Professional Development & Ethics Flashcards

A student tells you something in confidence that indicates abuse at home. As a TA, you are legally required to:

Answer: Report the suspicion to your supervising teacher or counselor immediately

TAs are mandated reporters; suspected abuse must be reported to the appropriate school professional immediately regardless of confidentiality promises.

Which of the following BEST describes the ethical principle of non-maleficence as it applies to TAs?

Answer: Avoiding actions that could cause harm to students

Non-maleficence means 'do no harm' — TAs must avoid actions, words, or decisions that could hurt students physically, emotionally, or academically.

During a professional development session, a TA realizes their support approach has been unintentionally fostering student dependence. The BEST next step is to:

Answer: Gradually shift strategies to build student independence while maintaining support

Gradually fading support while building independence is the evidence-based approach to avoid learned helplessness.

A TA disagrees with a student's IEP goal as written. The correct action is to:

Answer: Raise the concern at the next IEP team meeting through proper channels

IEP goals are legal documents; concerns must be raised formally at IEP team meetings rather than modified informally.

What is the MOST ethical approach when a TA makes an instructional error that affects a student's understanding?

Answer: Correct the error directly, notify the teacher, and provide accurate information to the student

Correcting errors promptly and transparently while informing the teacher upholds both student learning and professional integrity.

Which professional practice BEST prepares a TA to support English Language Learners (ELLs)?

Answer: Pursuing training in ELL strategies and understanding language acquisition stages

Training in language acquisition stages and ELL strategies equips TAs to provide informed, effective support without over-simplifying content.

A TA is asked to write an observation report on a student's behavior for a special education evaluation. The TA should:

Answer: Record only objective, factual observations without personal diagnoses or labels

TAs should document objective, factual behavior observations only; interpretation and diagnosis fall outside their professional scope.