ATSW Ethical Standards 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher finds a student's unclaimed cell phone containing personal photos. The most ethical action is to:
- Look through it to identify the owner
- Turn it in to the school office without viewing its contents (Correct answer)
- Hold it in the classroom until the student claims it
- Return it after confirming it belongs to the student by checking content
Correct answer: Turn it in to the school office without viewing its contents
Accessing a student's personal device without consent is a privacy violation; the phone should be turned in without inspection.
Question 2: Which of the following teaching behaviors best demonstrates the ethical standard of intellectual honesty?
- Presenting only information that supports the lesson objective
- Acknowledging the limits of current knowledge and correcting errors openly (Correct answer)
- Avoiding topics where research is inconclusive
- Only citing sources from established textbooks
Correct answer: Acknowledging the limits of current knowledge and correcting errors openly
Intellectual honesty requires teachers to model epistemic humility and correct errors rather than concealing uncertainty.
Question 3: A teacher receives a subpoena requiring disclosure of information shared by a student in class. The teacher should:
- Refuse to comply to protect student privacy
- Consult the school's legal counsel before taking any action (Correct answer)
- Immediately comply without notifying administration
- Provide only information the teacher deems relevant
Correct answer: Consult the school's legal counsel before taking any action
Legal matters require guidance from school legal counsel to ensure compliance while protecting student rights appropriately.
Question 4: A new teacher is pressured by veteran colleagues to falsely mark attendance for a departmental field trip to inflate participation numbers. The teacher should:
- Comply to fit in with the department culture
- Mark attendance accurately and report the pressure to administration (Correct answer)
- Comply this once but refuse in the future
- Do nothing and let the other teachers handle attendance
Correct answer: Mark attendance accurately and report the pressure to administration
Falsifying records is unethical and potentially illegal; peer pressure does not justify misconduct.
Question 5: The concept of 'in loco parentis' most directly means that teachers:
- Have the same legal authority as parents in all situations
- Are responsible for student welfare while students are in their care (Correct answer)
- Can make medical decisions for students without parental consent
- Represent parents at school board meetings
Correct answer: Are responsible for student welfare while students are in their care
In loco parentis means teachers assume a parental-like duty of care over students during the school day.
Question 6: A teacher notices that their grading has been unconsciously harsher for students from a particular cultural background. The ethical response is to:
- Continue with current practices since grades are objective
- Acknowledge the bias and actively work to apply consistent, fair grading criteria (Correct answer)
- Give those students bonus points to compensate
- Avoid grading those students and delegate to another teacher
Correct answer: Acknowledge the bias and actively work to apply consistent, fair grading criteria
Ethical teaching requires ongoing self-reflection about bias and a commitment to consistent, equitable evaluation practices.
Question 7: A teacher is offered the opportunity to write a letter of recommendation for a student they believe is not qualified for the program. The ethical choice is to:
- Write an inflated letter to support the student
- Decline and honestly explain they are not the best person to write the letter (Correct answer)
- Write the letter but omit the student's weaknesses
- Ask the student to write a draft and sign it
Correct answer: Decline and honestly explain they are not the best person to write the letter
Writing a misleading recommendation is dishonest; declining with an honest explanation respects both the student and the receiving institution.
ATSW Ethical Standards 5
A teacher finds a student's unclaimed cell phone containing personal photos.
The most ethical action is to: