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Study Guide

Field 117–120: Lower Elementary (PK–3) Education
Subtest 1: Professional Knowledge and Skills
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Subarea 1—Learner-Centered Supports

Objective 001—The Whole Child

1. A prekindergarten student who has autism spectrum disorder has difficulty with transitions throughout the day. The teacher introduces a visual schedule for each day during morning circle time. Which additional accommodation would most effectively support this student during transitions?

  1. rewarding the student for transitioning quietly between activities
  2. giving the student verbal cues about transitions before they happen
  3. offering a choice to the student of when to transition between activities
  4. referring to the visual schedule with the student before and after transitions
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
  1. Providing a reward only after the transition does not help the student prepare for the transition.
  2. Verbal cues alone may not sufficiently support the student in making transitions. Students with autism spectrum disorder who have difficulty transitioning throughout the day may require more significant support, such as a visual schedule that is previewed in anticipation of transitions.
  3. Providing the student with choices for when to transition between activities does not develop the student’s ability to follow school schedules because it teaches the child they have choice over something beyond their control.
  4. Correct. Using the visual schedule to alert the student to an impending transition and then referring to the schedule again afterwards is the best support for a student who has difficulty transitioning. The combination of strategies is likely to reduce the student’s resistance to transitions by providing consistency and predictability to the daily routine.
Objective 002—The Learning Environment

2. A second-grade teacher posts a printed reminder for students to refer to and use when they have a problem in the classroom.

Problem-Solving Steps:
  1. What is my problem?
  2. What are some solutions?
  3. What would happen next?
  4. Try out the solution.

Using this approach most directly promotes independence with which of the following social skills?

  1. perspective taking
  2. peer mediation
  3. self-regulation
  4. self-esteem
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
  1. The chart does not require the students to view things from a different perspective as part of this particular approach to problem solving.
  2. A peer may help direct students to the chart or read it to them, but it is not the goal for them to mediate.
  3. Correct. This approach increases students' ability to manage their emotions and behaviors when they identify that they are having a problem and promotes independence in addressing problems by themselves.
  4. Developing self-esteem could indirectly result from successfully following the steps, but it is not the primary purpose of this chart.
Objective 003—Instructional Practice

3. A third-grade teacher has strategically assigned students to small groups to address specific student learning needs in mathematics. The teacher uses exit tickets at the end of lessons as a formative assessment. The use of this type of assessment provides the most direct information about:

  1. the effectiveness of the instruction.
  2. progress toward grade-level benchmarks.
  3. each student's strengths and weaknesses.
  4. predicted performance on formal assessments.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
  1. Correct. Exit tickets provide immediate information about students' learning that is focused on specific topics. This type of formative assessment will provide the teacher with data showing how successfully the students grasped the lesson being assessed by the exit ticket.
  2. Exit tickets are not typically aiming at broader grade-level benchmarks, but rather more specific topics addressed during an individual lesson or activity.
  3. While an exit ticket might provide information about specific students who still need to develop a concept, they are more likely to be used to determine if a concept or part of a lesson needs to be revisited as a class.
  4. Exit tickets are not intended to provide predictive information about performance on formal assessments, but rather information about recent student learning.

Subarea 2—Professional Knowledge and Strategic Partnerships

Objective 004—Ethics and Professional Growth

4. A first-grade teacher wants to learn more about effective instructional strategies for students identified with a cognitive impairment. Which of the following actions would expand the teacher's professional knowledge on this topic?

  1. creating an in-depth list of research topics pertaining to the most inclusive grade-level pedagogical approaches
  2. joining an online message board for early childhood teachers where novice teachers can request information
  3. collaborating with an experienced special education teacher to identify relevant resources and materials
  4. reading a research article about diagnostic measures used to identify disabilities in young students
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
  1. Identifying topics for research would not address the more immediate need for knowledge addressing instructional strategies.
  2. Online resources may not provide vetted and research-based information that is important for identifying effective instructional strategies.
  3. Correct. Obtaining mentoring from an experienced teacher who specializes in working with students with disabilities would provide the most valid and useful information when seeking resources and materials.
  4. Learning about diagnostic measures, such as norm-referenced assessments, will not provide helpful information on instructional strategies for a student with this diagnosis.
Objective 005—Strategic Partnerships

5. Which of the following teacher activities most effectively promotes the ongoing development of positive relationships with families?

  1. communicating regularly through emails, phone calls, and positive note cards
  2. preparing a back-to-school night presentation to share classroom expectations
  3. sending a monthly newsletter home with ideas for activities to support instruction
  4. developing a classroom website to post important information, pictures, and events
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
  1. Correct. Direct communication through emails, phone calls, and positive notes is the most effective strategy for establishing positive relationships with families. These communication strategies are likely to establish interpersonal connections with families because they encourage the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and feelings.
  2. Presentations may not allow for communicative exchanges, and the focus is on providing information periodically rather than emphasizing more frequent interactions.
  3. Sending home information is another strategy for providing families with information but does not integrate responses from families that are necessary to develop positive relationships.
  4. Developing a classroom website, which not all families may be able to access, does not engage families in an interpersonal way and does not develop relationships with families.