M.ED Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield M.ED facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory emphasizes that child development is shaped by: → Multiple layered environmental systems from family to culture
2. Scaffolding in instruction refers to: → Providing temporary support that is gradually withdrawn as students gain independence
3. A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) must be based on which prior process? → Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)
4. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 primarily prohibits discrimination based on which characteristic? → Sex
5. What does being recognized by a certain agency as having satisfied its minimum standards entail? → Certification
6. Which term describes the degree to which research findings can be applied to other settings or populations? → Transferability (external validity)
7. In instructional leadership, a principal who frequently visits classrooms and provides feedback is engaging in: → Walkthrough observations
8. Which of the following, according to Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock, is not a quality of effective feedback? → Feedback must be given in comparison to the class average.
9. What does 'distributed leadership' mean in a school context? → Leadership responsibilities are shared among staff members
10. A student with a fixed mindset is most likely to respond to a difficult task by: → Avoiding the task to protect self-image
11. Which transition planning requirement under IDEA must begin no later than age 16 for students with IEPs? → Postsecondary transition goals addressing education, employment, and independent living
12. Under IDEA 2004, what document must be created for every eligible student with a disability? → IEP
13. A researcher finds a correlation of r = –0.82 between screen time and reading scores. This indicates: → A strong negative relationship between the two variables
14. Which law protects students with disabilities who do not qualify for IDEA services but still need accommodations? → Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
15. A teacher wants to assess student understanding during a lecture using real-time student responses. Which technology tool is MOST appropriate for this purpose? → Student response system (clicker/Kahoot)
16. Which research synthesis method statistically combines results from multiple studies to estimate an overall effect? → Meta-analysis
17. What is the primary purpose of a formative assessment? → Informing ongoing instruction and providing feedback during learning
18. Which budgeting approach requires administrators to justify every expense from zero each fiscal year? → Zero-based budgeting
19. A school leader who advocates for equitable resource distribution to close achievement gaps is demonstrating which leadership principle? → Social justice leadership
20. Which approach to professional development is considered most effective for sustained teacher growth? → Ongoing job-embedded coaching and collaboration
21. A school improvement plan (SIP) is primarily driven by which type of data? → Standardized student achievement data
22. A student who attributes academic failure to lack of effort rather than low ability demonstrates which pattern? → Growth mindset
23. In project-based learning (PBL), students primarily: → Investigate real-world problems through sustained inquiry and create authentic products
24. Which of the following types of conduct best describes a marketing character, according to Erich Fromm? → Believing one's self to be property
25. Which type of memory stores factual knowledge and general world information? → Semantic memory
26. According to Piaget, a child who can think logically about abstract concepts is in which stage of development? → Formal operational
27. Which measure of central tendency is most affected by extreme outlier scores? → Mean
28. A 'modification' in special education differs from an 'accommodation' in that it: → Changes the content or performance expectations themselves
29. A school district is implementing a 1:1 device program. Which step is MOST critical before distributing devices to students? → Developing an acceptable use policy and digital citizenship curriculum
30. A school leader's 'span of control' refers to: → The number of staff members directly supervised by a leader