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Respuestas en español | Education Resources (Brochure) [PDF, 1.5 MB] About the U.S. Department of Education (ED)Career, Technical, and Adult Education
Civil RightsEarly Childhood EducationElementary and Secondary EducationFederal Student AidGrant Program FundingHigher EducationInternational EducationNon-Public EducationPublicationsRecognition ProgramsResearch and StatisticsSpecial Education and Rehabilitative ServicesStudent Records and PrivacyTeaching Initiatives and ResourcesHave a question that isn't listed above? Submit your question to the Information Resource Center.This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam. For each sample exam question, there is a correct answer and a rationale for each answer option. The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam. Domain I—Leadership of the Educational CommunityCompetency 001—The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.1. Ms. Conyer is the superintendent of a school district that has recently experienced rapid growth in the number of minority families moving to the community. Some teachers are having difficulty assimilating the minority families into their existing view of the school community. Which of the following is the superintendent’s best initial action for building a culture that celebrates diversity?
2. The superintendent of a rapidly growing school district plans to initiate a bond election to fund school construction and renovation. Two previous bond elections were not successful because of disagreement among the community about the value, purpose, and feasibility of the bond. Which of the following actions by the superintendent is most effective for building support for the new bond proposal?
Competency 002—The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.3. A new superintendent finds the district’s existing mission statement too general to be useful in its execution and plans its revision. Which of the following elements must the revised statement include to ensure that it is of most use for accomplishing the school district’s mission?
4. Which of the following practices by a superintendent best facilitates the development and implementation of a shared vision that focuses on teaching and learning?
5. A superintendent plans to hold several planning forums during the summer to allow parents and community members to participate in the planning process of district activities. The goal is to build support among stakeholders for the district’s mission and goals. Which TWO of the following methods will most effectively and efficiently reach the greatest number of stakeholders with information about the forums?
Competency 003—The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.6. Which of the following practices by a superintendent is most useful for assessing the district’s culture and climate?
7. Which TWO of the following are the most effective district-wide actions a superintendent can take to reduce student dropout rates?
Competency 004—The superintendent knows how to respond to and influence the larger political, social, economic, legal and cultural context, including working with the board of trustees, to achieve the district’s educational vision.8. While attending a high school basketball game, a superintendent observes a school board member shouting insults at the referees whenever he disagrees with their decisions. Which of the following should be the superintendent’s most appropriate first response?
9. Because of changing demographics in a growing city, community members believe some changes are needed to the district’s career-oriented curriculum. Which of the following is the most appropriate role of the office of the superintendent in developing an effective career-oriented curriculum for a district?
10. Which of the following describes the primary role of a board of trustees in implementing a new vision and strategic plan for a school district?
11. A school board has gained four new members as a result of a recent election. Which of the following is the most appropriate action for the superintendent to take for promoting team building among board members?
12. A superintendent receives a report that a school board member is influencing a search committee to hire a relative of the board member for an open administrative position. Which of the following is the most appropriate first step for the superintendent to take in response to the situation?
13. Which of the following is a superintendent’s highest priority when preparing and recommending a policy to the school board for approval?
Domain II—Instructional LeadershipCompetency 005—The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.14. A school superintendent meets with elementary principals to review the results of the state assessment for each campus. Which of the following actions best promotes active and focused engagement in the collaborative examination of the assessment data?
Competency 006—The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.15. A superintendent reviews the Texas Education Agency report for the spring administration of the state accountability test. The results were favorable in all areas, with the exception of one elementary school that was identified as "Improvement Required." To best promote school improvement, the superintendent should require the elementary principal to first
16. A superintendent receives several complaints from parents questioning the number of students not being accepted into the district’s gifted and talented program. Which of the following actions is essential for ensuring that the process for identifying students for participation in a gifted program is equitable?
17. A new superintendent wants to facilitate the effective implementation of health services for students in the school district. Which of the following actions by the superintendent best meets the goal?
Competency 007—The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.18. Elementary school teachers in a district have just finished attending a series of professional development sessions on classroom-based observational assessments. Which of the following actions by district administrators will best ensure that students reap the greatest possible benefits from their teachers’ participation in the sessions?
19. A new superintendent reviewing personnel records from the past five years observes a trend of well-qualified, effective novice teachers leaving the district to pursue other professions due to a lack of collegial support. Which of the following superintendent actions will best address the loss of the novice teachers?
Multiple-Competencies PassagesPractice questions 23–33 refer to the case study located in the Preparation Manual: Superintendent Supplemental Booklet. Practice questions 34–39 refer to the TAPR report, also located in the preparation manual supplement. Note: Some of the documents are meant to reflect types of materials produced by the state and do not necessarily reflect current reporting formats. It is important that you use only the materials in this chapter to answer the questions. Questions 23–33 refer to the case study material in the Preparation Manual: Superintendent Supplemental Booklet. Dr. Bugle is the superintendent of Sweetville Independent School District (SISD), a small suburban district with eight schools. One of the middle schools, Sweetville Middle School, a Title I school, has received notification from Texas Education Agency (TEA) that the campus is rated as “Improvement Required” due to poor mathematics performance. Dr. Bugle coordinates with the principal, Ms. Akon, to respond to this information and begin developing professional learning communities (PLCs) for all district schools. Some teachers have voiced concerns regarding the teacher selection process for the new professional learning communities. A teacher at Sweetville Middle School, Susan Martin, has filed a grievance as a result of the teacher selection process for the PLC planning committee. Mr. Bugle plans to review all the pertinent information and respond appropriately. Examine the following documents and respond to the questions:
Competency 010—The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decisionmaking and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.23. Dr. Bugle wants to ensure that all employees understand the state accountability system in order for students to be successful on state assessments. Which of the following statements by Dr. Bugle best addresses this goal?
Competency 005—The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.24. As the district plans to implement PLCs, Dr. Bugle wants to ensure that all principals understand how to use student performance data to improve instruction at their campuses. Which of the following provides Dr. Bugle with an opportunity to share compiled district data trends with principals while demonstrating the use of PLCs?
Competency 006—The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.25. According to the article provided by Dr. Bugle to principals and their staff, which of the following adjustments to their practice is most appropriate?
Competency 001—The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.26. Which of the following strategies should Dr. Bugle implement to best address Susan Martin’s concerns?
Competency 001—The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.27. In accordance with board policy, which of the following responses by Dr. Bugle to Susan Martin’s Level II grievance is most appropriate?
Competency 001—The superintendent knows how to act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner in order to promote the success of all students.28. If Susan Martin appeals the Level II decision, what is the most appropriate next step for Dr. Bugle to take?
Competency 008—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management and technology applications.29. A group of teachers from Sweetville Middle School sends a letter to Dr. Bugle outlining their intention to join Susan Martin in her pending grievance. If their grievance is officially filed, which portion of SISD’s board policy addresses how Dr. Bugle should respond?
Competency 003—The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.30. A group of teachers tells a local television station that they are being discriminated against based on their age. A news story is broadcast during which the group recounts a rumor that Dr. Bugle is allowing principals to hire younger teachers to serve on the PLCs planning committee in order to keep personnel costs down. The group calls the actions ageism, and the teachers threaten to file a federal discrimination lawsuit. Which of the following is the most appropriate response from Dr. Bugle?
Competency 007—The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.31. According to the principles discussed in the article provided by Dr. Bugle, which of the following sets of professional development topics best supports the implementation of PLCs?
Competency 007—The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.32. Dr. Bugle believes that PLCs will not be sustainable if the change initiative is not embedded in the culture of the schools. To change the district and campus culture, the school leadership team will need to address how to
33. After several months of implementing PLCs, district staff and principals begin to see improvements with the district-created common assessments and increasing excitement from teachers involved. Which of the following strategies is the most appropriate first step for Dr. Bugle to take to communicate these successes and foster continued improvement?
Questions 34–39 refer to the Texas Academic Performance Reports in the Preparation Manual: Superintendent Supplemental Booklet. The superintendent of Davis Independent School District plans to meet with district leaders, teachers, parents and community members to review data and plan to support school improvement. The superintendent plans to analyze the Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR) for the district and its campuses. Specifically, the superintendent wants to analyze the performance of Westbury Elementary, a K–6 school, and Rockfort Elementary, a PK–4 school, to see whether effective strategies at one school can be applied to the other in order to narrow the achievement gap between the schools. NOTE: The sample TAPR data reports provided are intended to be representative only. The sample reports do not necessarily reflect the current reporting formats. Competency 010—The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decisionmaking and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.34. The TAPR data for the district best support establishing a goal of increasing students’ performance
Competency 006—The superintendent knows how to advocate, promote and sustain an instructional program and a district culture that are conducive to student learning and staff professional growth.35. Which of the following statements regarding the performance of special populations is best supported by the district TAPR?
Competency 010—The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decisionmaking and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.36. Which of the following is the most accurate conclusion that can be drawn from analyzing district dropout and graduation rates?
Competency 005—The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.37. Last year, Rockfort Elementary implemented a small-group mathematics program in third and fourth grades that has been successful at Westbury Elementary. Based on Rockfort’s changes in mathematics scores from last year to the current year, the school should
Competency 008—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management and technology applications.38. The superintendent evaluates the staffing patterns at Rockfort and Westbury Elementary Schools with the leadership team. Which of the following conclusions can be drawn based on the data?
Competency 007—The superintendent knows how to implement a staff evaluation and development system and select appropriate models for supervision and staff development to improve the performance of all staff members.39. Based on the data, which of the following professional development strategies is most needed?
Questions 40–43 refer to the following information. Over the summer, Dr. Sarah Yin, the superintendent of Blackburn Independent School District (BISD), receives a letter from the Texas Education Agency that contains the near-final Summary of Finances (SOF) and other related reports for the district. Dr. Yin is working with the director of finance to examine the budget for the current year. At the same time, she is also collaborating with her staff, the district site-based decision-making committee and the school board to develop a budget for the next school year. To balance the budget for the next school year, Dr. Yin is considering an increase in the tax rate for maintenance and operations, which will require voter approval. The increase is needed to cover salaries and offset the decline in transportation revenue and average daily attendance monies. Competency 002—The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.40. Dr. Yin wants members of the district site-based decision-making team to be familiar with the Summary of Finances report from the TEA and understand its value in shaping the budget and associated district goals. Which of the following best explains how superintendents use this document?
Read the following excerpt of the 2014–15 SOF.
Competency 008—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management and technology applications.41. In comparing the legislative planning amount estimate with the near-final total state aid amount for Blackburn ISD’s 2014–15 SOF, which of the following should Dr. Yin consider when planning the 2015–16 budget?
Competency 008—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of effective leadership and management in relation to district budgeting, personnel, resource utilization, financial management and technology applications.42. During the school board budget hearing, a board member asks, “How will raising local taxes generate revenue in Tier I and Tier II?” Which of the following is the most appropriate response from Dr. Yin?
Competency 010—The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decisionmaking and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.43. After the new budget is approved, which of the following is Dr. Yin’s most appropriate next step?
Questions 44–46 refer to the following information. A school district has grown in size over the last decade, leading to overcrowding at its aging elementary school. To address the problem, the board proposes to replace the existing school and hires an architectural firm to draw up plans and estimate final costs for a new school. Although the state has agreed to pay for part of the cost of building a new school, the rest of the money must be raised through a bond issue that requires the approval of a majority of district voters. The bond issue is strongly opposed by a group of district residents. Competency 009—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district’s physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.44. During the planning stage for the design of the new school building, which of the following trends should be weighed most heavily?
Competency 009—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district’s physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.45. When school districts are planning for a new school building’s construction, Texas Administrative Code requires the districts to
Competency 010—The superintendent knows how to apply organizational, decisionmaking and problem-solving skills to comply with federal and state requirements and facilitate positive change in varied contexts.46. Which of the following is the most important responsibility of the superintendent with regard to the bond election?
Decision Set Begins Here PART 1 Dr. Trenessa Louis is the new superintendent of Hutchins Ridge ISD (HRISD). Shortly after beginning work in the district, she holds individual meetings with district principals to discuss, among other topics, the strengths and needs of the district in terms of technology use and availability. Following are some of the key points Dr. Louis notes during these meetings.
After gathering the background information, Dr. Louis decides that two of her primary goals during her first year as superintendent of HRISD will be to ensure that a comprehensive district technology plan is developed and that implementation of the plan is begun. She will begin by forming a technology planning committee (TPC). Competency 003—The superintendent knows how to communicate and collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs and mobilize community resources to ensure educational success for all students.47. To make sure that the new district technology plan is realistic and has the greatest chance for success, Dr. Louis should ensure which of the following related to the technology planning committee?
PART 2 Once the new technology vision for the district has been established by the TPC and approved by the board of trustees, Dr. Louis encourages the TPC to develop specific student goals and an implementation plan. Competency 002—The superintendent knows how to shape district culture by facilitating the development, articulation, implementation and stewardship of a vision of learning that is shared and supported by the educational community.48. The opening line of the mission statement in the new district technology plan states: “HRISD is committed to preparing all students to be successful workers and ongoing learners in the information age.” The district could best fulfill its stated mission by establishing which of the following goals for all students to achieve by the time they graduate?
Competency 005—The superintendent knows how to facilitate the planning and implementation of strategic plans that enhance teaching and learning; ensure alignment among curriculum, curriculum resources and assessment; use the current accountability system; and promote the use of varied assessments to measure student performance.49. Which of the following guidelines should be included in a successful professional development plan in the area of instructional technology?
Decision Set Ends Here Competency 009—The superintendent knows how to apply principles of leadership and management to the district’s physical plant and support systems to ensure a safe and effective learning environment.50. A school board reviews bids from several vendors to provide food services to district schools. One vendor’s bid is substantially lower than the rest, but a board member expresses reservations based on some negative comments she has heard about the vendor’s work. In this situation, the best action for the superintendent to take next is to
Which of the following social policies is the most costly to the government?Medicaid is the most costly of U.S. public assistance programs. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), commonly known as welfare, provides cash assistance to poor families with children.
Which statement is the key argument of Keynesians?The main plank of Keynes's theory, which has come to bear his name, is the assertion that aggregate demand—measured as the sum of spending by households, businesses, and the government—is the most important driving force in an economy.
Which of the following would be a good example of a government program that provides an indexed social benefit quizlet?Which of the following would be a good example of a government program that provides an "indexed" social benefit? a federally run program that provides $750 to low income families in the first year, and then increases 1.5%.
Which of the following presidents largely delivered on his promise to end welfare as we know it quizlet?In 1992, then-candidate Bill Clinton promised to “end welfare as we know it.” President Clinton submitted his welfare reform proposal to Congress in June 1994, but Congress did not take any action on it.
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