Principal Student & Staff Development Flashcards

A principal wants to support a struggling first-year teacher. Which coaching model is most effective for building reflective practice?

Answer: Using a cognitive coaching approach with open-ended, reflective questioning

Cognitive coaching uses reflective questioning to build teacher self-directedness and metacognitive awareness, which sustains growth beyond the coaching relationship.

Under the Texas Behavior Support framework, when must a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) be conducted for a student with a disability?

Answer: When a student with a disability's behavior impedes their learning or that of others, or when facing certain disciplinary actions

IDEA and Texas rules require an FBA when a student with a disability's behavior is an impediment to learning or when considering disciplinary placements exceeding 10 days.

A campus principal is reviewing professional development effectiveness. Which evaluation level, per Guskey's model, most directly measures impact on student learning?

Answer: Level 5: Student learning outcomes

Guskey's Level 5 evaluates whether professional development ultimately improved student learning outcomes, the highest and most meaningful measure of PD effectiveness.

A student with an IEP is struggling to access the general curriculum despite accommodations. What is the principal's appropriate role in this situation?

Answer: Convene an ARD committee meeting to review the IEP and consider additional supports or modifications

The principal ensures that the ARD committee convenes to review IEP effectiveness and make data-driven adjustments to supports, services, or placement as needed.

Which approach to staff development best reflects the principle of 'job-embedded learning'?

Answer: Learning walks, collaborative lesson planning, and peer observation during the regular school day

Job-embedded learning occurs within the context of actual teaching practice through activities like instructional rounds, co-planning, and peer observation integrated into the school day.

A principal is developing a campus crisis response plan. Which component is most critical for supporting students' social-emotional recovery after a traumatic event?

Answer: Activating psychological first aid and providing tiered mental health supports in the aftermath

Psychological first aid provides immediate evidence-based support that addresses safety, connection, and calm, with tiered follow-up for students with ongoing trauma responses.

A teacher requests accommodations under the ADA due to a disability. What is the principal's most appropriate immediate action?

Answer: Consult with HR and engage in an interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations

ADA requires an interactive process between the employer and employee to identify effective, reasonable accommodations, with HR guiding the principal through this process.