ORELA Professionalism & Ethical Practices 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher who shares a student's learning disability diagnosis with other teachers who do not work with that student is:
- Acting appropriately to build a support network
- Violating FERPA by sharing confidential information with unauthorized staff (Correct answer)
- Fulfilling mandatory communication requirements
- Following IEP team communication protocols
Correct answer: Violating FERPA by sharing confidential information with unauthorized staff
Student disability information may only be shared with school personnel who have a legitimate educational need to know.
Question 2: A new teacher feels unprepared to teach a required unit on a topic outside their expertise. The most ethical action is to:
- Skip the unit and focus on areas of strength
- Seek support from a mentor, colleague, or professional development resources (Correct answer)
- Assign independent research projects to avoid direct instruction
- Inform students of the limitation and offer extra credit for self-study
Correct answer: Seek support from a mentor, colleague, or professional development resources
Seeking support and professional development reflects ethical responsibility to provide competent instruction.
Question 3: Which of the following is an example of professional boundary violation between a teacher and student?
- Offering after-school tutoring with parental consent
- Exchanging personal phone numbers for private communication outside school (Correct answer)
- Writing a college recommendation letter
- Supervising a student club activity
Correct answer: Exchanging personal phone numbers for private communication outside school
Establishing personal communication channels outside school systems blurs professional boundaries and can create inappropriate relationships.
Question 4: Oregon educators are expected to maintain professional competence throughout their careers primarily because:
- It fulfills administrator performance evaluation criteria
- Students are best served by teachers who continuously update their knowledge and skills (Correct answer)
- It is required to maintain union membership
- It allows educators to transfer to higher-paying districts
Correct answer: Students are best served by teachers who continuously update their knowledge and skills
Continuous professional growth is fundamentally tied to the educator's primary obligation of promoting student learning.
Question 5: A teacher witnesses a fellow educator using corporal punishment, which is prohibited in Oregon schools. The witnessing teacher must:
- Assume the other teacher knows best and say nothing
- Report the incident to school administration (Correct answer)
- Consult a union representative before taking any action
- Warn the offending teacher privately and monitor for recurrence
Correct answer: Report the incident to school administration
Witnessing prohibited student mistreatment creates an obligation to report to administration, as student welfare takes precedence.
Question 6: Which statement best reflects the Oregon educator's ethical responsibility toward the teaching profession itself?
- Prioritizing personal income over service to students
- Upholding professional standards and supporting the growth of colleagues (Correct answer)
- Avoiding mentorship to protect competitive advantage
- Limiting professional association to mandatory union activities
Correct answer: Upholding professional standards and supporting the growth of colleagues
Ethical educators strengthen the profession by modeling standards and supporting colleagues' professional development.
Question 7: When an educator suspects academic dishonesty but lacks definitive proof, the most appropriate initial response is to:
- Immediately give the student a zero with no further inquiry
- Investigate further and follow the school's academic integrity policy (Correct answer)
- Ignore the suspicion to avoid conflict with the student's family
- Publicly call out the student as a warning to the class
Correct answer: Investigate further and follow the school's academic integrity policy
Due process requires investigation and adherence to established policy before applying consequences for academic dishonesty.
ORELA Professionalism & Ethical Practices 4
A teacher who shares a student's learning disability diagnosis with other teachers who do not work with that student is: