CEP Instructional Support & Classroom Assistance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the paraprofessional's primary role during whole-class direct instruction?
- Lead the lesson to give the teacher a break
- Monitor student behavior and provide quiet support to assigned students (Correct answer)
- Grade papers at the back of the room
- Plan the next lesson with the teacher
Correct answer: Monitor student behavior and provide quiet support to assigned students
During teacher-led instruction, paraprofessionals support engagement and assist individual students without taking over instruction.
Question 2: A student with an IEP requires extended time on tests. The paraprofessional is asked to administer the test in a separate setting. What must the paraprofessional ensure?
- The student completes the test in the same time as peers
- Accommodations are implemented exactly as written in the IEP (Correct answer)
- The paraprofessional provides answers when the student is stuck
- The test is given verbally regardless of what the IEP states
Correct answer: Accommodations are implemented exactly as written in the IEP
IEP accommodations are legally binding and must be implemented precisely as documented.
Question 3: How should a paraprofessional handle a student who asks for help with every single problem on an independent practice worksheet?
- Answer each problem to keep the student on track
- Provide a prompt or question that helps the student attempt the problem independently (Correct answer)
- Tell the student to wait until the teacher is available
- Mark the unattempted problems wrong to motivate effort
Correct answer: Provide a prompt or question that helps the student attempt the problem independently
Prompting rather than answering builds student independence and self-efficacy.
Question 4: A paraprofessional observes a student being bullied by peers in the hallway. What is the correct response?
- Walk away to avoid intervening in peer conflicts
- Intervene to stop the behavior, ensure student safety, and report it to the supervising teacher or administrator (Correct answer)
- Advise the bullied student to handle it themselves
- Speak privately only to the bully without reporting the incident
Correct answer: Intervene to stop the behavior, ensure student safety, and report it to the supervising teacher or administrator
All school staff are obligated to stop bullying, protect student safety, and report incidents through proper channels.
Question 5: Which scaffolding technique is most effective when a student does not understand written directions?
- Reread the directions aloud in the same words
- Paraphrase the directions into simpler language and check for understanding (Correct answer)
- Do the first several items for the student
- Tell the student to re-read independently until they understand
Correct answer: Paraphrase the directions into simpler language and check for understanding
Paraphrasing into accessible language makes directions comprehensible without doing the work for the student.
Question 6: When should a paraprofessional share detailed student performance information with a parent who asks directly?
- Whenever the parent requests it, to build home-school communication
- Only through the appropriate school staff (teacher or administrator), not directly (Correct answer)
- Only in writing, never verbally
- Never, because all student information is completely confidential from parents
Correct answer: Only through the appropriate school staff (teacher or administrator), not directly
Communication about student progress should flow through certified staff to ensure accuracy, context, and FERPA compliance.
Question 7: A paraprofessional is working with a student on a reading passage when the student makes a self-correction. What is the best response?
- Interrupt and re-read the original error aloud
- Praise the self-correction to reinforce the monitoring strategy (Correct answer)
- Ignore it and continue reading
- Mark the original error as wrong on the progress log
Correct answer: Praise the self-correction to reinforce the monitoring strategy
Praising self-correction reinforces the metacognitive strategy of monitoring one's own reading for meaning.
CEP Instructional Support & Classroom Assistance 3
Which of the following is the paraprofessional's primary role during whole-class direct instruction?