TEA Principal Leadership & School Administration 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under Texas law, what is the maximum number of days a student may be placed in Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) for a discretionary offense in a single placement?
- 30 days
- 60 days (Correct answer)
- Until the end of the school year
- There is no maximum; the campus sets the duration
Correct answer: 60 days
For most discretionary offenses, Texas Education Code limits a single DAEP placement to a maximum of 60 days.
Question 2: A principal is evaluating teacher performance under the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). Which is NOT a domain in the T-TESS rubric?
- Planning
- Instruction
- Learning Environment
- Community Engagement (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Community Engagement
T-TESS uses four domains: Planning, Instruction, Learning Environment, and Professional Practices & Responsibilities — Community Engagement is not a separate T-TESS domain.
Question 3: Which action is REQUIRED when a principal suspects a student is experiencing abuse or neglect under Texas law?
- Notify the student's parents before contacting any agency
- Gather more evidence over 48 hours before making a report
- Report immediately to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) or local law enforcement (Correct answer)
- Defer the report to the district's legal counsel
Correct answer: Report immediately to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) or local law enforcement
Texas mandated reporters, including principals, must immediately report suspected abuse or neglect to DFPS or law enforcement without delay.
Question 4: A principal is reviewing STAAR disaggregated data and notices a persistent achievement gap for English Learners (ELs). Which step should occur FIRST in a data-driven response?
- Purchase new bilingual curriculum materials immediately
- Analyze root causes by examining instructional practices, EL program fidelity, and student subgroup needs (Correct answer)
- Move all EL students to a pull-out program regardless of current placement
- Report the gap to TEA before taking campus action
Correct answer: Analyze root causes by examining instructional practices, EL program fidelity, and student subgroup needs
Before selecting interventions, principals must analyze root causes through examining instruction, program fidelity, and specific subgroup data to ensure targeted responses.
Question 5: What does Texas require of a principal regarding the annual audit of a campus budget?
- Principals conduct independent audits without district involvement
- Principals must ensure financial records are available and cooperate with district and TEA audit processes (Correct answer)
- Principals are exempt from financial oversight responsibilities
- Principals must hire a CPA firm to audit all campus accounts annually
Correct answer: Principals must ensure financial records are available and cooperate with district and TEA audit processes
Texas principals are responsible for maintaining accurate financial records and cooperating fully with district and TEA audit processes.
Question 6: A teacher requests a religious accommodation under Title VII. What is the principal's obligation?
- Deny the request because schools are secular workplaces
- Engage in an interactive process to determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be provided without undue hardship (Correct answer)
- Refer the decision entirely to the school board
- Approve any accommodation the teacher requests without analysis
Correct answer: Engage in an interactive process to determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be provided without undue hardship
Title VII requires employers to engage in an interactive process and provide reasonable religious accommodations unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
Question 7: Under the Texas Principal Standards, which standard addresses a principal's responsibility for building a shared vision with stakeholders?
- Standard 2: Learning and Teaching
- Standard 1: School Community Leadership (Correct answer)
- Standard 4: Human Capital
- Standard 5: Strategic Operations
Correct answer: Standard 1: School Community Leadership
Texas Principal Standard 1 (School Community Leadership) encompasses building collaborative relationships and a shared vision with all stakeholders.
TEA Principal Leadership & School Administration 3
Under Texas law, what is the maximum number of days a student may be placed in Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) for a discretionary offense in a single placement?