ATSW Professionalism & Ethical Practices in Teaching 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher discovers a colleague is falsifying student attendance records to meet school targets. What is the most ethical course of action?
- Ignore it to avoid workplace conflict
- Report the concern to school administration or the appropriate authority (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague publicly in the teachers' lounge
- Alter the records back to accurate figures without informing anyone
Correct answer: Report the concern to school administration or the appropriate authority
Teachers have a professional obligation to report unethical conduct that affects student welfare and institutional integrity.
Question 2: Which behavior best reflects a teacher's commitment to ongoing professional development?
- Relying solely on methods learned during pre-service training
- Attending professional development workshops and applying new strategies (Correct answer)
- Delegating professional growth to department heads
- Participating only in mandatory school-wide training sessions
Correct answer: Attending professional development workshops and applying new strategies
Ongoing professional development means actively seeking new knowledge and applying it to improve classroom practice.
Question 3: A student shares confidential information about abuse at home. What should the teacher do first?
- Keep the disclosure private to protect the student's trust
- Contact the student's friends to gather more information
- Report the disclosure to the appropriate mandated reporter channel immediately (Correct answer)
- Wait to see if the student brings it up again before acting
Correct answer: Report the disclosure to the appropriate mandated reporter channel immediately
Teachers are mandated reporters and must immediately report suspected abuse to the designated authority.
Question 4: A parent requests that a teacher exclude their child from a state-required standardized assessment for personal beliefs. How should the teacher respond?
- Exempt the student without question to respect parental authority
- Explain the assessment requirements and refer the parent to administration for the formal opt-out process (Correct answer)
- Give the student an alternative assignment on the same day with no documentation
- Tell the parent the decision is entirely theirs without any further guidance
Correct answer: Explain the assessment requirements and refer the parent to administration for the formal opt-out process
Teachers should inform parents of requirements and procedures while directing formal decisions to administration.
Question 5: Which action demonstrates appropriate professional boundaries between a teacher and students?
- Communicating with students exclusively through school-approved platforms (Correct answer)
- Adding students on personal social media to stay connected
- Sharing personal relationship details to build rapport
- Giving a student a private ride home after an after-school event
Correct answer: Communicating with students exclusively through school-approved platforms
Using only school-approved communication channels maintains professional boundaries and protects both students and teachers.
Question 6: A teacher notices that a specific group of students consistently receives lower grades despite similar performance. This pattern may indicate:
- Normal grading variation that requires no action
- A potential bias issue that warrants self-reflection and review of grading practices (Correct answer)
- That the students are simply less capable than their peers
- A curriculum problem that only the principal can address
Correct answer: A potential bias issue that warrants self-reflection and review of grading practices
Equity requires teachers to examine their own biases and ensure grading reflects actual student performance without discrimination.
Question 7: A teacher is asked by a parent to share another student's test score for comparison purposes. What is the appropriate response?
- Share the score since the parent has a right to know
- Decline and explain that student records are confidential under FERPA (Correct answer)
- Share only with written permission from both sets of parents
- Ask the student if they mind before sharing
Correct answer: Decline and explain that student records are confidential under FERPA
FERPA prohibits sharing a student's educational records with unauthorized parties, including other parents.
ATSW Professionalism & Ethical Practices in Teaching 2
A teacher discovers a colleague is falsifying student attendance records to meet school targets.
What is the most ethical course of action?