TExES 268 Human Resource Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal needs to assign a long-term substitute for a class mid-year. What is the MOST important consideration?
- Selecting the substitute who is available at the lowest cost to the campus budget
- Ensuring the substitute holds appropriate credentials and can maintain instructional continuity for students (Correct answer)
- Assigning the least experienced substitute so veteran teachers are preserved for the most critical classes
- Allowing students to select the substitute through a classroom vote to increase engagement
Correct answer: Ensuring the substitute holds appropriate credentials and can maintain instructional continuity for students
Instructional continuity and appropriate credentialing are the primary considerations when placing a long-term substitute to protect student learning.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST describes the role of the principal in staff professional development planning under TExES 268 standards?
- Delegating all professional development decisions to the district curriculum director
- Using campus data, teacher input, and strategic campus goals to co-design targeted professional learning (Correct answer)
- Scheduling professional development sessions solely based on district mandates
- Limiting professional development to topics approved by the state education agency each year
Correct answer: Using campus data, teacher input, and strategic campus goals to co-design targeted professional learning
Principals are expected to use campus-specific data and teacher input to co-design professional learning that aligns with campus improvement goals.
Question 3: A teacher with a documented disability requests accommodations to perform their job duties. What is the principal's legal obligation?
- Grant any accommodation the teacher requests regardless of operational impact
- Engage in an interactive process with the teacher to identify reasonable accommodations under the ADA (Correct answer)
- Refer the teacher to HR and take no further action until HR provides a decision
- Deny the request if the accommodation would require purchasing new materials
Correct answer: Engage in an interactive process with the teacher to identify reasonable accommodations under the ADA
The ADA requires employers to engage in an interactive process with the employee to determine what reasonable accommodations can be provided.
Question 4: A principal wants to improve the campus climate for staff. Which action is MOST likely to have a sustained positive impact?
- Hosting monthly staff appreciation events and catered lunches
- Embedding regular opportunities for teacher voice, collaboration, and recognition into campus routines (Correct answer)
- Reducing the number of staff meetings to give teachers more planning time
- Allowing teachers to set their own schedules and work from home on non-student-contact days
Correct answer: Embedding regular opportunities for teacher voice, collaboration, and recognition into campus routines
Sustained positive campus climate results from systemic practices that embed teacher voice, collaboration, and recognition into daily and weekly campus routines.
Question 5: Under Texas law, which statement about the non-renewal of a term contract teacher is CORRECT?
- The principal must provide a specific reason for non-renewal in all cases
- The board must vote to non-renew, and the teacher has the right to a hearing upon request (Correct answer)
- Non-renewal decisions take effect immediately upon verbal notification by the principal
- Term contract teachers have the same due process rights as term employees in the private sector
Correct answer: The board must vote to non-renew, and the teacher has the right to a hearing upon request
Texas law requires the school board to vote on term contract non-renewals, and teachers may request a hearing before the board to respond to the decision.
Question 6: A principal evaluates a teacher using the Texas Teacher Evaluation and Support System (T-TESS). How should evaluation results PRIMARILY be used?
- To rank teachers publicly and allocate merit bonuses based on scores
- To guide individualized professional growth planning and support for each teacher (Correct answer)
- To fulfill state reporting requirements with no direct impact on campus practices
- To determine which teachers will be transferred to low-performing campuses
Correct answer: To guide individualized professional growth planning and support for each teacher
T-TESS is designed as a growth-oriented system; results should drive individualized professional development and coaching conversations.
Question 7: A principal receives a report that a teacher made a derogatory comment about a student's ethnicity in the classroom. The principal must report this to TEA if the investigation substantiates the allegation because:
- All teacher complaints must be reported to TEA regardless of investigation outcome
- Educators are held to the Texas Educator Code of Ethics, which prohibits discriminatory conduct reportable to TEA (Correct answer)
- The parent who reported the incident will escalate to TEA directly if the principal does not
- State law requires campuses to report all teacher misconduct to maintain accreditation status
Correct answer: Educators are held to the Texas Educator Code of Ethics, which prohibits discriminatory conduct reportable to TEA
The Texas Educator Code of Ethics prohibits discriminatory conduct, and principals are required by law to report substantiated violations to TEA.
TExES 268 Human Resource Management 5
A principal needs to assign a long-term substitute for a class mid-year.
What is the MOST important consideration?