MKAS Instructional Planning & Differentiated Support 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A second-grade teacher plans to use a learning contract with a student who has demonstrated mastery of the current math unit. What is the MAIN advantage of this approach?
- It eliminates the need for the student to take unit assessments
- It allows the student to pursue self-directed, in-depth study while the class works on core skills (Correct answer)
- It reduces the teacher's planning workload for that student
- It moves the student ahead to third-grade curriculum permanently
Correct answer: It allows the student to pursue self-directed, in-depth study while the class works on core skills
Learning contracts give advanced learners autonomy to pursue deeper exploration while the teacher works with other students, supporting both independence and challenge.
Question 2: Which approach BEST supports students with sensory processing differences during whole-group instruction in a K-3 classroom?
- Requiring all students to sit still in chairs throughout the lesson
- Providing flexible seating options such as wobble cushions or standing desks (Correct answer)
- Sending sensory-sensitive students to the hallway during instruction
- Reducing the volume and pace of instruction for the entire class
Correct answer: Providing flexible seating options such as wobble cushions or standing desks
Flexible seating options allow students with sensory needs to self-regulate while remaining included in whole-group instruction.
Question 3: A K-3 teacher wants to use questioning to differentiate instruction during a class discussion. Which technique BEST achieves this?
- Directing all higher-order questions only to students identified as gifted
- Using a random name selector so every student has an equal chance of being called on regardless of readiness
- Posing questions at varied cognitive levels and intentionally matching question complexity to student readiness (Correct answer)
- Avoiding cold-calling struggling students to protect them from embarrassment
Correct answer: Posing questions at varied cognitive levels and intentionally matching question complexity to student readiness
Matching question complexity to student readiness ensures all learners are challenged appropriately during discussion without excluding anyone.
Question 4: In Mississippi's K-3 context, which assessment tool is used for early literacy screening to inform instructional planning?
- SAT-10
- DIBELS or an approved universal screener under the Mississippi Literacy Act (Correct answer)
- NAEP
- ACT Aspire
Correct answer: DIBELS or an approved universal screener under the Mississippi Literacy Act
Mississippi's Literacy-Based Promotion Act requires use of approved universal screeners such as DIBELS to identify students needing early literacy intervention.
Question 5: A teacher differentiates a science lesson by providing some students with informational text at a 2nd-grade reading level and others with text at a 4th-grade level, while all students explore the same concept. This is differentiation by:
- Product
- Process
- Content (Correct answer)
- Learning environment
Correct answer: Content
Adjusting the reading level of the material students use to access a concept is differentiation by content.
Question 6: A first-grade teacher uses exit tickets at the end of each lesson. How should this data PRIMARILY be used?
- To assign final grades for the unit
- To identify students who need reteaching and to plan the next lesson accordingly (Correct answer)
- To report student progress to parents on a quarterly basis
- To fulfill a district requirement for daily assessment documentation
Correct answer: To identify students who need reteaching and to plan the next lesson accordingly
Exit tickets are formative tools whose primary purpose is to inform immediate instructional decisions such as reteaching or adjusting pace.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a proactive, rather than reactive, differentiation approach in K-3 planning?
- Pulling struggling students for intervention after the unit test reveals low scores
- Designing tiered tasks and pre-planned scaffolds into the lesson before it is taught (Correct answer)
- Calling parents after a student fails a mid-unit quiz
- Requesting a special education referral when a student fails two consecutive assignments
Correct answer: Designing tiered tasks and pre-planned scaffolds into the lesson before it is taught
Proactive differentiation means building in scaffolds and varied entry points during lesson design, before instruction begins, rather than responding after failure.
MKAS Instructional Planning & Differentiated Support 4
A second-grade teacher plans to use a learning contract with a student who has demonstrated mastery of the current math unit.
What is the MAIN advantage of this approach?