SAC Project Planning & Execution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When implementing a Tier 2 intervention for students at risk, the SAC should coordinate PRIMARILY with which school team?
- The Parent-Teacher Association executive board
- The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) or Student Support Team (Correct answer)
- The district transportation department
- The school athletic coaching staff
Correct answer: The Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) or Student Support Team
The MTSS/Student Support Team is the designated body for coordinating Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions and monitoring student progress.
Question 2: A SAC discovers mid-implementation that a planned curriculum is developmentally inappropriate for the target grade level. The BEST immediate action is to:
- Continue delivery to avoid disrupting the established schedule
- Pause implementation, adapt the curriculum, and document the modification (Correct answer)
- Replace the program entirely with a new evidence-based curriculum
- Request an extension from the school principal before making any changes
Correct answer: Pause implementation, adapt the curriculum, and document the modification
Pausing to adapt and document ensures students receive appropriate content while maintaining program fidelity records.
Question 3: Which method BEST evaluates whether a student assistance program achieved its intended behavior-change outcomes?
- Counting the number of flyers distributed advertising the program
- Comparing pre- and post-intervention scores on validated behavioral assessments (Correct answer)
- Tracking the total number of staff hours spent on program delivery
- Recording the number of community agencies invited to participate
Correct answer: Comparing pre- and post-intervention scores on validated behavioral assessments
Pre/post comparison using validated assessments directly measures whether participants changed in the targeted behavioral domain.
Question 4: A SAC is building a community partnership for a mental health referral network. Which step should come BEFORE signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)?
- Distributing referral forms to all school staff
- Clarifying roles, data-sharing protocols, and liability boundaries with each partner (Correct answer)
- Scheduling the first joint community event for families
- Securing media coverage to announce the partnership
Correct answer: Clarifying roles, data-sharing protocols, and liability boundaries with each partner
Defining roles, data-sharing, and liability in advance ensures the MOU reflects actual operating agreements rather than aspirational language.
Question 5: Fidelity monitoring during program implementation MOST directly serves which purpose?
- Ensuring the program is delivered as designed so outcomes can be accurately attributed to the intervention (Correct answer)
- Tracking the attendance of community members at school events
- Documenting the professional development hours earned by the SAC
- Measuring student academic achievement on state assessments
Correct answer: Ensuring the program is delivered as designed so outcomes can be accurately attributed to the intervention
Fidelity monitoring verifies that a program is implemented as intended, which is necessary to validly interpret outcome data.
Question 6: A SAC plans to use focus groups to gather stakeholder feedback on a proposed program. Which participant composition BEST ensures balanced perspectives?
- Only school administrators who approved the program budget
- A purposive mix of students, parents, teachers, and community representatives (Correct answer)
- Current program participants who have already completed all sessions
- SAC colleagues from neighboring districts
Correct answer: A purposive mix of students, parents, teachers, and community representatives
Purposively including diverse stakeholder groups captures varied perspectives, reducing the risk of bias from any single constituency.
Question 7: When writing measurable program objectives, which verb choice is MOST appropriate for assessing student knowledge gain?
- Appreciate
- Understand
- Identify (Correct answer)
- Value
Correct answer: Identify
'Identify' is an observable, measurable behavior, whereas 'appreciate,' 'understand,' and 'value' are internal states that cannot be directly measured.
SAC Project Planning & Execution 3
When implementing a Tier 2 intervention for students at risk, the SAC should coordinate PRIMARILY with which school team?