Codebusters Test School Improvement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law replaced No Child Left Behind and shifted school accountability toward growth models?
- Race to the Top Act
- Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Correct answer)
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
Correct answer: Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), signed in 2015, replaced NCLB and gave states more flexibility in designing accountability systems.
Question 2: A school uses 'tiered intervention' to support struggling students. What framework is this approach part of?
- Differentiated Instruction
- Response to Intervention (RTI) (Correct answer)
- Universal Design for Learning
- Problem-Based Learning
Correct answer: Response to Intervention (RTI)
Response to Intervention (RTI) uses a tiered system where increasingly intensive supports are provided based on student need.
Question 3: In a school improvement plan, a 'leading indicator' differs from a 'lagging indicator' because it:
- Measures outcomes after they occur
- Predicts future performance trends (Correct answer)
- Tracks historical test scores only
- Requires state-level reporting
Correct answer: Predicts future performance trends
Leading indicators are predictive measures (e.g., attendance, homework completion) that signal future outcomes before they occur.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'capacity building' in school improvement?
- Increasing physical classroom space
- Developing educators' skills and knowledge to sustain improvement (Correct answer)
- Hiring more administrators
- Purchasing new textbooks
Correct answer: Developing educators' skills and knowledge to sustain improvement
Capacity building focuses on growing the human capital—staff skills, leadership, and collaborative structures—needed to sustain reform.
Question 5: A principal reviews walkthrough data and notices most teachers rarely use higher-order questioning. The BEST next step is to:
- Place all teachers on performance improvement plans
- Share data schoolwide and design targeted professional development (Correct answer)
- Mandate a new curriculum immediately
- Report findings to the district without taking action
Correct answer: Share data schoolwide and design targeted professional development
Sharing data transparently and linking it to targeted PD aligns instructional coaching with observed needs.
Question 6: What does 'fidelity of implementation' mean in the context of adopting a new instructional program?
- Whether the program is financially sustainable
- How closely teachers follow the program as designed (Correct answer)
- Student satisfaction with the new program
- State approval of the program's content
Correct answer: How closely teachers follow the program as designed
Fidelity of implementation measures the degree to which a program is delivered as its developers intended.
Question 7: Which school improvement strategy focuses specifically on teacher teams analyzing student work together to adjust instruction?
- Strategic planning retreats
- Collaborative inquiry cycles (Correct answer)
- Peer supervision programs
- Mentorship matching
Correct answer: Collaborative inquiry cycles
Collaborative inquiry cycles engage teacher teams in examining evidence of student learning to make responsive instructional decisions.
Codebusters Test School Improvement 2
Which federal law replaced No Child Left Behind and shifted school accountability toward growth models?