TExES 268 Leadership & Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A principal is building an instructional leadership team. Which composition BEST reflects shared leadership principles?
- Only administrators and department heads
- A diverse group including teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and campus specialists (Correct answer)
- Only tenured teachers with the highest evaluation scores
- External consultants hired for their expertise
Correct answer: A diverse group including teacher leaders, instructional coaches, and campus specialists
A diverse instructional leadership team that includes teacher leaders and coaches distributes expertise and builds internal capacity.
Question 2: A principal receives a parent complaint about a teacher's instructional methods. What is the MOST appropriate initial response?
- Immediately place the teacher on an improvement plan
- Listen carefully to the parent, gather full context, and investigate before taking action (Correct answer)
- Dismiss the complaint to protect the teacher's professional reputation
- Escalate directly to the superintendent
Correct answer: Listen carefully to the parent, gather full context, and investigate before taking action
Gathering full context before acting ensures fair, informed decisions that respect all parties involved.
Question 3: Which data source would MOST directly inform a principal's decision about grouping students for targeted intervention?
- Teacher recommendation letters
- Diagnostic assessment data disaggregated by skill and student subgroup (Correct answer)
- Student self-selection preferences
- Parent surveys about academic confidence
Correct answer: Diagnostic assessment data disaggregated by skill and student subgroup
Diagnostic data disaggregated by skill provides precise information needed to form targeted, needs-based intervention groups.
Question 4: A new principal inherits a campus with a culture of low expectations for students from low-income families. The MOST important leadership action is to:
- Avoid challenging existing beliefs to maintain staff harmony
- Explicitly name and address low-expectation mindsets while building a shared equity-focused vision (Correct answer)
- Immediately terminate teachers who demonstrate low expectations
- Focus exclusively on test preparation to raise scores quickly
Correct answer: Explicitly name and address low-expectation mindsets while building a shared equity-focused vision
Addressing inequitable mindsets directly while co-creating an equity vision is essential to sustainable culture change.
Question 5: A principal is facilitating a difficult conversation with a struggling teacher. Which communication technique is MOST effective?
- Leading with criticism to signal the seriousness of the situation
- Using active listening, asking reflective questions, and focusing on growth rather than blame (Correct answer)
- Having the conversation in a group setting for accountability
- Limiting the conversation to five minutes to reduce conflict
Correct answer: Using active listening, asking reflective questions, and focusing on growth rather than blame
Active listening and reflective questioning in a growth-focused conversation build trust and promote genuine professional development.
Question 6: A principal wants to sustain school improvement gains after an initial successful year. Which strategy BEST supports sustainability?
- Keeping all initiatives the same to maintain consistency
- Institutionalizing effective practices into routines, structures, and professional norms (Correct answer)
- Continuously launching new initiatives to maintain momentum
- Relying on the same external consultant annually
Correct answer: Institutionalizing effective practices into routines, structures, and professional norms
Embedding effective practices into school structures and professional norms ensures gains outlast individual efforts or leadership changes.
Question 7: Which scenario BEST illustrates a principal applying the Texas Principal Standards related to school culture?
- Posting mission statements in hallways without referencing them in daily operations
- Regularly connecting staff decisions and school practices back to shared values and student-centered goals (Correct answer)
- Celebrating student success only through formal award ceremonies
- Delegating culture initiatives to a single counselor
Correct answer: Regularly connecting staff decisions and school practices back to shared values and student-centered goals
Texas Principal Standards emphasize that culture is built when leaders consistently connect day-to-day decisions to shared values and student success.
TExES 268 Leadership & Management 5
A principal is building an instructional leadership team.
Which composition BEST reflects shared leadership principles?