CEP Professional Standards & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student confides to a paraprofessional that they are being bullied at home by a sibling. What is the most appropriate first response?
- Keep the information private to protect the student's trust
- Report the disclosure to the supervising teacher or school counselor (Correct answer)
- Advise the student to tell their parents directly
- Contact the parents yourself immediately
Correct answer: Report the disclosure to the supervising teacher or school counselor
Paraprofessionals must report disclosures of potential harm to a supervising professional who can determine appropriate next steps.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the concept of 'confidentiality' in a school setting for paraprofessionals?
- Sharing student information only among all school staff freely
- Protecting student information and sharing it only on a need-to-know basis (Correct answer)
- Never discussing students with anyone under any circumstances
- Keeping all information secret even from supervisors
Correct answer: Protecting student information and sharing it only on a need-to-know basis
Confidentiality means student information is shared only with those who have a legitimate educational need to know.
Question 3: A paraprofessional disagrees with an instruction given by the supervising teacher during a lesson. The best course of action is to:
- Ignore the instruction and do what they think is best
- Address the disagreement privately with the teacher after the lesson (Correct answer)
- Openly debate the instruction in front of students
- Report the teacher to administration immediately
Correct answer: Address the disagreement privately with the teacher after the lesson
Professional disagreements should be handled privately and respectfully, away from students, to maintain a unified classroom environment.
Question 4: Under IDEA, a paraprofessional working with a student with a disability must follow the student's IEP because:
- It is a legal document that outlines mandated educational services (Correct answer)
- The principal requires all staff to follow it
- It was written by the student's parents
- It lists the student's medical diagnoses
Correct answer: It is a legal document that outlines mandated educational services
The IEP is a legally binding document under IDEA specifying required services, accommodations, and goals for eligible students.
Question 5: A paraprofessional sees a colleague reprimanding a student in a way that appears harsh and demeaning. The most professional response is to:
- Intervene immediately and correct the colleague publicly
- Ignore it as it is not their responsibility
- Report the observed behavior to the supervising teacher or administrator (Correct answer)
- Discuss the incident with other paraprofessionals in the break room
Correct answer: Report the observed behavior to the supervising teacher or administrator
Witnessing potentially inappropriate treatment of a student should be reported through proper channels to ensure student welfare.
Question 6: When a parent calls the school and asks a paraprofessional for detailed information about their child's academic progress, the paraprofessional should:
- Provide a full report since the parent has a legal right to all information
- Redirect the parent to the supervising teacher or case manager (Correct answer)
- Share only positive information to maintain parent relations
- Ask the parent to submit a written request before any discussion
Correct answer: Redirect the parent to the supervising teacher or case manager
Communicating student progress data to parents is the responsibility of the licensed teacher or case manager, not the paraprofessional.
Question 7: Which behavior best demonstrates a paraprofessional maintaining professional boundaries with students?
- Becoming a student's primary emotional support system outside school hours
- Offering consistent encouragement and structured support within the school setting (Correct answer)
- Sharing personal problems with students to build rapport
- Giving students personal contact information for after-school help
Correct answer: Offering consistent encouragement and structured support within the school setting
Professional boundaries require paraprofessionals to support students within defined school roles without fostering dependency or personal involvement.
CEP Professional Standards & Ethics 2
A student confides to a paraprofessional that they are being bullied at home by a sibling.
What is the most appropriate first response?