GCPS Professional Knowledge 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A GCPS teacher notices a student who was previously engaged has become withdrawn and disinterested over several weeks. What is the most appropriate first step?
- Immediately refer the student to the school counselor without speaking to the student first
- Have a private, supportive conversation with the student to check on their well-being (Correct answer)
- Contact the parents and request an immediate conference without gathering more information
- Document the behavior change and wait another month before taking action
Correct answer: Have a private, supportive conversation with the student to check on their well-being
Establishing a direct, caring connection with the student first helps identify the cause and shows the student they are supported.
Question 2: Which instructional strategy best supports English Language Learners (ELLs) in a GCPS mainstream classroom?
- Providing all instruction only in English to accelerate language acquisition
- Using visuals, realia, and graphic organizers alongside verbal instruction (Correct answer)
- Assigning ELL students to work independently to build self-sufficiency
- Reducing academic expectations until students achieve fluency
Correct answer: Using visuals, realia, and graphic organizers alongside verbal instruction
Visual supports and organizers provide comprehensible input that helps ELLs access content while developing language skills.
Question 3: Under Georgia law, GCPS teachers are mandated reporters. Which of the following situations requires a teacher to make a report to DFCS?
- A student tells the teacher they forgot to eat breakfast that morning
- A student has unexplained bruising and discloses that a family member hits them (Correct answer)
- A student appears tired and mentions staying up late playing video games
- A student's grades have dropped over the course of a semester
Correct answer: A student has unexplained bruising and discloses that a family member hits them
Unexplained bruising combined with a disclosure of physical harm constitutes reasonable suspicion of child abuse, which must be reported.
Question 4: A GCPS teacher wants to use formative assessment effectively. Which practice BEST exemplifies formative assessment?
- Administering a unit test at the end of an instructional sequence
- Using exit tickets to gauge student understanding at the end of each lesson (Correct answer)
- Assigning a research project graded at the end of the semester
- Reviewing standardized test scores from the previous school year
Correct answer: Using exit tickets to gauge student understanding at the end of each lesson
Exit tickets provide real-time data on student understanding that teachers can use to adjust upcoming instruction.
Question 5: Which approach to classroom management aligns most closely with GCPS's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework?
- Focusing primarily on consequences for misbehavior to deter future incidents
- Explicitly teaching and reinforcing expected behaviors school-wide (Correct answer)
- Allowing students to self-regulate without teacher intervention
- Removing students from class as the primary response to minor disruptions
Correct answer: Explicitly teaching and reinforcing expected behaviors school-wide
PBIS emphasizes proactively teaching expected behaviors and using positive reinforcement rather than reactive punishment.
Question 6: A GCPS teacher is planning a lesson and wants to align it with the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. What is the correct order of planning steps?
- Plan activities first, then determine assessments, then identify standards
- Identify desired results, then determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences (Correct answer)
- Select textbook chapters first, then write objectives, then plan assessments
- Create assessments first, then select standards that match the assessment content
Correct answer: Identify desired results, then determine acceptable evidence, then plan learning experiences
UbD (backward design) begins with desired outcomes, moves to evidence of learning, and finally to instructional activities.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the role of a GCPS teacher in an IEP meeting?
- To serve as the decision-maker for all special education placements
- To provide input on the student's academic performance and instructional needs in the general education setting (Correct answer)
- To override recommendations made by the special education team
- To attend only if specifically requested by the special education coordinator
Correct answer: To provide input on the student's academic performance and instructional needs in the general education setting
General education teachers provide essential context about the student's performance in the general curriculum and collaborate with the IEP team.
GCPS Professional Knowledge 2
A GCPS teacher notices a student who was previously engaged has become withdrawn and disinterested over several weeks.
What is the most appropriate first step?