Study Guide

Field 040: School Administrator—District Level
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Use the information below to answer the three questions that follow.

A district administrator uses a rubric to conduct principals' annual evaluations. As part of the evaluation process, the district administrator has principals use the same rubric to evaluate their own performance. Before an annual evaluation conference occurs, the district administrator shares the resulting rating comparison with the principal being evaluated. Following is an example of a rating comparison for one principal.



Objective 0001
Human Capital Management (Standard 1)

1. Which of the following is most likely to be an important benefit of the evaluation practice used by the district administrator?

  1. building a sense of trust with principals by helping ensure clear, consistent communication regarding performance evaluation criteria and results
  2. promoting principals' self-reflection on their current performance and helping them clarify expectations for their improved performance
  3. reducing the stress often associated with performance evaluations by empowering principals to participate in determining their own evaluation outcomes
  4. clarifying relationships between school-level performance priorities and helping principals develop personal improvement plans that reflect those relationships
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to use evaluation systems that credibly differentiate the performance of building leaders. The evaluation format used by the district administrator has the benefit of engaging principals in actively reviewing and evaluating their own performance in relation to key competencies required for effectiveness on the job. It also helps principals enhance their understanding of what is expected of them by providing them with an opportunity to compare their self-evaluation ratings with the ratings they receive from their supervisor.
Objective 0001
Human Capital Management (Standard 1)

2. In conducting the evaluation conference for the principal of Eames Middle School, it would be most important for the district administrator to:

  1. reach agreement with the principal on a single fair and objective rating for each competency evaluated.
  2. help the principal identify those competencies that are currently most crucial in terms of the functioning of his or her school.
  3. analyze patterns of agreement and disagreement in ratings given to the various competencies addressed in the evaluation.
  4. create opportunities to share views about those competencies with significant ratings discrepancies.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to orchestrate high-quality professional learning opportunities. In conducting the evaluation conference for the Eames Middle School principal, the district administrator should make it a priority to review discrepancies between the principal's self-evaluation and the ratings assigned by the district administrator, particularly for those competencies for which the principal's ratings are substantially (i.e., two points) higher than those of the district administrator. These ratings discrepancies suggest that the principal has a limited understanding of the expectations for his or her performance as school building leader. Working with the principal to clarify these expectations is likely to be an important first step in helping the principal recognize where improvement is needed and why.
Objective 0004
Building Relationships (Standard 4)

3. The district administrator can best use the competency ratings to communicate high standards and expectations to the principal of Eames Middle School by using which of the following strategies?

  1. helping the principal establish specific goals to address areas with lower ratings and implementing procedures for monitoring progress in achieving each goal
  2. arranging to review the ratings with the principal periodically to determine where improvements have occurred and where a need for further development remains
  3. assisting the principal in determining how the skills and strategies he or she uses in higher-rated areas can be applied to promote growth in lower-rated areas
  4. exploring the more problematic ratings earned by the principal in the context of ratings earned by higher-performing principals in other district schools
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to work collaboratively with individuals inside the system. In the situation described, an aim of the district administrator should be to use the evaluation process to communicate high standards and expectations to the principal of Eames Middle School and collaboratively design procedures for making those high standards and expectations a reality in the principal's professional practice. The district administrator can best accomplish this by working with the principal to identify goals in those areas most in need of improvement, develop specific plans for improvement, and determine how progress on the plans will be monitored.
Objective 0001
Human Capital Management (Standard 1)

4. A year ago a school district in Indiana put in place a new system for evaluating building leaders. According to state guidelines, which of the following would most strongly suggest that the system is performing as it should?

  1. It yields a credible distribution of ratings for building leaders from highly effective to ineffective.
  2. It is widely accepted as fair, objective, and legitimate by building leaders across the district.
  3. It results in productive reflection and self-evaluation by both evaluators and building leaders.
  4. It generates outcomes that show a strong correlation with the district's performance on state assessments.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of evaluation systems that credibly differentiate the performance of building leaders. According to guidelines described in the Indiana Department of Education's Principal Effectiveness Rubric, a core principle guiding implementation of such a rubric is that the process should yield a credible distribution of performance ratings. In particular, ratings should not be inflated, and ratings of "ineffective" should not be anomalous.
Objective 0001
Human Capital Management (Standard 1)

5. In evaluating a principal's performance over the past year, a district administrator should be most concerned about the principal's:

  1. lack of initiative in reaching out to peers in other district schools to address challenging school issues.
  2. tendency to delegate a large number of administrative tasks to other staff in the school.
  3. lack of flexibility in defining expectations for students with diverse backgrounds and needs.
  4. tendency to make minimal time available to monitor and provide feedback on teacher performance.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the role of the district-level administrator in ensuring that principals prioritize teacher evaluation over competing commitments. Research indicates that teacher quality is often the single most important factor in student learning, so principals need to make it a priority to do whatever they can to promote and facilitate improvements in teacher quality. One important way to do this is to observe and provide feedback on teacher performance on a regular basis. Therefore, a district administrator should be concerned about a principal who does not make adequate time to engage in such monitoring and feedback.
Objective 0001
Human Capital Management (Standard 1)

6. A district administrator who is responsible for achieving challenging goals for improved student performance should place the highest priority on eliminating which of the following practices commonly used by school principals in the district?

  1. moving some highly effective teachers into administrative and leadership roles that significantly reduce the teachers' day-to-day contact with students
  2. spending more time engaged in activities related to mentoring and coaching than tending to district- and state-required administrative tasks
  3. negotiating transfers to other local schools of tenured teachers whose performance in their current school has been marginal
  4. placing teachers on teaching teams without seeking significant input from the affected teachers regarding their team preferences
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the role of the district-level administrator in ensuring that building leaders counsel out or recommend the dismissal of ineffective teachers. Achieving challenging goals for student performance requires high-quality teaching staff in every classroom. If principals in a district are simply transferring their poorly performing teachers from one school to another, then the performance of the district cannot improve as it should. Tenured teachers whose performance is marginal should be provided with remediation. If remediation does not lead to desired results, then the teachers should be dismissed, ensuring that contractual requirements are carefully followed.
Objective 0002
Instructional Leadership (Standard 2)

7. District administrators are likely to be most effective as instructional leaders if they emphasize the use of standardized test results to:

  1. develop differentiated test preparation programs for students at each grade level.
  2. redefine standards that currently drive teaching and learning, as appropriate.
  3. individualize professional development goals and plans for classroom teachers.
  4. redirect energy and resources to improve in areas of greatest weakness.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to use student performance data to evaluate instructional quality and improve student outcomes. An important use of standardized tests is to help identify areas of weakness in teaching and/or learning so that steps can be taken to enhance performance in those areas where improvement is most needed. For instructional leaders at the district level, such steps typically include redirecting energy and resources to address areas of weakness.
Objective 0002
Instructional Leadership (Standard 2)

8. In reviewing student assessment data for recent years, a new superintendent notes that although the district's overall performance has improved considerably, scores for students in one particular demographic group have consistently declined. In responding, the superintendent's most important initial priority should be to engage staff in determining:

  1. the extent to which the test performance of the lower-scoring group reflects the students' true level of achievement.
  2. those factors that are most likely contributing to the observed performance of the lower-scoring group.
  3. specific features of the assessments that make them particularly challenging for members of the lower-scoring group.
  4. additional human and/or material resources likely to improve the performance of the lower-scoring group.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to establish a culture of collaboration in which problem solving about student learning and achievement are aligned to clear instructional priorities. In the situation described, an important goal of educators should be to identify and implement strategies for improving the performance of the one student subgroup whose performance continues to decline. To do this effectively, the educators must first determine exactly what is causing the problems with that subgroup so they will know how to focus their improvement efforts.
Objective 0002
Instructional Leadership (Standard 2)

9. A superintendent is hired to lead a midsize district where establishing an effective Response to Instruction (RtI) program has often been discussed but never put into practice. After confirming substantial support for RtI among school and district leaders, the superintendent oversees the development of policies and procedures for implementing RtI in all district schools, as well as the planning and implementation of necessary staff training. Which of the following additional actions by the superintendent would be most crucial in providing leadership for successful implementation of this initiative?

  1. putting in place an inclusive process for redefining the district vision to reflect more closely the principles of tiered instruction
  2. making time to personally conduct classroom observations throughout the district to monitor the fidelity of implementation of tiered instruction in each school
  3. ensuring that district budgets allocate sufficient funds for the human resources and other resources required for tiered instruction
  4. establishing a team of qualified individuals to review and revise current special education rules and guidelines to accommodate the move to tiered instruction
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to plan and support a rigorous district instructional program based on research-supported best practices. Implementation of Response to Instruction (RtI) requires a combination of high-quality, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction; assessment; and evidence-based decision making and intervention, all aimed at preventing school failure. Because the tiered instruction associated with RtI requires educator access to and use of human and other resources that can differ from those needed in more traditional systems, reallocation of funds to ensure access to necessary resources is essential for system success.
Objective 0002
Instructional Leadership (Standard 2)

10. A new district administrator learns that a relatively small percentage of the teachers in district schools regularly make use of differentiated instruction in their classes. In response, the administrator arranges to provide teachers at all levels with professional development on differentiated instruction. Professional development provided for this purpose should place the greatest emphasis on promoting teachers' ability to do which of the following?

  1. monitor each student's current level of performance across the curriculum to define appropriate and realistic academic goals for the student to attain
  2. help all students achieve grade-level learning standards by using strategies tailored to each individual's particular characteristics and needs
  3. use a district-defined menu of age- and grade-appropriate teaching strategies to achieve particular purposes for particular groups of students
  4. help students engage in self-directed thinking and learning aimed at achieving self-defined academic goals in individual and collaborative settings
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of practices with proven effectiveness in promoting academic success for students with diverse characteristics and needs. Differentiated instruction means providing students with alternative avenues by which they can acquire, process, and apply new knowledge and skills. Given the nature and purposes of differentiated instruction, professional development in this area should focus on promoting teachers' ability to tailor their instruction in ways that are responsive to each individual's characteristics and needs and that enable all students to meet defined learning standards.
Objective 0003
Personal Behavior (Standard 3)

11. A district recently completed its first summer of implementing a new summer school program designed to increase achievement and reduce summer learning loss for middle school students from economically disadvantaged families. The performance of students participating in the program was regularly assessed and monitored as the program proceeded, and at the conclusion of the program all participating students and staff responded to a questionnaire about their experiences. Then at the beginning of the new school year, participants' performance on a standardized assessment was compared with that of a sample of nonparticipating peers. Overall, findings suggest that program results were mixed. At this point, it would be most useful for a district administrator responsible for overseeing the summer school program to reflect on which of the following questions?

  1. What proportion of students involved in the program appears to have benefitted from their participation in significant ways?
  2. What aspects of the program appear to be most in need of change in order to improve outcomes?
  3. What academic and background factors best predict the extent to which individual students benefitted from the program?
  4. What procedural modifications would make accountability for the program's success stronger and more robust?
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to use reflection to increase effectiveness in leading district improvement efforts. An important part of implementing any new educational program involves evaluating outcomes to determine whether the program is achieving its intended aims. In the situation described, the evaluation of the summer school program yields mixed results. Since the goal of the administrator responsible for the program should be to make the program as effective as possible for participating students, the administrator can best use the results to identify those aspects of the program that are currently least effective so that changes can be made to increase program effectiveness.
Objective 0005
Culture of Achievement (Standard 5)

12. A district administrator who is committed to developing a district-wide culture of achievement can best promote attainment of this goal by emphasizing to school staff the importance of:

  1. making frequent use of challenging classroom assessments to maintain and enhance student motivation to learn.
  2. setting high and demanding academic expectations for every student and monitoring progress in meeting expectations.
  3. using a variety of means to recognize high achievers while strengthening remedial programs and course offerings.
  4. implementing procedures for aligning curricular goals and objectives with each student's current interests, strengths, and needs.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the role of the district-level administrator in empowering building-level staff to set high and demanding academic expectations for every student. Developing a culture of achievement requires the creation of a psychological atmosphere that nurtures students' belief in their own ability to be successful learners. Research indicates that adult expectations play a key role in shaping students' confidence and motivation in regard to learning. Therefore, crucial factors in developing a district-wide culture of achievement include ensuring that school staff set high and demanding academic expectations for all students, along with ongoing monitoring of students' progress in meeting those expectations, which facilitates the implementation of appropriate modifications in instructional strategies and supports as needed.
Objective 0005
Culture of Achievement (Standard 5)

13. A new district administrator is disappointed to learn that most district schools do little or nothing to reach out to parents/guardians to get them involved in their children's education. As a result, parent/guardian engagement across the district is very limited. The administrator can best respond to this issue initially by overseeing an effort that focuses on having school-level staff do which of the following?

  1. share with all families the results of current research that highlight the strong relationship between student achievement and families' school participation
  2. put in place multiple communication options to expand and simplify two-way communication with families with diverse characteristics and preferences
  3. create student assignments that feature content likely to be accessible to families and that require the participation of family members for successful completion
  4. hold frequent open houses and other similar school-wide events during evening hours and weekends when students' families are most likely to be available
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to guide building-level staff to build productive relationships with parents/guardians and engage them in their children's learning. In a situation characterized by minimal educator outreach to parents/guardians and minimal parent/guardian engagement, an important first step for educators to take is to ensure that systems are in place to facilitate communication to and from families with diverse characteristics and needs. The establishment of varied and responsive channels of communication would provide educators with a means by which to initiate and pursue many kinds of positive and productive interactions with families.
Objective 0006
Organizational, Operational, and Resource Management (Standard 6)

14. A district administrator is overseeing the creation of a new electronic system for maintaining the records of all central office and school employees. To comply with state and federal laws regarding such records, the administrator should ensure that procedures are put in place to do which of the following?

  1. maintain personally sensitive information in records that are kept separate from other employee information
  2. provide employees with immediate, on-demand access to their own electronic records
  3. maintain the confidentiality of particular kinds of information contained in the records
  4. back up the electronic records with regularly updated hard copies retained in a secure off-site environment
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of laws and regulations governing information management and confidentiality in relation to staff records. According to Indiana's Access to Public Records Act (APRA), a district is able to withhold from disclosure some types of information in the personnel files of its employees, although certain types of information must be disclosed upon request (e.g., job title, compensation, business address and phone number). In creating a new electronic system for employee records, therefore, it is important that procedures are established to maintain the confidentiality of those types of information that have been deemed confidential.
Objective 0006
Organizational, Operational, and Resource Management (Standard 6)

15. A superintendent learns that state and local funding for the following school year will be significantly reduced, although exact figures are not yet available. The superintendent has spoken to the school board about a likely need to make difficult budget decisions regarding staff reductions and severe cuts to or elimination of some popular programs and services. Members of the school board have indicated that they intend to be active participants in the decision-making process. The superintendent can most appropriately and effectively facilitate the school board's productive participation by:

  1. creating a "worst-case scenario" budget for board members to use as a basis for their deliberations on educationally acceptable and unacceptable budget cuts.
  2. developing procedures to guide board members' discussions and ensure their objectivity in evaluating the implications of different budget options for student success.
  3. sharing information with board members about the likely impact of alternative budget cuts on the delivery of services and the achievement of district goals.
  4. serving as a conduit of information for the members of diverse stakeholder groups to ensure that their voices are heard by board members as the board's budget deliberations proceed.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of how to plan district budgets. When significant cuts are required in district budgets, a primary consideration for decision makers should be to minimize the effects of the cuts on the ability of district schools to provide high-quality teaching and learning for all students. In the situation described, the superintendent can best help ensure that negative impacts on teaching and learning will be minimized by providing board members with information to help them identify and compare how different budget-cutting options will affect the delivery of services and the ability of the district to achieve its goals for student learning.