessica is showing signs that she is failing to thrive

D. Jessica is showing symptoms of a slow to warm up child

C

One of the most important responsibilities of a teacher is the construction of valid and reliable tests. Which of the following is not one of the basic principles of test construction?

A. Construct a blueprint that reflects the objectives of the content to be learned.

B. Include only students who have mastered the set of criteria necessary for the test.

C. Be sure that tests reflect the emphasis given to various objectives during instruction of knowledge and/or skills.

D. Follow best testing procedures for the area of knowledge or the skill the student is expected to acquire.

B

Teachers often have students share what they write with a group or a partner. What is the best reason for having students share writing pieces?

A. So that students can help each other edit taking the burden from the teacher.

B. Students will help each other by responding as readers or listeners.

C. The partner is a different audience each time a piece is read.

D. Different topics will be addressed as partners see what others are writing.

B

Mrs. Purpose is using a list of words with her phonemic awareness group. She wants the group to hear the difference in word endings. Which set of words would be most effective for this activity?

A. hat, cat, sat

B. cab, cat, cap

C. Color, hammer, car

D. cart, cattle, story

B

A teacher assesses a child using a running record. She notes that the student's prosody need to improve. What is prosody?

A. Speed of reading

B. Accuracy of reading

C. Comprehension level

D. Cadence and expression

D

According to Linnea Ehri's Phases of Word Recognition Development, at which phase would a student rely less on individual letter sounds and more on multi-letter patterns within words?

A. Partial Alphabetic

B. Automatic

C. Full Alphabetic

D. Consolidated Alphabetic

D

Teaching students that concrete objects can be used to represent the real thing indicates that a lesson is using which of the following scientific instructional themes.

A. Systems

B. Models

C. Constancy and Change

D. Scale

B

What is 150% of 0.024?

A. 0.036

B. 0.018

C. 0.18

D. 0.3

A

Three or four phases of cardiac rehabilitation may be conducted for patients having suffered a myocardial infarction. At which phase would exercise physiologists most likely begin performing cardiac rehabilitation exercises?

A. Phase I

B. Phase II

C. Phase III

D. Phase IV

B

Which of the following measuring activities would be introduced last in a second grade classroom?

A. Measuring a desk using paper clips

B. Measuring a desk using a meter stick

C. Measuring a carpet using your feet

D. Measuring the length of a desk using unit squares

B

In addition to immunization records, what pre-primary screening and assessment information may be gathered during a child's nursery school, child care, or Head Start years?

A. The child's attention span, attention to detail, and hobby interests.

B. The child's music, performance, or artistic talent.

C. The child's sensitivity to family, pets, and strangers.

D. The child's language, motor, and social skills development.

D

When children are placed very close together during group activities, what is a common problem?

A. They listen more attentively to the group leader's directions.

B. They tend to concentrate more easily on activities.

C. They tend to pay more attention to the group leader.

D. They tend to pay more attention to protecting personal space.

D

The art teacher at your school uses criterion testing. Her scoring of projects is pass/fail. Her criterion for this project is below. Which student would not pass?

The student will be able to use clay to construct a container.

A. Tanya uses the clay to make a toothbrush holder.

B. Tony uses the clay to construct a pencil case.

C. Tamera uses the clay to make a snake.

D. Tera uses the clay to make a mug.

C

In preschool, play is a primary learning tool. It is the child's work. Which of the following is a process of play?

A. Observing

B. Exploring

C. Hypothesizing

D. All of the above

D

Jenny has difficulty with holding her bladder. She takes medication and needs frequent trips to the restroom. Her mother wants to make sure that her issues are dealt with fairly when she begins school. Which of the following might be enacted in Jenny's case?

A. Due process

B. Section 504 f the Rehabilitation Act

C. An IEP

D. LRE

B

A typical 4 year old child is able to do all but which of the following?

A. Follow three-part directions.

B. Talk about her experiences.

C. Understand time concepts.

D. Define words.

D

Which of the following is a content area in early childhood development?

A. Aesthetics.

B. Scaffolding learning.

C. Establishing learning centers.

D. Encouraging play.

A

What is Not an aspect of the "whole child" according to Steiner?

A. Mental.

B. Physical.

C. Spiritual.

D. Play.

D

A kindergarten teacher works with two students who are English language learners who have no prior exposure to English. She exposes them to natural English in meaningful contexts but does not push them to contribute to discussions. She allows them to respond to questions nonverbally or with one word answers. The teacher's actions best demonstrate her awareness that second-language learners often:

A. go through a silent period during which they produce very little oral language.

B. experience first-language interference that hinders their ability to speak a new language.

C. develop expressive language skills before they develop receptive language skills.

D. have limited experience speaking their first language for communicative purposes.

A

Which of the following characteristics would indicate atypical cognitive development in a four-year-old child?

A. having difficulty matching a toy car to a picture of a car

B. naming only four colors correctly

C. counting accurately to ten but no further

D. engaging only occasionally in fantasy play

A

A kindergarten teacher is planning to read aloud a picture book to the class. One of the students in the class has a visual impairment that severely limits vision to several inches. Which of the following accommodations would best help this

student participate in this activity?

A. providing an individual copy of the book to the student to look at

B. arranging for the student to listen to a recording of the story at a later time

C. obtaining a large print copy of the book to read aloud to the class

D. sitting in front of a well-lit window while reading

A

An IEP annual review meeting has been scheduled for a second-grade student who is currently placed in a general education classroom full time. Which of the following elements of the review is most likely to be provided by the student's general education teacher?

A. a recommendation for additional diagnostic testing for the student

B. an explanation of the student's standardized test scores

C. a description of the present level of performance the student has achieved

D. an overview of the nature of the student's special needs

C

Which of the following statements accurately describes a central principle of the family systems theory?

A. Families' internal dynamics are directly influenced by the community environment.

B. Patterns of interaction within families remain consistent over time.

C. Families evolve through predictable and identifiable developmental stages.

D. Individual family members are mutually influenced by and dependent on one another.

D

In support of a school-wide initiative to enhance the learning environment for students with disabilities, fourth-grade teachers will be participating in regular meetings with special education professionals. The primary focus of these meetings should be to:

A. identify innovative techniques that can be implemented to meet the needs of students with disabilities.

B. analyze the classroom performance of students with disabilities and agree on revisions to make to the students' IEPs.

C. determine the most appropriate instructional settings for students with disabilities.

D. examine the effectiveness of current practices in meeting the needs of students with disabilities and make adjustments as needed.

D

Federal law allows schools to disclose information in a student's educational records without parental consent to which of the following individuals?

A. representatives of community agencies that provide services to the school

B. educators with legitimate educational interest in the student

C. staff at postsecondary institutions who are conducting educational research

D. teachers who provide instruction to the student's sibling(s)

B

A new third-grade teacher believes that too much instructional time is being used each day to pass out students' graded work, so the teacher decides to put graded papers in a basket for students to pick up on their own throughout the day. This action is considered inappropriate primarily because it:

A. infringes on the students' right to privacy.

B. requires the students to assume responsibility for an administrative task.

C. diminishes the students' sense of accountability.

D. provides students with delayed feedback regarding their performance.

A

A kindergarten teacher's weekly newsletter includes information about community programs and special events that are designed specifically for children. This practice is likely to be most effective in helping the teacher achieve which of the following goals?

A. reinforcing to families the importance of their children's regular participation in enrichment activities

B. promoting families' recognition of the teacher's knowledge and expertise

C. connecting families with resources to help promote their children's learning and development

D. providing the foundation for a positive relationship between school and home

C

During a routine parent-teacher conference, a student's parent confides to the teacher about a recent job loss. The single parent, with an infant and toddler at home, explains that child care, health insurance, and housing are no longer

affordable. In this situation, the teacher's most important priority should be to:

A. reassure the parent that the teacher is always available to listen and offer support.

B. urge the parent to inform friends and relatives of the circumstances and seek their support.

C. solicit donations from school staff to provide the parent with short-term support.

D. connect the parent to available support services in the community.

D

Which of the following preconditions is most essential to effective collaboration among a group of teachers with diverse philosophies and teaching styles?

A. arranging for a school administrator to participate in their planning activities and mediate as needed

B. recognizing that they have a common goal of educating the students entrusted to their care

C. providing one another with background information on the students in their classes

D. identifying a leader who will be responsible for leading discussions and recording decisions

B

A new teacher regularly writes in a teaching journal. In addition to considering the success of his lessons, the teacher reflects on his interactions with students and on how his thoughts and actions during these interactions were culturally

motivated. This strategy best demonstrates the teacher's awareness of which of the following principles?

A. Personal values and beliefs can influence a teacher's communication practices.

B. High expectations for all students can promote their academic performance.

C. Social identity and peer pressure can affect students' classroom behavior.

D. Effective conflict-resolution skills can help a teacher prevent classroom conflicts.

A

A kindergarten teacher who wants to provide a positive social context for learning decides that one way to do this is to ensure educational equity for all students. The teacher can best promote such equity by:

A. using similar instructional methods and materials for all students.

B. providing all students with support in meeting high standards of achievement.

C. offering all students choices regarding their own learning activities.

D. creating a program in which the families of all students are encouraged to participate

B

A teacher learns that the district is considering requiring all first-grade students to engage in academic testing that the teacher believes is developmentally inappropriate. In this situation, the teacher can best serve as an advocate for students by taking which of the following actions first?

A. discussing the issue with students' families

B. offering to help a local reporter write a story on the issue

C. talking to the school principal about the issue

D. posting research on the issue on the school's Web site

C

After reviewing midyear testing data, a fourth-grade teacher is concerned about an increase in achievement differences between groups of students in the class. In attempting to address this issue, the teacher should begin by:

A. determining the percentage of students in the class who currently achieve at or above grade level.

B. identifying those students in the class who tend to remain on-task during instructional activities.

C. asking other teachers at the school whether they are seeing similar trends in their classes.

D. examining personal attitudes, expectations, and practices regarding learning for all students in the class.

D

In choosing a professional development activity from among various options, a teacher's first consideration should be to determine which option is most likely to:

A. be relevant to teaching across a range of subject areas and grade levels.

B. offer participants an opportunity to network with educators from other schools.

C. provide research-based information relevant to current instructional issues or needs.

D. reflect the ideas of individuals who represent varied backgrounds and points of view.

C

Teachers have an ethical responsibility to:

A. provide each student with opportunities to learn alongside peers with similar backgrounds.

B. show flexibility in defining standards for academic performance.

C. use personal preferences when determining classroom behavior expectations.

D. respond to the needs of all students.

D

According to privacy rights guidelines, a teacher could appropriately share a student's school records with which of the following individuals?

A. a teacher who taught the student two years ago and wishes to check on the student's academic progress

B. a school counselor who believes the student would benefit from participating in upcoming small-group counseling sessions

C. a college professor who has received a substantial grant to conduct research on factors that influence young children's learning

D. a school nurse who knows the student outside of school and is a long-time friend of the student's family

B

In a PreK-4 program that practices a philosophy of inclusion for students with disabilities, a fundamental responsibility for teachers is to ensure that students with disabilities:

A. are subject to the same evaluative criteria as their nondisabled peers.

B. have opportunities to interact with others who have similar disabilities.

C. are active participants in all class activities.

D. have peer helpers available to assist with social challenges in the classroom.

C

A new teacher's meetings with an assigned mentor are likely to be most productive if the new teacher:

A. obtains information from the mentor about the topics to be addressed prior to each meeting.

B. documents what occurs at each meeting and then periodically reviews the documentation.

C. prepares for each meeting by identifying particular classroom concerns to discuss.

D. begins each meeting by summarizing learning goals addressed in class since the last meeting.

C

A student in a kindergarten class is playing at the water table, placing different toys in the water. The student notices that one toy floats and another sinks to the bottom and asks the teacher why some toys float. Which of the following responses from the teacher would be most strongly consistent with a constructivist approach to learning?

A. "Let's go read a book about water and see what it says about floating."

B. "Why don't we ask some of the other students and see if they know the answer?"

C. "Let's try to make some other things float and see if we can figure it out together."

D. "Why don't I tell you the answer when we have our science time later?"

C

The most important reason for using varied assessment methods and formats with young children is that such an approach:

A. allows teachers to make accurate predictions about children's future academic performance.

B. helps motivate children to become actively engaged in learning.

C. promotes teachers' objectivity and fairness in evaluating children's performance.

D. provides children with multiple avenues to demonstrate their learning.

D

A preschool student has been receiving special education services and will continue to receive services in kindergarten. An IEP meeting is being planned for the student's transition to kindergarten. Which of the following roles is most appropriate for the general education kindergarten teacher to play in this IEP meeting?

A. developing appropriate academic interventions and strategies to meet curricular goals

B. writing reports documenting the decisions of the team

C. determining which special education services the student is eligible to receive

D. facilitating the discussion of the participants

A

A kindergarten student, who is typically easygoing and friendly, has begun acting out in class and being verbally aggressive toward peers. The teacher is consulting with the school counselor about these recent changes in the student's behavior. This consultation is likely to be most productive if the teacher begins by providing the counselor with which of the following pieces of information?

A. notes from the parents describing the student's behavior at home

B. results from the student's most recent standardized assessments

C. a description of the student's behavior and strategies the teacher has implemented

D. the complete educational history and attendance records for the student

C

A recently hired prekindergarten teacher who is new to the area can best prepare to be an effective advocate for students by taking which of the following actions?

A. developing a strong, positive relationship with an assigned mentor

B. learning about the characteristics and needs of families within the community

C. researching advocacy activities undertaken in similar districts in recent years

D. engaging in reflection and self-assessment to identify professional strengths and challenges

B

For a beginning reader to succeed in recognizing the meaning of a word the reader has just decoded, which of the following must be true?

A. The word rhymes with one or more high-frequency words.

B. The word appears in a text that is of interest to the reader.

C. The word is one that the reader can spell.

D. The word is already part of the reader's oral vocabulary.

D

Which of the following sentences contains a metaphor?

A. When I wear those tennis shoes, I feel like a 10-year-old kid again.

B. The harvest moon was a jack-o'-lantern smiling in the october sky.

C. Autumn leaves blew across the yard like giant pieces of confetti.

D. The evening brought with it a sweet scent of lavender and wood smoke.

B

Since the middle of the twentieth century, some efforts have been made by the federal government to end discrimination against ethnic minorities int eh public schools. This undertaking best illustrates which of the following principles of democratic government in the United States?

A. equal protection of the law

B. limited government

C. freedom of expression

D. popular sovereignty

A

A geographer would most likely use the concept of "interdependence" to analyze which of the following subjects?

A. economic relations between Mexico and Canada

B. the causes of global warming

C. ethnic and religious divisions in the world

D. the movement of tectonic plates

A

If N represents the set of natural numbers, W represents the set of whole numbers, and Z represents the set of integers, which of the following Venn Diagrams (sets of parenthesis) represents the relationship between the three sets of numbers?

A. {Z [N (W)]}

B. {W [Z (N)]}

C. {N [Z (W)]}

D. {Z [W (N)]}

D

Which of the following equations represents a linear function?

A. y=2/x

B. y=x^3

C. y=(x^2)+4

D. y=3x+3

D

A characteristic of living ornganisms that distinguishes them from nonliving things is that living organisms:

A. change in shape over time.

B. have a carbon-based chemistry.

C. are made up of cells.

D. are capable of performing work.

C

Which of the following is a fundamental principle of science?

A. Scientific investigations are based on observations and questions.

B. Scientific models are developed before starting an experiment.

C. Scientific theories that have been accepted are deemed absolute truths.

D. Scientific results not supporting a hypothesis should be ignored.

A

Which of the following musical instruments is part of the percussion section of an orchestra?

A. bassoon

B. cymbals

C. double bass

D. harp

B

A librarian reads to six-year-olds about two friends who argue and end up in a minor fight. Saying that arguments are normal, the librarian helps the group discuss ways to prevent arguments from becoming fights. An excerpt of the list is shown below.

*Do not yell or hit.

*Listen to the other person.

*State the main problem.

*Work out an agreement.

This activity is particularly important for introducing children to which of the following types of life skills?

A. using active listening skills to clarify a speaker's intent

B. developing resistance skills to maintain personal safety

C. using social skills to resolve conflicts constructively

D. developing assertiveness skills to resist negative peer pressure

C