ORELA Professionalism & Ethical Practices 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher notices a colleague frequently making demeaning comments to struggling students. What is the most professionally responsible first step?
- Report the colleague immediately to the school board
- Address the concern with the colleague directly and professionally (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since it is not the teacher's classroom
- Document the behavior and wait until the end of the year
Correct answer: Address the concern with the colleague directly and professionally
Addressing concerns directly with a colleague is the appropriate first step before escalating to administrators.
Question 2: Under Oregon's mandatory reporting laws, which type of professional is legally required to report suspected child abuse?
- Only school counselors and principals
- Only law enforcement officers
- All licensed educators and school staff (Correct answer)
- Only child protective services workers
Correct answer: All licensed educators and school staff
In Oregon, all licensed educators and school staff are designated mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect.
Question 3: A parent requests access to another student's IEP during a school board meeting. The appropriate educator response is to:
- Share the document since it is a public meeting
- Decline, as FERPA protects individually identifiable student records (Correct answer)
- Ask the student's permission before sharing
- Provide a redacted version of the IEP
Correct answer: Decline, as FERPA protects individually identifiable student records
FERPA prohibits sharing individually identifiable student education records with unauthorized parties, including other parents.
Question 4: An educator posts a photo of a student's award-winning artwork on social media without parental consent. This action most likely violates:
- The First Amendment rights of the teacher
- FERPA and school media consent policies (Correct answer)
- The student's copyright ownership only
- No policy because the content is positive
Correct answer: FERPA and school media consent policies
Posting identifiable student content without parental consent typically violates FERPA and district media release policies.
Question 5: Which behavior best demonstrates a teacher's commitment to ongoing professional growth under Oregon educator standards?
- Attending the minimum required professional development hours
- Regularly reflecting on practice and seeking feedback from peers and mentors (Correct answer)
- Focusing solely on mastering the current curriculum without change
- Completing graduate coursework only when required for licensure renewal
Correct answer: Regularly reflecting on practice and seeking feedback from peers and mentors
Ongoing reflection and seeking feedback reflect a genuine commitment to continuous professional improvement.
Question 6: A student confides a personal family crisis to a teacher and asks that it stay secret. If the teacher determines the student may be at risk of harm, the teacher should:
- Keep the secret to maintain trust
- Notify the appropriate school personnel and, if necessary, child protective services (Correct answer)
- Tell only the student's closest friend for support
- Wait to see if the situation improves on its own
Correct answer: Notify the appropriate school personnel and, if necessary, child protective services
Educator duty of care and mandatory reporting obligations override promises of confidentiality when student safety is at risk.
Question 7: An Oregon teacher's license can be suspended or revoked for which of the following actions?
- Assigning homework over school breaks
- Engaging in sexual misconduct with a student (Correct answer)
- Using collaborative grading practices
- Allowing students to retake assessments
Correct answer: Engaging in sexual misconduct with a student
Sexual misconduct with a student is a serious ethical and legal violation that can result in license revocation in Oregon.
ORELA Professionalism & Ethical Practices 2
A teacher notices a colleague frequently making demeaning comments to struggling students.
What is the most professionally responsible first step?